Jump to NCAA DII, playing with brother played part in Malloy’s transfer to USF

The prospect of playing for a program making the transition up to the NCAA Division II level, as well as playing for the same school as her brother one more time, were the biggest factor’s in Maggie Malloy’s decision to transfer to the University of Sioux Falls, she said Thursday afternoon.

Wednesday afternoon, USF announced that Malloy, who just completed her sophomore season on the Dakota Wesleyan University women’s basketball team, would join the Cougars for her final two seasons of collegiate eligibility.

Malloy said the switch was appealing for many reasons.

“USF is going Division II and I think it’s a different level to compete on and I think it will be a lot more fun,” she said. “I’m getting out of Mitchell for a bigger city, I get along with the USF coaching staff really well and really just needed a change.”

Malloy, a Parkston native, started in 28 of the 29 games she played with the Tigers this season and averaged 28.6 minutes per game. She finished the year averaging 11.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game and had 39 assists and 29 steals.

As a freshman, Malloy, who was named the South Dakota Class A player of the year her senior year of high school, averaged 7.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game and made 53 steals for DWU. She was an all-Great Plains Athletic Conference honorable mention selection her freshman season.

“You never expect players to leave prior to graduation, but in this case I think it’s a good fit for Maggie and a good fit for our program at this time as well,” DWU coach Aaron Kahl said. “It’s been a joy having Maggie at Dakota Wesleyan and we wish her nothing but the best.”

Malloy, the all-time leading scorer at Parkston High School, joins a Cougar squad that went 18-14 in the 2009-10 season and advanced to the second round of the GPAC tournament.

“I’m not really worried about (switching systems),” Malloy said. “I’ve met some of the girls, and I think it’s a good fit for me. After high school, USF and DWU were at the top of my list, so I’ve thought about going there before. I’m excited about the change.”

As well as making the transition to NCAA DII, Malloy is also excited about being able to watch her brother finish out his collegiate career. Matt Malloy is an All-American guard for the Cougars who led the team in scoring (20.3 points per game) and was second in assists (2.2) and steals (1.0) his junior year at USF.

“It’s my brother’s senior year, and being able to watch all his games … I’ll love that, because he is fun to watch,” Maggie Malloy said.

Malloy’s departure means more turnover for the Tigers, who lost starters Ashley and Allison Johnson, as well as Angela Noteboom, to graduation. Elizabeth Lamb and Brittany Hills saw plenty of playing time as freshmen this past season, and juniors Kenzie Dvoracek and Ashley Mailey also contributed, and will be looked upon to help out with leadership more this coming season.

“Everyone will have to step up and do their jobs a little bit better,” Kahl said. “We’re still on the recruiting trail trying to add more depth and experience. We’re excited about the new people we have coming, and we’re excited to get going next school year.”

Tags: our towns, sports, tigers, basketball, usf, parkston