Moreland will continue basketball career at University of Sioux Falls
MFL MarMac senior Riley Moreland last week signed a letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Sioux Falls. She posed with her mom, Carrie Jones, afterward. (Photo by Audrey Posten)
By Audrey Posten, Times-Register
MFL MarMac senior Riley Moreland last week signed a letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Sioux Falls (USF).
Moreland, a four-year starter and all-conference and all-district selection for the Bulldogs, will receive a full scholarship to USF, an NCAA Division II school based in Sioux Falls, S.D.
“They play in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, one of the toughest Division II conferences in the nation,” said MFL MarMac head coach Jason Winter. “There are not many kids who have the opportunity to go on and play at the Division I, Division II level, so this is a huge honor for Riley and her family, for our high school basketball program and her teammates.”
Moreland committed to USF over the summer, after considering several other colleges.
“I was kind of iffy between colleges at first because I was talking to so many of them, but when I visited Sioux Falls, it just sort of felt right,” she said. “I’m going to school for criminal justice, and they have the best criminal justice program I visited so far, and they have a lot of internship opportunities.”
Playing basketball at the collegiate level is the culmination of years of hard work. Moreland started in the sport in fourth or fifth grade.
“I joined way later than the rest of my teammates. A lot had been playing since second and third grade,” she recalled. “I’ve spent a lot of extra time in the gym, just when no one else is in here—before practice and after practice.”
In addition to the school seasons, Moreland has also gained valuable experience in AAU.
“We’ve gone a lot of different places and seen tough competition. A lot of times, I go from being a good athlete in the Upper Iowa Conference and kind of running things, to getting my butt kicked, which is really good,” she said.
“I never really thought I’d be playing college basketball and getting my education paid for. It was more of a hobby,” Moreland admitted. “But as I got older and started playing for club, it became more apparent that maybe it was an opportunity.”
That dream was nearly derailed Moreland’s sophomore season, when she suffered an injury.
“But when I went on my first visit to the school and got the offer, it was kind of like, ‘Wow, it’s real,’” Moreland remarked.
Moreland will play small forward for USF. During this upcoming senior season, she hopes to improve her ball handling and speed in anticipation of the college game.
“I’m going to be the tallest, if not one of the tallest, on the team, and I’m only 5’11”. So we’re going to be playing with small girls but fast paced,” she said. “I hope to improve my speed defensively, so I can guard out on the perimeter, and my ball handling.”
She’s just excited, though, to continue a sport that’s meant so much to her.
“It’s always been a release, kind of like a therapy for me. Something I love to hate,” Moreland shared. “I don’t want to come to practice, don’t want to do all that, but then it feels so good when I’m actually there. I love playing the game.”
