NEWS
PATRIOTS’ HOOPSTER DEVIN HEFNER COMMITS TO OHIO WESLEYAN
PARKERSBURG — Devin Hefner always knew she wanted to play basketball in college. The Parkersburg South senior built a multi-talented skill set, which gave her the opportunity to control any game she was involved in. Rebounds, assists, being a scoring threat and a good defender, Hefner could do anything asked of her while on the hardwood.
Skills which didn’t come without a price.
Ankle injuries early in her high-school career threatened to derail what became one of the best careers ever by a Patriot player, but they didn’t in the end.
“It seemed like every time she was moving up in the rotation an injury would happen and then she would be out a little bit,” said Parkesburg South Head Coach Ed Davis, who was an assistant for the Patriots during Hefner’s freshman and sophmore years. “I think she learned a lot those couple of years playing behind those girls and it made her work that much harder.”
Hefner herself remembered those struggling times as she was off the court for an entire season her sophomore year.
Hefner selected Ohio?Wesleyan as her college destination among friends, family and teammates Monday inside Parkersburg’s Elite Sports Center.
However she wasn’t about to let injuries keep her down. She constructed her game back up with the AAU 740 Ohio Thunder along with her time at Parkersburg South.
Despite missing two seasons, she still scored 941 points and compiled back-to-back Class AAA All-State First-Team selection seasons. She led the Patriots in scoring with 17.7 points to go along with 5.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2 steals per game this past season alone.
South certainly needed a boost after Savannah Hays and Lauren Pelfrey were lost to injuries.
“Her intanglibles especially after Savannah went down … the leadership and example that she was, was critical to our success,” said Davis.
Ohio Wesleyan took notice of those skills, attended a handful of Hefner’s games, and set first contact about a year ago. Head coach Stacey Lobdell’s NCAA Division III program was interested in counting Hefner among their players.
Turns out the feeling was mutual.
Wesleyan provided Hefner the opportunity to play the game she loved, but an allowance to focus on her education as well.
“Their academic program really stood out to me the most,” said Hefner, who took trips to Concord, Dennison and Bethany too. “Nothing really beat the OWU program, coaches, players I met or location. I was pretty positive this was one of the schools I was keeping in mind from the get-go.”
She did think about D-I and D-II schools, but the biology major with a 4.4 grade point average, who plans to become an orthodontist, knew she needed a good balance between basketball and academics. D-III hoops isn’t as extreme as the top two tiers, so OWU was the choice.
Hefner signed her NCAA celebratory letter amongst riends, family and teammates Monday evening at the Elite Sports Center in South Parkersburg.
While Hefner helped lead her team to a Class AAA semifinal appearance and a 21-4 record in 2017-18, Ohio Weselyan was working through a lot of injuries on the court with key players missing time during a 1-24 season.
This means Hefner isn’t quite sure the situation she walks into next season, but she did see them practice a few times and liked what she saw.
“I don’t know if I will play my first year or not,” said Hefner. “We will see when I get up there.”
“The numbers speak for themselves,” said Davis of Hefner’s time as a Patriots. “She is such a hard worker down here (at Elite) and at school. Great student, great kid and a great leader for us. I am just thrilled to death for her.”
Joseph Albright
News and Sentinel | 3/27/2018
News and Sentinel | 3/27/2018