Dexter’s all-time leading scorer is heading to Three Rivers to play college basketball.
Tuesday, Chaylea Mosby signed her letter of intent to play for the Lady Raiders next season.
“I’ve been praying about it a lot, and I asked God for a sign, and he gave me a sign, so I just feel like this is where he wanted me to go,” Mosby said.
Mosby said she enjoyed her visit to the campus and was partly drawn to the Libla Family Sports Complex, which will open Feb. 2, and it also helped that Three Rivers wasn’t far from home.
“I like the campus; it’s nice,” Mosby said. “I came up here for a visit and the new gym was really nice, so it’ll be fun to play in.”
For Three Rivers coach Jeff Walk, the elation was hard to hide.
“One of the biggest local kids — guard-wise — I’ve ever had,” Walk said. “We’ve had some post players come, you know, Hannah (Thurmon) came last year. We felt like that was a big get, but Chaylea on the guard side, when you think guard, you think her.”
With guard Hailee Erickson finishing her sophomore year this season, Walk knew the team would need to find a talented player to fill the void she’ll leave behind, and that’s where Mosby fits the mold.
“We’ve been looking all year long and knew when we brought her in that we were going to need somebody to replace (Erickson),” Walk said. “We think Chaylea can do it because she can flat shoot it, but they’ve still got to come in and work hard and do all that kind of stuff, but she can shoot it pretty good.
“I haven’t had this smile on my face for this long in a real long time.”
Walk said Mosby’s ability to get her teammates involved also stuck out. To add to that, Dexter runs a lot of the same sets as Three Rivers on the defensive end. Walk pointed out the 2-2-1 press and the matchup zone Dexter runs at times, which he thinks will make for an easier adjustment as Mosby transitions from the high-school level to collegiate play.
Mosby will have some familiarity with her new teammates, having played with Thurmon and played against several other players on the team, something she feels may help her get acclimated to Three Rivers faster.
“It’ll make me feel a lot at home, you know, because I’ve played with Hannah before and I know how she plays. And I think I’ll fit in with all the other girls, Mosby said.”
Mosby got along with Walk and co-head coach Alex Wiggs, and she liked their steady demeanor and coaching style.
“They’re both nice guys, and I’ve watched them coach the team, and they don’t change,” Mosby said.
Dexter coach Chad Allen knows replacing Mosby won’t be an easy task, but he thinks she’ll fit right in with the Lady Raiders.
“She’s the all-time leading scorer ever in Dexter history, so I don’t know if there’ll ever be another one like her. Not only is she great on the court, she’s just as great off the court,” Allen said. “I think she’ll definitely fit in real well, and I think she can contribute right away. … It’ll be nice to see her over here.”
Nate Fields - Daily American Republic