Harding Hall of Fame: Basketball leads Shawnta' Dyer back home
MARION — Shawnta' Dyer didn't grow up dreaming of playing basketball. Those were the dreams of older brother Corey McDuffie and her twin brother Shawn Dyer.
"I was a cheerleader," the 2010 Marion Harding graduate said. "I was a sophomore and lettered in varsity (cheerleading) for football. I thought I was going to be a cheerleader for the rest of my life. I loved it so much, but basketball was a better option."
Indeed it was.
Because of basketball, Dyer earned all sorts of accolades, set records and won games and championships. It also earned her a full-ride scholarship to a major university, a chance at a high-level education and an opportunity to see the world.
Because of basketball, she is now a part of the 30th induction class for the Marion Harding High School Athletic Hall of Fame that will be honored Friday night in the high school's cafetorium.
"A girl from a small town in Marion, Ohio with cornfields and country roads, who would have thought I would be traveling across the sea in a plane to play basketball and do what I love and they are paying me to do it? It’s very humbling to look back at all the things I’ve done," she said.
Her entry into basketball was through watching her older brother — a 2002 grad of Harding — compete first in high school and then at NCAA Division II powerhouse West Liberty in West Virginia.
"We used to drive in the mountains and that was the best thing to go see him play in front of this huge crowd," she said. "I wanted to do this, too, so having an older brother in college athletics was a big thing for me."
Still, she was oblivious to the greater game of basketball. In eighth grade, her horizons started to expand.
"I never thought I was going to be a basketball player," Dyer said. "I was in eighth grade when I got my first letter of acknowledgment from Temple University, and I decided that maybe I’m good at this so why not try and make this a thing."
Tall and obviously athletic, she first made her name competing in Gus Macker 3-on-3 street tournaments around the state as a youth. That's where former Pleasant great Mike Daniels spotted her and asked if she would like to join an AAU team that he coached for his daughter Amy. She had no idea what AAU basketball was.
"Mike Daniels is the guy who really made me love basketball and want to play basketball and travel," she said.
High school phenom
By the time she was a freshman at Harding, the secret was out. Dyer, a 6-foot-2 post player with guard skills, showed her worth.
Her first challenge came against Greater Buckeye Conference dynasty Findlay that featured Carlee Roethlisberger, a future University of Oklahoma player and little sister to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
The Trojans would later make it to the Division I state tournament, but on this January night in 2007 and with 3.2 seconds left, the Presidents ran inbounds play for Dyer and she made the game-winning layup that snapped Findlay's 33-game GBC winning streak and set off a student section rushing of the court.
"That’s one of the most memorable moments that I have, just being a freshman and making an impact right away and having the support of a big student section. It was amazing," Dyer said.
She had arrived as did the entire girls basketball program at Harding. Dyer was a focal point on teams that won four straight GBC championships and made four consecutive Division I district final appearances, winning one district championship in 2008. It was the greatest stretch in program history.
"My four years at Harding were special to have the leaders that I had like Jessica Jenkins and Kaylee Kepford," she said of her older teammates. "All the people before me laid it down and said this is how it’s supposed to be. I think it helped us to have a strong unit in my years at Harding. That’s what I liked."
As the wins and championships came, so did the records and honors.
Dyer set the school mark — boys or girls — for career points with 1,824 and also put up 44 points in a game in her career. She earned four first-team GBC and three first-team District 6 awards. She was a two-time GBC and District 6 Player of the Year, who earned special mention All-Ohio as a junior and a second-team spot as a senior.
She averaged 23 points and 10.5 rebounds as a junior and 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists as a senior.
"There was a lot of special things about the program. Specifically, I can relate to the sisterhood that we had with each other," Dyer said of her time at Harding. "I looked forward to the team meals we had before the games. Our moms and dads would step up and cook meals and bring it into to cafeteria and we would eat a nice little meal before we played our games. We would talk and talk about school and our studies. I felt that helped grow our bond off the court."
In the end, she was the 56th nationally ranked prospect in the women's basketball class of 2010 by ESPN's HoopGurlz, plus was nominated to be a McDonald's All-American and was the MVP of the Ohio-Kentucky All-Star Game.
After Marion Harding
After graduation, Dyer went to national powerhouse Louisville where she enjoyed success when her body allowed. In her college career, she suffered a broken heel, a torn ACL and MCL and a stress fracture in her hip. The knee injury forced her to sit out the Cardinals' run to the NCAA national championship game during her sophomore season.
"Honestly, I’m a spiritual person and I believe in God. I think God is one who kept me driven," she said of overcoming her multiple injuries along with the help of her mother Tara Dyer, her family, the Louisville coaches and the program's training, medical and support staff.
"I wanted to play in March Madness, and the NCAA Tournament was a driving force for me. I didn’t think of ever stopping. It’s an injury. It’s a minor bump in the road. I can get past it and persevere in all things," she said. "I was young and had a great trainer and physical therapy. We have a great program and people behind us. I had all the tools and resources, I just had to put in the work."
As a senior in 2014-15, it finally came together for her. She played in all 34 games that season, averaging 8.4 points and 5.7 rebounds on 48 percent shooting to help the Cardinals to the Sweet 16. She had a 20-point game against Clemson, 13 rebounds against Florida State and four blocks against North Carolina, and it added up to her being awarded Louisville's Comeback Player of the Year at the school's annual awards show.
After Louisville, she played professionally overseas for five years in such places as Romania, Puerto Rico, France, Switzerland and Egypt.
"People have this judgmental attitude toward Marion and that nothing good comes out of it, but you look a lot of people — not only me — who have had successes after Marion," she said.
Now retired from basketball, Dyer has returned home. She earned her degree in education at Louisville, thinking she would follow her mother's path into teaching, but that changed.
"I’m back here and in nursing school. I’m an LPN so I work at the hospital. I decided to completely change careers and to be able to help people and give back, I still work out girls on the side to get my basketball fix in," she said.
Dyer could live anywhere in the world given her connections and experiences, but she wants to be a part of her hometown making a difference.
"I have a great support system here. I have great connections here," she said. "I feel like it’s a great stepping stone to start my nursing career and have those good connections and relationships that I can advance to further my career. It’s a great start for me so far."
And entry into Harding's Athletic Hall of Fame, is a great finish to another part of her life.
"It’s a very amazing accomplishment to be added on the wall with great people that I do know. It’s awesome. I’m excited about the honor," she said.
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Marion Harding Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet
The Marion Harding High School Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet where the latest class gets indicted will be Friday, April 14 at 6 p.m. in the high school cafetorium. It is open to the public. Tickets, which include a catered dinner, are $30 apiece. Please call the Marion Harding Athletic Department at 740-223-4634 to reserve spots or for more information.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Harding Hall of Fame: Basketball leads Shawnta' Dyer back home
