Ohio students know friends don't let friends go to Miami - unless, of course, they can beat up on their RedHawk friends on the basketball court twice a year.
Ohio women's basketball forward Lindsay Wight hopes to do just that when she squares off against her best friend, Miami reserve guard Kelsey Sullivan, tonight, when Ohio meets Miami in Oxford.
This is just one small subplot in the Bobcat-RedHawk relationship saga that has been building the past several years.
Four players who will take the floor at Miami's Millet Hall Wednesday - including Wight, Sullivan, Miami guard Nicole Motto and Ohio forward Latreece Bagley - hail from Dayton or one of its suburbs. And the players know one another well, to say the least.
"Kelsey moved to Springboro in the fifth grade," Wight said. "She was a ballerina and wanted nothing to do with basketball. We finally talked her into playing basketball, and we've been best friends ever since."
Their friendship has since transformed into a friendly rivalry through high school and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball. Both players were a part of the Dayton Lady Hoopstars AAU program for more than six years.
"The Hoopstar rivalry was huge, but even in high school we would have to play one-on-one all the time, day after day," Wight said. "It's love/hate. Once we walk off the floor she's my best friend again, but out there it's a war."
Bagley said the game at Miami is a good chance for family and friends to see her play close to home.
"Most of my family comes to the Miami game," she said. "I will have a section there because it's only 45 minutes away from my house."
The Southwest Ohio area has recently sprung up as a prep girls basketball hotbed, and Mid-American Conference coaches are reaping the benefits of summer programs like the Hoopstars.
Ohio coach Lynn Bria said Dayton area players are so appealing because of the year-round opportunity they have to play and the quality of coaching they receive.
"They have good coaching, they play together and they always have a lot of good Division I players," Bria said. "And they're nationally known. We're not just talking about the state of Ohio, everyone knows the Hoopstars."
And because of the solid prospects that come out of Dayton, Bria and Miami coach Maria Fantanarosa have developed a competitive recruiting rivalry.
"Maria told me we're supposed to hate each other, but we've been friends for 12 years," Bria said. "There's not any negative recruitment. We've never had a bad experience with each other and I only have positive things to say about her and her program, and I think she'd feel the same way."
But there will be one problem with the friendships that have formed between Miami and Ohio - only one team is going to win Wednesday.
Ohio (8-17 overall, 4-10 MAC) is coming off an 80-66 win against Marshall, and Miami (14-10, 9-4 MAC) is fresh off a 78-71 overtime win against Kent State. On Jan. 14, Miami came back to beat Ohio 80-78 in overtime.
"It would be a big win for both of us," Bria said. "They need it because they want to have that cushion over Kent, but we need it to finish strong. It's still a big rivalry, and it's more of a rivalry when you have kids from the same area."
Ohio meets Miami 7 p.m. tonight in Oxford.
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Laurie Duffy
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Ohio point guard Andrea Gay and Marshall's Cassie Hackworth look to the referee for the possession call in the first half of the game Saturday in The Convo. The Bobcats won 80-66 and face Miami at 7 p.m. tonight in Oxford.
