“If you're the best player at your workouts, go to another gym. It's about getting better, not being the best!”

This advice, tweeted a few years ago by former NBA player and current NBA coach John Lucas, has resonated with Valpo women’s basketball signee Lovie Malone throughout her prep career at Wayne [Ohio] H.S.

“In my four years at Wayne, I have played with some amazing players, and it’s because of the talent I have played with at Wayne that I believe I have been recruited by multiple D-I schools and why I was able to commit to such an amazing program like Valpo,” Malone said. “Wayne has better prepared me to play at a collegiate level. Being at such a high level at Wayne, it has definitely been challenging - but in a good way!”

Playing for such a strong team — Wayne was ranked as high as #2 in the state and #21 nationally in 2019-20 — and for a coach in Travis Trice who has sent numerous men’s and women’s players to Division I programs, it is tough to stand out on the court. But Malone believes it has been exactly that challenge which has prepared her to step into a Division I basketball program.

“During my time at Wayne, I’ve had the benefit of being pushed every day,” Malone said. “I’ve learned to push through many different types of adversity, adversity that most athletes aren’t hit with until they go into college. I’ve become a mentally stronger player and a better player having been through the adversity that comes with playing for a program like Wayne.”

That strength, both on and off the court, is what drew the Valpo coaching staff to Malone as a recruit. And while Malone went through the recruiting process during the pandemic, much like fellow signees Katie Beyer and Molly Sheehan, she recognized the rapport she would build with her future coaches would be key.

"What I will tell you about the pandemic is that it forced me to build an amazing bond with the coaches I was speaking with,” Malone said. “These relationships trumped an official campus visit and are ultimately what led me to my decision to commit. Although I feel a campus visit is important — to get a feel of the campus and to get a feel of the area — at the end of the day, I want to have a connection with my coaches and know that what they stand for is what I believe in.”

It turned out that those interactions with the members of the Valpo coaching staff proved to be just what Malone was looking for.

“From the start, I could tell the coaches at Valpo were genuinely good people,” Malone said. “It has always been very important to me that both myself and my parents have good relationships with my coaches. The coaches at Valpo made an effort to speak to me often and get to know me. I very quickly came to feel a sense of closeness and loyalty with them. I admired Coach Evans’ vision for the future of the program as well as the vision the coaches had for me. I know the coaches will push me to become a better player and person, which is really what’s most important to me.”

Off the court a member of the National Honor Society, Malone comes to Valpo looking to major in biology/pre-med with the goal of eventually becoming a doctor.

“I’ve always been very interested in medicine and wanting to go into the medical field since early in high school,” Malone said. “Science/Biology has also been my favorite class in school and has led me in the direction of the medical field. I am very excited to be able to study medicine and taking it down the path it leads me, currently on the road to becoming an M.D.”

With the state of Ohio currently aiming to complete a prep basketball season, Malone is focused on continuing to prepare herself for the next level while helping the Warriors try to claim a state championship. But she is also looking forward to stepping on the court in a Valpo uniform and what she will bring to this program.

“I think I will be able to bring my versatility on the court to the Valpo program, as well as my toughness and my hard work,” Malone said. “I am looking forward to soaking up everything Coach Evans and the staff have to teach me. Both on and off the court, I am ready to do whatever I can to benefit the program as a player and as a person. The Valpo basketball program and community have a closeness that I’m excited to be a part of, and I am looking forward to new experiences as a Crusader which will prepare me for life.”