Sisters United By Love Of Hoops
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Josh Neuhart-
Mauzy, a resident of Warsaw, has taken thousands of shots and played in hundreds of basketball games, but this game marked a first in her 74 years. This time, Mauzy got to play alongside her two sisters.
Mauzy and her sisters – Melody Anderson, 58, of Tennessee, and Naoma Clark, 76, of California – all love the game of basketball. Mauzy was inducted into Grace College’s Lancer Hall of Fame in 2012 for her basketball, tennis and softball career in the mid-1960s. Clark has coached elementary basketball in Oregon, and Anderson played for Wheaton College, Westmont College and was drafted by the original professional women’s basketball association (WBL) in 1979.
Growing up, Mauzy had aspirations to play in a national championship game and even the Olympics, but opportunities to reach that level were rare for women in the 1960s. She often questioned God about why she was given athletic ability with no place to use it.
But in 1970, she found her answer. She was approached by a man named Bud Schaefer to captain the first women’s Venture for Victory team for a tour of Mexico. While in Mexico City, Mauzy had the chance to share her story of faith in front of 5,000 fans.
“I realized that this was God’s plan for my [athletic] ability all along. This was my Olympics!”
Fast forward to 2016. Anderson, the youngest of the sisters by 16 years, had always wanted to play with her two big sisters. So she organized a 3-on-3 game, and Mauzy and Clark flew out west for a memorable visit.
“I dreamed of this. [I’ve played] individually with each of them at different times, but I thought, ‘What if all three of us could play together?’” Anderson said.
Mauzy called the game a culmination of her lifelong love of sports.
“Playing together was always a dream of Melody’s, and making that dream come true for her was unbelievably rewarding,” Mauzy said.
Mauzy noted that the game brought back the same old feelings that had always inspired her love of basketball. She recalled playing under a great coach at Grace in Yvonne Messner and the high of beating rival Taylor University.
“I have enjoyed every minute of playing basketball. Anytime I play or watch basketball – especially at the beautiful Orthopaedic Capital Center [Grace’s arena] – I flash back to my days of playing ball at Grace.”
For the three sisters, the much-awaited game became even more necessary with some sobering news: Mauzy was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in the lungs.
The chance to play basketball in Calif., was a perfect excuse to see her youngest sister again. But it also provided a chance to share her faith at least one more time.
“My prayer is to use any and all opportunities in my life to share my faith. This experience has given me one more opportunity,” Mauzy said.[[In-content Ad]]
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Mauzy, a resident of Warsaw, has taken thousands of shots and played in hundreds of basketball games, but this game marked a first in her 74 years. This time, Mauzy got to play alongside her two sisters.
Mauzy and her sisters – Melody Anderson, 58, of Tennessee, and Naoma Clark, 76, of California – all love the game of basketball. Mauzy was inducted into Grace College’s Lancer Hall of Fame in 2012 for her basketball, tennis and softball career in the mid-1960s. Clark has coached elementary basketball in Oregon, and Anderson played for Wheaton College, Westmont College and was drafted by the original professional women’s basketball association (WBL) in 1979.
Growing up, Mauzy had aspirations to play in a national championship game and even the Olympics, but opportunities to reach that level were rare for women in the 1960s. She often questioned God about why she was given athletic ability with no place to use it.
But in 1970, she found her answer. She was approached by a man named Bud Schaefer to captain the first women’s Venture for Victory team for a tour of Mexico. While in Mexico City, Mauzy had the chance to share her story of faith in front of 5,000 fans.
“I realized that this was God’s plan for my [athletic] ability all along. This was my Olympics!”
Fast forward to 2016. Anderson, the youngest of the sisters by 16 years, had always wanted to play with her two big sisters. So she organized a 3-on-3 game, and Mauzy and Clark flew out west for a memorable visit.
“I dreamed of this. [I’ve played] individually with each of them at different times, but I thought, ‘What if all three of us could play together?’” Anderson said.
Mauzy called the game a culmination of her lifelong love of sports.
“Playing together was always a dream of Melody’s, and making that dream come true for her was unbelievably rewarding,” Mauzy said.
Mauzy noted that the game brought back the same old feelings that had always inspired her love of basketball. She recalled playing under a great coach at Grace in Yvonne Messner and the high of beating rival Taylor University.
“I have enjoyed every minute of playing basketball. Anytime I play or watch basketball – especially at the beautiful Orthopaedic Capital Center [Grace’s arena] – I flash back to my days of playing ball at Grace.”
For the three sisters, the much-awaited game became even more necessary with some sobering news: Mauzy was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in the lungs.
The chance to play basketball in Calif., was a perfect excuse to see her youngest sister again. But it also provided a chance to share her faith at least one more time.
“My prayer is to use any and all opportunities in my life to share my faith. This experience has given me one more opportunity,” Mauzy said.[[In-content Ad]]
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