COLDWATER - NBA legend Michael Jordan once said, “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.”
For Coldwater senior Elli Foley, she has lived her life one way: Making it happen.
Occasionally, one of those athletes comes along that just make you say 'wow'.
The first time Foley stepped out on to the basketball court or picked up a shot put, the ravings were near unanimous, 'This kid has got the stuff.' Well, now four short years later, Foley has made her college decision, a decision that will take the athletic three-sport star not far down the road where she will star for Trine University basketball and track and field.
“Both academically and athletically I thought Trine fit the best,” Foley said. “They have exactly what I want to do for my career, and they are giving me a great chance to compete at a high level with some pretty good programs in both basketball and track. I was looking at a few other colleges, but ultimately it came down to Trine for a bunch of reasons, including the girls that are already there, a lot of them played in my AAU program, so I knew that I would be able to fit in with them athletically and socially. In the end, once I stepped on campus and met the team it was Trine University.”
Foley was a three-sport star at Coldwater, earning varsity letters in volleyball, basketball, and track and field, but it is the latter two she will focus on while at Trine.
On the basketball court, Foley excelled for the Cardinals, earning four straight Interstate 8 all-conference honors where she scored over 1k career points. Thanks to her success on the hardwood Foley was voted by you, the readers, as this year’s The Daily Reporter Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
Foley is also a four-time The Daily Reporter Dream Team member and is a do-it-all point guard who is at her best with the ball in her hands and head-up on defense. Foley can not only score, but she is a bear on defense and is known for her tremendous amount of hustle, as can be seen by the insane number of charges drawn throughout her four-year career. Foley finished her stellar four-year varsity career with 1014 points, placing fifth on the all-time list.
With all her success on the basketball court, down the throwing pits is where Foley really excels, serving as one of the best throwers in the county and in the state. Foley has set and reset the Coldwater High School shot put record numerous times and holds the current record at 40 feet, 6.5 inches, a new record set last year during the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) regional meet. Foley secured her first all-state honor just this past year when she finished in fourth place at the MHSAA Division Two state finals in the shot put with a throw of 40 feet, 3 inches. Foley is not too bad at the discus either, rocking out a career high throw of 113 feet during her sophomore season, with her sights set on the current school record of 119 feet. Foley qualified for the MHSAA state finals last year in the discus, finishing in 19th place with a throw of 104 feet, 6 inches.
“Being able to play both basketball and compete in track was a ...
