The University of Dayton has proven to be a valuable stepping stone for departing seniors Andrea Hoover and Ally Malott for their careers after college. Both agree that their experience at UD has helped prepare them for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and beyond.

Each player was a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award, which honors the total student-athlete, emphasizing community, classroom, character and competition. Hoover and Malott were also 1,000-point scorers and led the team to the program's first-ever NCAA Regional Final appearance. Their collegiate careers may have come to a close, but the lessons learned at UD will continue with them to Los Angeles, for Hoover, and Washington D.C., for Malott.

"As a student-athlete at UD, our coaches and the administration gave us the tools to succeed in athletics and academics," said Hoover. "We had the perfect combination of structure and freedom as athletes. The staff at UD gave us direction on what were right and wrong decisions, and that is something I have taken with me to Los Angeles. I have a lot of freedom but use the lessons I learned in college to make smart decisions that best reflect my character."

The Bellbrook, Ohio native will look to continue her path of success on the West Coast. She, as well as Malott, has spent the past four years emerging under the direction of Dayton Head Coach Jim Jabir and feel he has prepared them for success in basketball and life.

"It's a two-way street where preparation meets skill and determination," said Jabir. "Coaches are fortunate when they work with kids who are both skilled and committed. Their success is what happens when God-given talent meets a great work ethic. Both are not only good players but great people."

Malott, a Middletown, Ohio native, will also enter unfamiliar territory leaving her Ohio roots for the nation's capital. She knows her development at Dayton will aid her throughout post-college life, beginning in Washington, D.C.

"There's a lot of time dedicated to school and basketball [in college] and you carry those habits to the next level, whatever that may be," said Malott. "Possessing a strong work ethic and maintaining a positive attitude, even when things get tough, is so important in life."

If both make their respective rosters, Hoover and Malott will be on opposite sides of the ball. The L.A. Sparks and Washington Mystics are set to face off twice this upcoming season: June 23, a game being nationally televised on ESPN2, and Sept. 2.

Written by Christy Macioce, Class of 2016, member of the Flyer women's basketball team and Athletics Communication Student Assistant