Family Tradition (Marie Malloy)

January 24, 2011 6:02 PM


Up on the walls outside the Parkston gym, hang pictures of some of the best basketball players in school history.  It's starting to look like a shrine to the Malloy family.  Matt and Maggie, who both now play at USF have been there for a while, but recently, Marie Malloy was added to the wall.  The junior is the latest in a long line of Malloy's to star on the Trojan basketball team.

"I'd say Marie is a complete package," said Parkston basketball coach Rob Van Laecken.  "Not only can she score, she's a leader for us.  Very quick.  Great defensive player."

Nowadays Marie is coming into her own, acting as the catalyst for one of the state's best teams.  Like her siblings, Malloy has used her quickness to overwhelm opposing players.

"I tell myself defense is gonna win the games," said Malloy.  "Defense is my strong point and that's how I'm gonna get points.  I work on defense as hard or harder than offense."

It's impossible to avoid comparisons to her brother and sister.  Even Marie acknowledges that.  But even though she plays on the girls team, she says she models her game after Matt's.

"I want to play like him," said Malloy.  "He texts me before every game, tells me good luck.  He makes it to as many games as possible."

"They're very close and I think they're very hard on each other about how good they're playing," said Van Laecken.  "They compliment each other, but they're a very close family."

Marie says she didn't always have the chance to compare her game with her family members she was too young.

"I usually got beat, but hung in there," said Malloy.

Now she's hanging up there, on the wall with both of her siblings, another Malloy, starring on the Trojan basketball team.