Alli Delaney is ready for the next evolution in her basketball journey.
The former Union Local standout recently capped her senior season at Waynesburg. The 5-7 guard finished second on the team in scoring and was its top 3-point threat.
In fact, Delaney ranked fourth in the Presidents Athletic Conference in 3-pointers made; 13th in scoring.
A fine finish to her playing career, but it’s time for something new.
That next step? Coaching, and in particular, coaching at the collegiate level.
Delaney recently accepted a position as a volunteer assistant at Wheeling University. She’ll help head coach Mike Llanas and his staff continue the resurgence of Lady Cardinals’ basketball.
It’ll be a homecoming of sorts as well.
Delaney spent the first three years of her career at fellow MEC member Notre Dame College. But that’s not the only connection.
Her mother, Amy Thompson (Delaney), who also starred at Union Local, played collegiately for Wheeling Jesuit in the early 1990s.
“It’s pretty amazing to be back in the MEC,” Delaney said. “Wheeling is a great place to get experience while still being close to home.
“Also, my mom played at Wheeling from 1991-95 so I grew up going to games with her and watched who eventually became my head coach at Notre Dame play.”
A Volunteer Position, for Now
When Delaney transferred from NDC to Waynesburg, only two-thirds of her completed courses transferred with her. She will graduate in May of 2021 with a degree in biology with a psych minor.
She explored possibly helping Coach Sam Jones at Waynesburg since she’s still there taking classes. But the connection to Wheeling was too strong.
So, when Llanas approached her about helping out, Delaney jumped at the opportunity.
“Coach Llanas actually reached out to me,” Delaney said. “Since I’m still finishing at Waynesburg, I have to be a volunteer.
“But I’m hopeful that the next year I can continue helping while continuing my education and my certifications if all goes well.”
Despite being in her early 20s, Delaney does have some coaching experience. She led an AAU 8th grade team in the spring of 2019.
She admitted it was a “great experience” and only added to the already growing coaching bug.
But is college basketball, or possibly high school, a better fit?
“They both appeal to me in their own ways,” Delaney said. “I like the idea of coaching at the collegiate level because it’s such a high caliber level of competition and I love the fast pace.
“Plus, coaching would be my full-time job which doesn’t sound half bad when you love the sport.
“But high school appeals too because I’d like to stay local ideally and high school, I think, would allow me a better chance to do that.
“I like helping younger players get better and develop their game.”
Fitting Final Season
Delaney had a good experience at Notre Dame, both in basketball and overall. But something was amiss, and she felt the need to make a change.
While on a mission trip to Guatemala her junior year, Delaney had time to reflect on her career and what did and didn’t make her happy.
She went home and told her mom she had two options: one, to stay at NDC and not play a lot; or two, transfer to Waynesburg.
“It was really hard for me to leave,” said admitted. “I had come in with a big freshmen class and all my friends were there. We had a great team.
“But after lots of thinking, I decided that I couldn’t end my career on that kind of note.
“I appreciated my time at NDC, but it was just my time to go.”
Delaney admits her last season was everything she hoped it could be. She made no demands on playing time and didn’t want to step on any toes as an incoming senior.
It took all of eight games for Delaney to crack the starting lineup. After that, she never relinquished her spot and became a key contributor for the Yellow Jackets.
“Coach Jones and the rest of the coaching staff had nothing but confidence in me,” Delaney said. “They let me play with a freedom that I hadn’t had in years.
“It was really comforting to have their support all season and the girls welcomed me with open arms.”
Two-Sport Athlete
Delaney was also a tough softball player for the Jets during her high school career. It’s a game she still loves
But in college, it was another sport that garnered her attention.
Jones is also the women’s golf coach and casually asked Delaney if she played. While never playing competitively, Delaney had been taught early by her pap.
“I texted coach on the way home from the visit and said, ‘Are you serious about the golf?’” Delaney said. “He said yes, so I told him I was in.”
Delaney quickly got to work honing her swing and short game.
She’d played quite a bit during her youth, but golf took a backseat to basketball and softball as she grew older.
“I didn’t want to come in being the worst, so I golfed a lot over the summer and ended up doing alright,” Delaney said with a laugh.
