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On this date in area sports history …
Eleven years ago on this date, Jan. 29, 1998, Southeastern senior Amy Martin officially signed to play basketball and volleyball at Cedarville University. Complete story on the jump.
Published Jan. 30, 1998
MARTIN SIGNS, BUT DOESN’T SETTLE, FOR CEDARVILLE.
By Chris Freeman, News-Sun Sports Editor
CEDARVILLE — Amy Martin may already be a prize recruit for Cedarville College in two sports, one of the players you can build a volleyball or basketball team around.
But don’t think for a second the 6-foot senior at Southeastern settled for Cedarville.
Martin officially signed with Cedarville Thursday evening, about an hour before her Southeastern basketball team went out and beat Cedarville High. She will spend her next four years playing exactly where she wants, even if it isn’t the biggest school she could attend.
That’s right, the Division IV All-Ohio star in volleyball has had recruiting letters pass her hands from Division I schools, mainly mid-level progams like Miami University and Ohio University. But those schools were never in the running for Martin.
She wanted to go to a Christian college. That was the most important factor in her decision. And when you consider the lone Division I Christian college in the country, Liberty University, is more than eight hours away from home by car — too far for Martin’s liking — you begin to see where her sights were set.
“I like the small atmosphere, but there aren’t many large Christian colleges,” said Martin, flanked by college and high school coaches as well as her family at the signing Thursday.
There was another major factor — the ability to play two sports. Martin has played volleyball and basketball each of her four years at Southeastern and wanted to continue the trend in college. At Division I colleges, that only happens in the rarest of cases.
“A lot of schools want you to be a one-sport athlete,” Martin said, “especially at the bigger schools.”
So she looked back at the school her father, Kirk, went to. Cedarville offered her the religious background she wanted, a solid academic program and the ability to play two sports.
In the end, the NAIA school also came up with enough money.
“I’ve been banking on the possibility of Amy coming here for almost 18 months,” said Cedarville volleyball coach Teresa Clark. “This is very, very big in my eyes. She’s one of our highest recruits, financially, and we’ve put a big part of our budgets on her.”
Finally, there was the spiritual aspect. Scoff as you might — and I’ve done the same reading stories like this before — this may have been the biggest point of all.
Think back some years ago when Reggie White was on his free-agent tour, looking for a new NFL team. When he decided on Green Bay, he said that God told him to go there. The decision led White to a pair of Super Bowls, and during one of his Super Bowl press conferences this year, he made a point of criticizing people who thought his statement about God was a self-serving one.
Martin said Thursday she knew Cedarville is where God wanted her to be. Clark said the decision was a matter of prayer on the part of Martin, her family and the school. Basketball coach Kathy Freese said if they felt God wanted her elsewhere, they would not have signed her.
Plenty is made about recruiting these days. Money is the biggest factor. Fame is the biggest factor. Starting as a freshman is the biggest factor.
Amy Martin got a good deal of money to play for Cedarville. In all likelihood, she will step in and start for the volleyball team and, possibly, the basketball team as well.
That’s not why she chose to attend Cedarville. She followed her heart. And when you do that, you can never settle for anything.
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