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Transfer student grateful for shot on women’s basketball team

By Emily Colucci

On March 15, 2023

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After attending three different colleges, transfer student Jada Moorehead landed at Detroit Mercy earlier this year.

Moorehead played two full semesters of women’s basketball at each school until she felt as if there was a better fit out there for her. This happens often enough when going through the trial and error that is the college experience. Yet, the fac-tors that played into her decision to commit to a school after three years of searching is what makes her experience worth sharing.

In her earlier seasons, Moorehead was injured several times while trying to keep her spot on the team and balance twenty credits worth of classes.

“I was going through adversity, coaches that did not care about me or thought I was lying about being hurt,” Moorehead said. “Now, being at this university, it’s so much different.”

This being Moorehead’s first year at Detroit Mercy, and already playing three years of college basketball with little interest left in the sport, she originally had no intentions of trying out for UDM’s team.

It was not until she received a text from Coach Kiefer Haffey, inviting her to train with the team, that her mind began to change.

A week later, she was offered a full scholarship, which helped her regain her passion for the sport and feel validated within her talent once again. Moorhead immediately felt the support of her coaches, teammates and even her professors who would learn her schedule and work with her throughout her courses.

“At the beginning of the semester, my professors always ask for my basketball schedule and some will even send me an email with what I’ve missed in class while I’m at a game or have practice,” Moorehead said.

As for her coaches, Moorehead highlighted her appreciation for how much they provide to ensure that each of their student athletes are successful.

“The trainers are great and my coaches take the time to make sure that we are healthy and doing well in our classes,” she said. “They care about you.”

Moorehead is on track to graduate next fall with a degree in communications. She hopes to revisit her hometown of Jackson, Mich., after leaving Detroit Mercy.

“I want to give back to my old high school and donate or run camps for the youth, keeping the athletic programs that I came from continu- ously going,” Moorehead said.