One of the top returning players of the University of Detroit Mercy women’s basketball team, Myonna Hooper, is back again in her junior year and is prepared for this upcoming 2024-2025 basketball season.
Last season, Hooper played in 32 games and started in 19 of them. In doing so, she was the team leader in assists (79), averaging 2.5 per game, while ranking 15th in the Horizon League. She also ranked second on the team in 3-pointers (21) and tied for third in field goals (82).
Needless to say, she is the team’s engine in many ways, but what got her to that point was her basketball journey as a whole? In fact, she has been on that journey for quite some time now.
Hooper’s aunt is one of the biggest influences in her life. Her aunt played basketball at the collegiate level for Purdue University Fort Wayne.
“Watching her play just sparked my inspiration to start playing, and that’s where I got my jersey number from too,” Hooper said.
In third grade, Hooper decided to follow in her aunt’s footsteps and began playing basketball. However, the competitive style of the game did not begin until high school for her.
“The more you grow into it… it gets more competitive, and then it gets more time-consuming,” she said.
What she has learned, she continues to implement, especially what she learned from her coach at West Bloomfield High School
“Our coach was strong on being consistent and making sure you’re doing your role and your job to help the team,” she said.
Transitioning from high school to college ball was the most pivotal moment in her career thus far.
“Coming into college, there is a way higher standard… like the pace level,” she said. “I have to be way more consistent than I was in high school.”
The guidance Hooper has received has shaped her into the incredible player she is today. Building from this and instilling her standards is UDM’s women’s basketball head coach Kate Achter. Nonetheless, it has paid off for Hooper.
“As a freshman, you would have seen her taking contested layups against three people,” Achter said. “Now you are seeing her take advantage of a one-on-one matchup. Those to me are maturity pieces that she didn’t have when she came to college.”
Since the end of last season, her confidence has grown and is encapsulated within her improvements.
“She has really improved her shooting. Statistically, she took a big leap from freshman year to sophomore year in that category,” Achter said. “She knows her spots better, so she knows how to get to those spots, and when the ball comes to her, she is knocking down the shot… She’s also taking better shots across the board.”
Teammate Makayla Jackson, who often plays alongside Hooper, can concur with that.
“She is a very good facilitator, but she can also make her own shots,” Jackson said. “She is super-fast; it’s hard to stay in front of her. She’s feisty on defense but also reads the floor well. Her height doesn’t mean anything; she’s going to get a bucket or make a play.”
Last season, Hooper brought a lot of energy to the team. As for this season, it is still unknown.
“I think I have a different thing coming,” Hooper said.
What we do know is that Hooper lives up to her name, and nothing less can be expected from her this upcoming season.