Nov. 1—Ever since Zoey Deligianis was in third grade, she knew she wanted to play college basketball.
That dream will soon become a reality, as Deligianis has committed to play for Tiffin University Dragons, an NCAA Division II school, after going on an official visit there about a month ago.
“I like the culture, with it being everything I was looking for, and it just was the perfect situation for me and I’m really excited about my future there,” Deligianis said.
The senior is an excellent student, with a 4.3 grade point average. She wants to study to become a pediatrics occupational therapist.
Deligianis has also played soccer most of her life, but basketball won out when it was time to decide which route she wanted to pursue.
At 5-foot-6 inches, she plays point guard for the Blue Streaks. Last year as a junior, she averaged 23 points, 6 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 3 assists per game.
Last season, Deligianis also set Madison’s all-time single-season scoring record with 520 points, and established the all-time single-game scoring record with 40 points and the most three-pointers in a season with 48.
She was named Chagrin Valley Conference Lake Division Player of the Year, first-team all-conference, second-team all-northeast lake district, and Division I All-Ohio Special Mention for her on-the-court play.
Deligianis’ goals for the season include making a postseason run in the tournament and having fun.
“I know I put a lot of work in this off-season, so I’m just trusting that work and I know everything’s gonna work out,” she said. “I’m not really stressed about anything. I’m just super excited to get back out there with my team. We’re gonna be young, but we have so much talent. I’m so excited about the players coming up.”
Madison coach Heather Reho said Deligianis is the leader of the team.
“She’s our go-to,” Reho said. “She had a tremendous season last year, very successful. She’s always working hard in the open gyms. She has done a lot of things on her own to get better. She’s always shooting. But really, she’s just an all-around good person and leader that we have on our team.”
Deligianis was the junior varsity point guard her freshman season, and Reho at the time was the JV coach. Reho knew that Deligianis would be something special.
“This was like you can’t teach what she has. She works really hard, and like I said, she works hard and she got to where she is because of the person that she is,” Reho said. “I knew she was really talented, she just made a name for herself last year.”
Deligianis said coach Grant Mihalick, a Geneva graduate who runs One Percent Basketball, was instrumental in helping her improve her skills in the off-season.
The Deligianis family has a background in sports. Her dad, Harry Deligianis played football at Youngstown State University, in NFL Europe and the NFL before a back injury eventually ended his football career. He was also her first basketball coach back in third grade.
Deligianis thanked her family and parents, Harry and Casey, who have been in her corner to help her achieve success.
“They’ve been there through it all,” she said. “I mean, they are the reason why I am the person I am today. I couldn’t do anything without them. They taught me everything I know.
“I would like to thank my Grandpa [John Deligianis] for being my biggest supporter. He has been to every single one of my games since I played travel basketball when I was in elementary school. Without him, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.”
