“My biggest fear became my biggest blessing”: Peyton Scott’s road back from injury

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Second Team All-MAC honors again, averaging 19.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg and 3.7 apg. This year hasn’t been easy. Scott didn’t play above thirty minutes until the team’s 10th game of the season against Northern Kentucky University. But still, it has been an impressive season from the RedHawk star.

After the injury, Scott said that she was down about it for a few weeks, but quickly got back on her grind.

“Luckily I got my surgery a couple of weeks after it happened,” Scott said. “As soon as I could, I started to really work it. Getting in to PT five times a week, getting work outs in, getting back on the court, even if it’s just doing chair ball handling. I was doing form shooting forever.”

It hasn’t been easy, but Scott is grateful for the experience.

“It became a blessing for me,” Scott said. “Just with how my career has gone here, you talk about the accolades, the numbers. Whether you want to admit it or not, you start taking things for granted. Practices, games. Throughout my process I really just honed in on being grateful, the first time I could pedal a bike again, when I could go run for the first time, the first time I could bend my knee past 100 degrees. My biggest fear turned into my biggest blessing.”

Hendrix knew it wasn’t going to be easy on Scott. But she knew Scott would prevail.

“I think we went through all the stages of grieving as a staff,” Hendrix said. “But we also knew who she is. We knew she was going to come back better than she left. It took us a couple of weeks to get there, but we got back to focus pretty quickly.”

Scott retook the court just seven months after tearing her ACL. For most people, it takes nine.

“People will say it was surprising I came back so soon,” Scott said. “But I’m like, ‘you should have expected it.’ That was what my mindset was. That’s what I expected. I was OK telling people I was going to be back sooner than expected.”

Since returning, Scott has been about as explosive as ever. For her, the goal for the rest of this season is clear. The MAC tournament, which is held every year in Cleveland for the league’s top eight regular season teams to determine a champion.

“We want to get to Cleveland by any means necessary,” Scott said. “I’ve been here for four years, and we have yet to get there. It’s less about the stats, less about the accolades. We want to get to that tournament. We know that once we get there it’s a whole new ballgame.”

The good news for Miami basketball and anyone who follows it: Scott isn’t done after this year.

“I’m planning on coming back to Miami,” Scott said. “Going into next year I’m planning to get 10 credit hours both semesters and graduate with my bachelor’s and master’s.”

Scott has made it clear that she isn’t focused on personal accolades. But she has a great chance to become Miami’s all time scoring leader at some point next season. Sitting at 1764 points on her career, Scott needs to score 444 in her last 35 games or so to break the record. She’s scored more than that in one season twice in her career.

Scott, a sports leadership and management major, plans to go into coaching one day. But not before she gives the professional ranks a shot.

“I would love to play professionally for a few years, just test the water,” Scott said. “If I’m blessed with the ability to do so, I’d love to see where that takes me.”

According to Hendrix, she’ll be a perfect coach whenever her playing career ends.

“She’s made for it,” Hendrix said. “She’s made for it. You can see it on the court right now. She’s a coach on the court right now. We watch film a ton, we talk the game a lot. But even more than that, she’s personable, she’s relatable, she has a genuine care for people. I think she’s in it for the right reasons, but she also understands the game at a high level. She can teach the game at a high level.”

Scott says she wants to help others undertaking the journey she’s been on for the past four years.

“I want to come back into college athletics,” Scott said. “I want to give back to the people coming up. Having first-hand experience and knowing what it’s like from a lot of different lenses, I feel like I have a lot to offer to coming generations. To be able to give back would be awesome.

I’d love that.”

Before that, making the MAC tournament is at the front of Scott’s mind. The top eight teams in the league make it to Cleveland, and right now Miami is tied for eighth, but just one game back of fifth in the standings. With five games left in the regular season, these RedHawks control their destiny.

They hit the court next on Saturday, Feb. 18, at the University at Buffalo. You can catch the game on ESPN+. schmelj2@miamioh.edu

JACK SCHMELZINGER SPORTS EDITOR

It’s been a busy couple of weeks around the sports world. If you’ve been living under a rock since our last print edition, here’s what you missed:

Football

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was named Super Bowl MVP, as he led Kansas City to a 38-35 win and his second Super Bowl victory.

The NFL head coaching carousel has officially stopped spinning. The Arizona Cardinals hired former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. The Broncos traded a

Wes Payne

Miami Student

THE

Miami University softball began a new season on Friday, Feb. 10, in Charlotte, North Carolina, splitting the four games they were able to play. After close losses to South Carolina and Charlotte on Friday, the RedHawks rebounded with a close win over East Tennessee State University (ETSU) and a blowout win over Campbell on Saturday. A fifth game scheduled for Sunday against Campbell was canceled due to weather.

With expectations of making it three NCAA Tournament appearances in a row heading into the season, the RedHawks’ season commenced with a Friday doubleheader. First up was South Carolina, a program that struggled in a loaded Southeastern Conference last season.

FRIDAY

After a scoreless first inning, Miami entered the scoring column on

Will Kehres The Miami Student

The time has come for the annual transfer portal mayhem across college football. With the portal allowing players to transfer to new schools without sacrificing a year of eligibility as of April 2021, yearly turnover among college football programs has become commonplace. For the second consecutive year, Miami football will be saying goodbye to several key players and welcoming multiple new faces into the program.

In total, 13 players from Miami’s 2022 roster are either currently in the transfer portal or have already committed to a new school. Some of the most notable losses include two key contributors on the offensive line: Rusty Feth and Caleb Shaffer.

Feth will be playing for the University of Iowa after starting at center for the RedHawks in each of the past two seasons. He announced his commitment via Twitter on Jan. 29.

Shaffer is heading to the University of Oklahoma, which he announced in a Twitter post on Jan. 5. He was also a multi-year starter for Miami, missing only one game over the past two seasons.

The RedHawks will be losing Tyre Shelton as well, who will be transferring to Louisiana Tech. Shelton was the team’s third-leading rusher in 2022, collecting 85 carries for 321 yards and 3 touchdowns across 13 games. On defense, Miami’s most notable loss is John Saunders. Saunders is joining the Ole Miss Rebels next season after becoming a significant contributor in Miami’s secondary. In 21 total games over two seasons with the ‘Hawks, he collected five interceptions and 19 passes defended.

According to On3.com, Miami football will also be welcoming several new players for next season, all playing on the offensive side of the ball.

Rashad Amos spent the last three seasons with the South Carolina Gamecocks, mostly serving as a reserve. He has appeared in 13 total games and collected 106 rushing yards on 20 carries, gathering 18 of those carries for 99 yards as a firstyear. Amos will be looking for an increased role as a member of the RedHawks backfield.

Kopp is one of many players to flee the University of Colorado this year, after Coach Deion Sanders joined the program, bringing many of his players from Jackson State along with him and attracting numerous highly-rated recruits. Miami will be Kopp’s third school in three years after redshirting during his first season at the University of Houston. He played in one game last season with the Buffaloes, throwing for 123 yards and one touchdown against the University of Utah.

Gage Larvadain spent the last two years at Southeastern Louisiana University, an FCS school that plays in the Southland Conference. He was the school’s leading receiver in the 2022 season, collecting 59 receptions for 731 yards and two touchdowns. The other addition to the RedHawks receivings corps is Joe Wilkins, who is coming from the University of Notre Dame. He will be entering his sixth and final year of eligibility, having taken a redshirt year and being granted an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19. kehreswe@miamioh.edu

Wilkins battled injuries and failed to record a stat this season. In a message posted on his Twitter account, Wilkins explained his desire to join a program where he would receive more playing time in his final year.

Finally, John Young from the University of Kentucky slots in as a replacement on the offensive line for either Feth or Shaffer. According to 247Sports, Young was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and the third-highest ranked player in the state of Kentucky in the 247 composite rankings. However, Young had a limited role at Kentucky, collecting most of his playing time on special teams. In 2022, he also served as Kentucky’s backup left guard while taking some practice snaps at center as well.

With an offense revamped through the transfer portal, the RedHawks will hope to reclaim the MAC title for the first time since 2019 and to earn a fourth consecutive bowl game appearance in 2023.

Departures (position and commitment in parentheses):

Position glossary: WR = Wide Receiver, OL = Offensive Lineman, CB = Cornerback, S = Safety, RB = Running Back, QB = Quarterback

Jeremiah Batiste (WR, Uncommitted)

• Angelo Butts (WR, Uncommitted)

• Devon Dorsey (WR, Uncommitted)

• Rusty Feth (OL, University of Iowa)

• Ja’Von Kimpson (CB, Uncommitted)

• Tre’Von Morgan (WR, Uncommitted)

• Ryan O’Hair (OL, Robert Morris)

• Deavion Pierce (S, Robert Morris)

• Austin Robinson (WR, Uncommitted)

• John Saunders (CB, Ole Miss)

• Caleb Shaffer (OL, University of Oklahoma) Tyre Shelton (RB, Louisiana Tech) Darez Snider (RB, Uncommitted)

Incoming Transfers (position and eligibility in parentheses):

• Rashad Amos (RB from South Carolina, 2 years remaining)

• Maddox Kopp (Quarterback from Colorado, 3 years remaining)

• Gage Larvadain (WR from Southeast Louisiana, 2 years remaining)

• Joe Wilkins (WR from Notre Dame, 1 year remaining) John Young (OL from Kentucky, 2 years remaining)