Forth-Year Men’s Basketball

IN THE LOCKER ROOM Fourth-Year Men’s Basketball Captain Wolf Moser

On Nov. 23, College fourth-year and captain of the men’s basketball team Wolf Moser scored a career-high 27 points against Carnegie Mellon University. While on his gap year from 2020–21, he worked on basketball skills and better prepared for his future — securing a job at Cisco Systems. Despite the fact that the team is currently 2–4, he believes they have the talent to do well this season and will sorely miss playing for the program after his last collegiate season comes to an end this year.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Zoe Kuzbari Sports Editor

Congratulations on your game last week, when you scored your career-high of 27 points. Even though you guys lost that game, how did you feel?

It’s always a lot of fun to score, especially when you set a career high record for yourself. The game we played was in Pittsburgh, and that’s where I grew up, so I had a lot of friends and family in the crowd cheering me on. It was really cool to score that many points and reach a personal best in front of the people who have supported me throughout my entire career. However, I would have much rather won the game, so it was bittersweet.

Fourth-year basketball player Wolf Moser competes on Oberlin’s home court. Courtesy of Amanda Phillips

I know that you took a gap year from 2020–21 — what did you do with your time off? Were you playing basketball? Was there anything specific you were working on?

During my time off last year, I had a lot of new experiences that were really rewarding. To start, I learned how to trade in the stock market. I also coached Junior Varsity high school basketball, which was fun, and I had an internship over the summer. Of course, while I was home I was also working on basketball. I mostly focused on getting faster and stronger in order to prepare myself for the intense pace of play and to be ready for when I’d return to school.

As captain of your team this year, what are some of your individual goals? What are your team goals?

I honestly don’t think I have any individual goals. Because it’s most likely my last year playing basketball, I just want to enjoy the experience and soak it all in as much as possible, especially after not being here last year. Our goals are to win as a team and to win as much as possible. Obviously, a conference championship is the ultimate goal and what all of us want, but we’re taking it day by day.

Your team is 2–4 right now and you’re just now entering conference play. What are some of your strategies going into these more competitive and important games?

These upcoming games are really important to us and to our success, but that doesn’t change much about our strategy. I remember someone once told me: “The bigger the game, the more everything should stay the same.” The team understands the importance of these games, but it should not change how we play or approach the game. We’re a really good team with a lot of talent, and we definitely have the ability to beat everyone if we play the right way.

During your time at Oberlin, have you been involved in any organizations or communities other than athletics?

While at Oberlin, I’ve been involved in Solarity, helping to organize some of its concerts and music events for the College. I also really love to paint and will definitely continue that hobby for as long as possible.

What does your future after college look like?

Last summer, I was an intern for Cisco Systems, a technology company, and I was recently fortunate enough to receive a job offer to continue working for them after my college career, which I’m excited about. I would love to continue my basketball career, but as of now I’m going to focus on my job as I enter the corporate world.

What are some of the things that you’ll miss most after your last collegiate season? Who do you think the team will look to in the future for leadership?

I’m definitely going to miss spending time with my teammates. Whether it’s going out to breakfast, hanging out together on the weekends, or joking around on road trips, I’m really going to miss being a part of a family and being surrounded by people who would do anything to see me succeed. I understand I’ll continue to experience different types of teams in life, but nothing will compare to being a part of OC’s basketball program. In terms of future leadership, I think the team will turn to third-year Dorde Otasevic and second-year Dimitrije Radusinovic. Their experience and their work ethic is truly a great example to follow. But overall, everyone on this team has proven they can be a leader when it’s needed, so there’s nothing to worry about in the upcoming years.

Preview of Oberlin Track and Field’s Upcoming Season

River Schiff

Senior Staff Writer

On Dec. 4, the indoor track and field team will compete against Case Western Reserve University in its first meet of the season. After finishing in fifth place in the North Coast Athletic Conference cross country standings, the team looks to keep its upward momentum and reaffirm past successes as the track and field season approaches.

The Yeowomen have historically been a force to be reckoned with, having earned three NCAC titles in both indoor and outdoor track and field during the 2016–17, 2017–18, and 2018–19 seasons. But with the team’s season put on pause due to COVID-19, only the fourth-years on the team have experienced an NCAC championship.

Director of Track and Field and cross country Ray Appenheimer spoke about the impact of fourth-years on the future of the program that once dominated the conference.

“I think our seniors do a great job of not only conveying the habits and mindset it takes to win on and off the track but living it every day as well,” he wrote in an email to the Review. “They are amazing examples to the younger members of the team of what being successful on the track, in the classroom, and throughout their lives at Oberlin can look like.”

Fourth-year Phoebe von Conta, one of the team members who was a part of the successes of the 2018–19 season, was recently awarded Second Team All-Conference Honors this past cross country season.

“Coming into this next season, I’m excited to see our team continue that legacy of strong competition and hard work,” she wrote in an email to the Review. “[The energy of past champions] carries through us, and I can’t wait to see what we do with it. I’m looking forward to the opportunities to share that with the younger generations of the team.”

Although the track program has experienced the loss of powerhouses Adriano Atallah, OC ’21, who was an AllRegion select during their fourth-year spring semester in 2021, the program has a bright future ahead with successful younger members of the team. Five first-year athletes from both the men’s and women’s teams competed this past cross country season in the conference championship, and two competed in regionals.

“We’re going to be leaning heavily on our younger team members, folks who have never had a proper collegiate season,” Appenheimer wrote. “It was awesome to see these people rise to the challenge in cross country. There really seems to be an appetite for challenges with our first- and second-years. They have bought into who we are and what we are trying to accomplish so quickly, and seeing how they push, challenge, and support our upper class folks, makes me really excited for what’s to come.”

The first- and second-year classes bring a fresh perspective, with a tenacity to win at the next level. Second-year Eliza Medearis looks to her first track season with hope and drive, fueled by the support of her teammates.

“This team has pretty big shoes to fill, but I think everyone is hungry to compete after so long,” Medearis wrote. “There’s so much positive energy on the team that I’m sure we’ll be able to secure a conference championship.”

Medearis had a strong cross country season, ending See Upcoming, page 14