Cordell Breaks Hoops Record
Tyler Cordell ’11. (Photo by Sara Tincher)
Tyler Cordell ’11 says it is still surreal to her to be Ohio Wesleyan’s all-time assists leader in women’s basketball.
Cordell beat the record of 406 assists held by Amy Evans ’92 at the Bishops’ game against Wittenberg on January 12. She currently has 424 assists and will no doubt set the bar even higher as the season continues.
Cordell said she was cognizant of Evans’ skill as a player, having tied the alumna’s single-season points record in 2009 and surpassed it in 2010. But she says the reality of her accomplishment hasn’t hit her yet.
“I mean, she started in 1988. I wasn’t even born then,” says Cordell, who also scored her 1,000th point earlier this season.
Head coach Nan Carney-DeBord says the team is “extremely proud” of Cordell.
“Most great players are great scorers, some are great rebounders,” she says. “But to be a proficient scorer and leader in assists is quite unique.”
Carney-DeBord coached Evans, a 2009 OWU Athletic Hall of Fame inductee. She says Evans was a tremendous leader on the floor, and that Cordell’s new record speaks volumes of her impact on the program.
“Tyler demonstrated her fierce competitiveness through having the uncanny ability of bringing up the level of play of those with whom she is surrounded,” says Carney-DeBord. “She can take a team on her back and ‘will’ it to win!”
Cordell credits her teammates for helping her reach her full potential on the court. Her classmates Kayla Gordon and Pam Quigney also have scored 1,000 points, and Cordell said the three of them have a close bond on and off the court.
“Some of these teams in the NCAC (North Coast Athletic Conference) have one star player,” she says. “Any given night, one of us can be the star player and we are all proud. We complement and add to each other.”
Cordell says that it is strange to think her career at OWU is almost over. She hopes to help coach basketball as a graduate assistant or play in a recreational league when she finds a job somewhere. But until then, she said she is going to enjoy her time on the court and shoot for her team.