Just over a decade after helping North Dakota make the NCAA Tournament, Mia Loyd, a 5-foot-11 forward who was a three-time All-Big Sky selection during her tenure with the Fighting Hawks (2012-13), won a championship in Latvia, helping lead TTT Riga to the title while also winning numerous Women’s Baltic Basketball League awards along the way.
And yet, the Minnesota native calls Australia home. She currently is playing Down Under, representing Cairns in the NBL1 semi-pro league.
She recently spoke to Swish Appeal about her far-flung, highly-successful hooping experiences, in addition to how she has become a more complete player. Some highlights from the conversation include:
On becoming a part of history with North Dakota making March Madness in 2014:
North Dakota was a Division II school for a while, but they had racked up a lot of championships, so it’s not like the team and the school and the women’s program were not known for a winning culture. Obviously, my first year was a bit rough as a freshman because we had just gotten into the conference [the Big Sky]. But once that sophomore year hit, I think everybody kind of got on board and was like, “Okay, we have a very, very talented team. Let’s just…
