Basketball has been a friendly companion for Cire Worley, helping her to navigate life’s challenges and cope with grief.
The sport soothed Worley through the darkest moments off the court, like losing her mother to lung cancer when she was in the third grade. Her resilience has been her true north star and has guided her to success on the court.
Because of this trait, Worley has excelled for Coppin State’s women’s basketball program after a sterling high school career in which she scored over 1,700 points.
For the 6-foot sophomore guard, basketball has been both a panacea and a bond that ties her family together.
Her father, Eric, is a familiar presence in the stands, easy to spot as he watches his daughter with pride. Occasionally, their eyes lock during games, or they exchange a knowing nod.
He may receive a text message from Worley before and after games, but most of the time, Eric is simply a father, watching his daughter play the sport she loves — which holds so much meaning for both of them.
Nicknamed “Pooh,” Worley remembers her mom, Kim, attending some of her games when she was younger and healthy. Kim was a teacher. She played basketball at Northeast High School in Philadelphia and Division III Arcadia, formerly known as Beaver College in the Philadelphia suburbs.
Even now, Worley feels her presence. Playing in her first Coppin State-Morgan State “Battle of Baltimore” game, Worley made two huge 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead triple with 68 seconds remaining, that she knows her mom would have been proud of.
“It means everything because I know every game I play she is always with me,” Worley said to The Next postgame following Coppin State’s 61-56 victory over Morgan State on Jan. 25. “My last memory of my mom was maybe her coming to my games when I played with the boys.”
Worley’s 10 points in her first start of the season complemented her teammates Angel Jones (20 points) and Laila Lawrence (18 points, 13 rebounds) as Coppin State rallied late to beat Morgan State at Hill Field House on Saturday afternoon.
The frenzied crowd, which featured Morgan State’s “Magnificent Marching Machine”, was exhausted from another fiery battle between these two rivals, who are separated only by five miles.
“Cire is one of the nicest kids I’ve ever been around in my life,” Coppin State head coach Jermaine Woods said.
“Sometimes I got to light a fire under her, and I thought she wasn’t playing hard enough or physical enough in the first half. I challenged her. I didn’t start her in the second half, and she looked at me and was like, I’m ready. She was aggressive and physical and went to the contact instead of avoiding it. She’s a big part of why we have a chance to win our upcoming games. We need her to be good. And I tell her that all the time. When she’s playing like that, and then Laila and Angel are going, we’re pretty good.”
Read the rest of the story at The Next.
