Small Colleges: Mosley Guiding Lincoln to Monumental Season

 

by ROB KNOX (@knoxrob1)

 

Darrell Mosley spends as much time sharing with his young ladies about the value of having options beyond basketball as he does plotting strategies.

 

“I always tell my team to have a goal, a backup goal and a plan C,” said Mosley, the fifth year head coach of the Lincoln University women’s basketball program, a Division II school 40 miles south of Philadelphia in rural southern Chester County.

 “Coaching was my third choice. My goal was to play professionally. I knew that wasn’t going to come, so I focused on wanting to become a sports agent and coaching.”

 

Mosley’s career choice has yielded huge rewards both on and off the court.

 

As one of the best young head women’s basketball coaches in the country, Mosley has created an expectation of excellence by seamlessly blending his philosophies of tough love, fun and family into a culture of competitiveness that’s fueled Lincoln’s historic 11-2 start to the 2019-20 season.

 

Lincoln is ranked fifth in the latest D2SIDA Women's Basketball Atlantic Region Weekly Media poll and receiving votes in both national polls. 

It’s the first time in program history that the women's basketball team has gotten national recognition in either of the two NCAA Division II polls.

 

The Lions are motivated to achieve more as they begin the meat and potatoes portion of their Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) schedule with a home game against Livingstone College Saturday at Manuel Rivero Hall beginning at 2 p.m.

 

As an alum, the opportunity to lead Lincoln is special for Mosley, who graduated from the nation’s oldest historically black college in 2010 with a degree in health science.

 

“It’s a lot of pride in the body of work we’ve done here,” Mosley said. “A lot of people don’t know our story. Here, we treat everything like family, develop a bond and have fun. 

“I am big on family, big on camaraderie. I give them tough love and keep it real with them in life and the classroom.”

 

Family is the bedrock for Mosley’s success.

 

His parents Deneen and Derrick Sr. have always supported him when he started playing in the Chester Biddy League as a youngster. 

They were always at his games when he played at Village Charter School and Chester High School. They continued traveling to games when he played at Delaware State and Lincoln.

 

“It didn’t matter if I sat the bench or played, they were always there for me,” Mosley said. “The values of being a family with my team is what I learned my family. Their support meant everything for me. They helped me to never give up on anything even as I endured some rough times in my career as player.”

 

When Lincoln first transitioned to Division II during the 2007-08 season, Mosley was a member of the men’s basketball team while his sister, DeJuana, was a member of the women’s basketball team. Family support was essential.

 

Lincoln endured plenty of embarrassing defeats by unfathomable lopsided scores on a consistent basis, especially on the women’s side. 

The unfortunate sacrifice of the persistent losing was longtime veteran head coach Andy Haman, who laid the foundation and endured the pain of transition after leading Lincoln to the Association of Division III Independents championship in 2007.

 

While Haman knew brighter days would arrive for the Lady Lions, he wasn’t around to experience them. 

Jessica Kern took over the program in 2010 and raised Lincoln’s profile to where it competed in the CIAA Tournament championship game in 2014 and hosted the ECAC playoffs.

 

However, when she left, Mosley took the baton and has raised the bar of excellence. He is third all-time in women’s basketball coaching victories at Lincoln.

 

The Lions have advanced to the CIAA Tournament semifinals in three consecutive years, notched a few signature victories, including wins over Division I opponents in each of the last two years and become a force to be reckoned with thanks to a gritty and talented squad that has already rallied from three double-digit deficits to win games this season.

 

Mosley was an assistant coach for the Lincoln men’s program for five years under John Hill. He experienced success as well, helping the Lions win 20 games for the first time as a Division II program and winning the CIAA Northern Division regular season title.

 

“I didn’t even consider myself a female coach, the players (remaining from Kern’s team) recruited me,” Mosley said. “They said ‘we see you grinding (with the men’s program), and we want that as a coach. 

“I didn’t even think the opportunity was available. I had to sleep on it and my family challenged me and said we think you’ll do an outstanding job. I applied and prayed for it. 

“Those kids on the team, Amani (Clark) and Courtney (Smith) wanted me to be their coach. It was a two-month delay on the final decision so I continued to work as the men’s assistant.

 

“I missed the entire recruiting summer. We had four returnees and made the most of what we could. 

“Building from the winning tradition that coach Kern started, I have tremendous pride in what we’ve been able to do as a program. I had to learn those connections, the AAU circuit and put a good staff together. 

Winning sells itself. I am big on social media and I am going to sell my players. Now we have kids who went to Division I schools and who now want to play for us.”

 

Why wouldn’t they want to be part of a family that can grind in the weight room together, run laps on the track as a team under the searing summer sun, enjoy an ugly sweater dinner celebration a week before Christmas during a road trip and create memories from team bonding activities such as paintball, go-kart racing and attending NBA games while having the same goal of winning the CIAA Tournament and competing in the NCAA Tournament.

 

In addition, after every game, Mosley awards an Impact Player in which those recipients pose together for a social media photo while holding up a sign. 

It’s a brilliant inspiration that keeps everybody vested in each other’s success.

 

Even though some players have sacrificed minutes, Mosley has done a great job along with his staff that includes Cherelle Dennis and Alishia Mosley (no relation) of keeping everybody united.

 

“I am fortunate to have good veterans who are making sacrifices,” Mosley said. “We have a talented group. It doesn’t matter to me who starts, I always looking for a five who can finish. 

“I like the competitiveness in practice and we don’t miss a beat. My job is to continue to keep them motivated and humbled. 

“We haven’t been in this position before as a program and it’s a great experience for me. I am coaching knowing we have a target on our backs.”

 

Fortunately, Mosley has a deep squad with senior Kwanza Murray leading the Lady Lions in scoring with a 22.2 point per game average, which is second in the CIAA. 

Lincoln leads the CIAA in scoring offense (78.1 points per game), assists (13.3) and attendance, proof that the Lady Lions are entertaining to watch.

 

Other key performers this season include senior DeAshia Young (12.2 ppg., 4.6 assists per game), junior Bryanna Brown, junior Joy Morton, junior Skydajah Patterson, senior Kenzie Spencer, and junior Alisha Machado, who leads Lincoln with 12 blocked shots. 

They all average at least 17 minutes and have made numerous hidden contributions.

 

The success the Lady Lions are experiencing this season isn’t surprising to Mosley.

 

“Things are starting to turn and go in the right direction for us,” Mosley said. “Our goals coming into the season was to be a regionally ranked program and earn an at-large bid to the tournament. We really want to win a CIAA title because we are tired of cutting it close. We have to find a way to cut down the nets.”