OHS Graduate Leads SUNY Morrisville to NCAA DIII Tourney

By JOEL J. PLUE
MORRISVILLE

Taylor Colone-Microni of Oneonta was instrumental in the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs’ recent trip to the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament. The Mustangs earned a berth in the tourney after defeating two seed Penn State Harrisburg to win the United East Championship on February 25, a game for which Colone-Microni received Most Valuable Player honors.

Many young people aspire to follow their dreams. Colone-Microni chased hers.

“As far back as I can remember, even as a young child, I wanted to play basketball,” she recalled.

A 2020 graduate of Oneonta High School, Colone-Microni knew she would someday be a basketball champion, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing. As with anyone who strives to be at the top of their game, Taylor first had to overcome her fears.

“I was nervous about trying out for the varsity team in 8th grade. A conversation with my dad gave me inspiration to move forward when he said, ‘If you’re going to succeed at what you love, you will need to step out of your comfort zone.’ He has always been there for me, and that advice has kept me going,” she said.

Colone-Microni, 21, has lived in Oneonta her entire life. It is where, with support from friends and family, she learned the love of the sport. Matt Miller, former coach of the Oneonta High School women’s basketball varsity team, was one of many role models who set her up for success in her sports career.

“Taylor was a great basketball player because she was completely dedicated to the game, and because she worked significantly harder than the average player. There’s a very short list of players, in my time at OHS, that I can say worked as hard or had as genuine a desire to be great like Taylor did,” Miller recalled.

Colone-Microni, a five year varsity player at OHS, was named the United East Tournament MVP after leading the Mustangs to their second straight title with 16 points in the final game, a 47-42 nail-biter. Unfortunately, the Mustangs’ winning streak ended on March 3 with a 50-100 loss to Smith College in NCAA tournament play.

Morrisvillemustangs.com sums up Colone-Microni’s 2022-23 season as follows: “…started in 27 games for the Mustangs at guard…recorded 217 points across the season…average 8.04 per game…hit 48 from long range while shooting .320 from behind the arc…added 76 rebounds, 62 assists and 26 steals to her totals across the year…team were United East Regular Season and Tournament Champions, appearing in the NCAA DIII Tournament a second consecutive season.”

SUNY Morrisville will forever hold these titles in large part due to the hard work of Colone-Microni, whose drive and determination to be the best resulted in an equally-impressive high-school career.

“Taylor left our basketball program as one of only seven players to score 1,000+ points, finishing fifth all-time with 1,070 points. She’s currently the 14th all-time leading rebounder in school history, 10th all-time in assists, 5th all-time in steals, and she holds the all-time program record for 3-point shots made in a career, at 206,” Miller said.

Every good beginning requires a great ending and, although Colone-Microni has achieved tremendous success in her young life through basketball, when college is over she plans to retire from the game.

“I’ve been studying criminal justice and love the idea of a career path in the field. I’m not sure where my career will start, but I know I have a place in life within the industry,” she said.

Colone-Microni, the daughter of Frank and Jeanine Microni of Oneonta, leaves big shoes to fill at both OHS and SUNY Morrisville. She’s going to be a hard act to follow.