Last summer at a Vermont Basketball Coaches Association meeting, Champlain Valley Union girls coach Ute Otley suggested the VBCA create a scholarship in the name of Eric Ward, the beloved former coach at Thetford Academy who died after a battle with colon cancer in May 2022.

The scholarship’s first recipient, awarded after the 2022-23 season, played for Ward himself.

Thetford senior guard Madi Mousley, who spent two years on Ward’s varsity teams with the Panthers, earned the inaugural Eric Ward Memorial Scholarship for Divisions III and IV, which recognizes a Vermont girls’ basketball player who “is a team player, displays good sportsmanship, has a positive impact on her team, and has a passion for defense.”

“It was so special to me, especially having played for Coach Ward,” Mousley said. “He loved defense and it was something we worked on a lot, because it’s an area where you can always get better. It was an honor to be recognized especially for my defense and hard work throughout the season.”

Ward, who won three state championships in his 14 years in charge of Thetford, had such a passion for defense that he was known to simulate playing defense from the bench area during the Panthers’ games, stomping his feet and putting his hands up in the air, Mousley said. Thetford maintained that defensive identity this winter under Ward’s replacement, Jolene Cadwell, allowing just 37 points per game and advancing to the VPA Division III championship game.

The VBCA had previously sponsored a scholarship for a boys’ basketball player, but the one in Ward’s name is the organization’s first for girls. Pam Robinson, Ward’s sister, said Mousley came into her own this season as a player and a leader.

“You can count on her from the foul line, (and) she could anticipate plays and break up plays for the opponents,” Robinson said. “She was the glue that kept the team together, because it was a difficult year for many of the girls. She always kept her composure; no matter how intense the game was, she just had a calming influence. Eric’s legacy was being carried on through her play the entire season, and I knew Eric was smiling down when she received that scholarship in his name.”

While defense may have been her calling card, Mousley’s offense was also key during the Panthers’ postseason run — she scored in double figures in each of Thetford’s three playoff wins over Randolph, Richford and Hazen before being held scoreless in the title game loss to Windsor. As one of just two seniors on the Panthers’ roster and the only senior starter, Mousley’s leadership helped the team get through the grieving process and coaching transition, Robinson said.

Mousley plans to put the scholarship money toward her college education — she hopes to study either animal science or something related to sports and exercise. She is a lifelong athlete and was also exposed to caring for animals from a young age through her aunt and uncle, who live on a dairy farm.

“She’s one of those quite players who doesn’t always get the recognition,” Robinson said. “For her to receive it and get recognized, it made my day.”

Benjamin Rosenberg can be reached at brosenberg@vnews.com or 603-727-3302.

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