Catching Up With: Mary Fox

AMES, Iowa - A former three-point sharp shooter for the Iowa State women's basketball team, Mary Fox has spent the last two years living in Ireland, playing for DCU Mercy, and has recently joined the Irish National Team. Fox is a native of Lakewood, Ohio, but her grandparents are from Ireland, which qualified her for dual citizenship and a chance to play for the national squad.

Fox ranked 19th nationally in three-point percentage as a senior at Iowa State, draining 42.2 percent of her long range tries. She also ranked 43rd in NCAA Division I with 2.3 treys per game as a senior. Fox remains ninth on ISU's career three-point list with 159.

The six-foot guard scored 722 points in her Cyclone career and was a part of the 2001 NCAA Sweet 16 squad that won the Big 12 Championship title as a freshman. She played on three Iowa State NCAA tournament squads and was a junior on the 2003-04 team that made it to the Final Four of the Women's National Invitational Tournament. Fox graduated from ISU in May 2006, with a degree in communications studies and a minor in sociology.

Cyclones.com caught up with Fox in Ireland for a question and answer session. She had so much to report that we will break up the Q&A up into two segments. Check back in a few days to catch the remainder of our interview with Fox.

Can you give us an update on where you've been since you graduated?

“After I ended my senior season (2005), I still had a year left, so I studied abroad in Australia. I did not touch a basketball. I just had a good time and studied and graduated in May (2006) back in Ames. While I was in Australia I got in contact with Tracy Gahan. She told me she came over here to Ireland to play. I was like “wow,” because that was be a dream of mine back then, to play in Ireland, because my Dad's Irish.

“I decided I would get myself back into shape that last semester. I worked out a lot with (ISU strength and conditioning coach) Andy Moser. I decided I would get in shape and I'd get a gig playing overseas. Well, I didn't have an agent, so it is obviously kind of difficult. I got in contact with Tracy's coach and then it kind of took off from there.

“Since then, I have been over here. This is the beginning of my third season with DCU Mercy. I came back this year because I got my Irish passport last January and I'm a dual citizen. I qualify for it because my Dad's parents are from over here. It was a lot of paper work, but they gave me dual citizenship and an Irish passport, and it allowed me to play for the Irish National Team, which I am doing currently. “

How did you get involved with the Irish National Team?

“Well, they found out that I was of Irish decent and they basically expedited my passport. Usually it takes a couple of years because of how tight it is now with the government and everything. They expedited for me and got my passport, and there is a tryout, but because they did that for me I was pretty much guaranteed (to make the team). I'm not guaranteed to start or anything like. It was just the fact that I was a professional player in Ireland and I was able to get my Irish passport and that means I could play for their national team. I'm the only American on the team. There's actually one girl from Australia too. Her dad's Irish as well.

WWe just started practice a couple of weeks ago. It's very intense, but it's just on the weekends because obliviously these girls work over here. We start our campaign, our European campaign, next Wednesday (Aug. 27). Our first game is against Montenegro, which is very interesting for me because I've no idea where these European countries are on the map. These girls just laugh at me. It's going to be such a great experience. I'm so excited for it. We just got back from Portugal last weekend and that was just what they call a friendly game which is like a scrimmage.”

Are you playing solely on the national team or are you still playing with DCU Mercy as well?

“The national team is only five games, so I'm done September 11th. My first Mercy basketball game will be Oct. 12th. Jill Martin, from Drake, will be the new American on our team. She's going to be playing with us this year so that will be really great. So I'm basically focused on the national team right now.”

What type of event is the national team playing in right now?

“There are different levels. Obliviously you can go to the Olympics, but there are different levels that you can go for. This year we play Montenegro, Iceland, Vervena, Switzerland, and Holland and next year they'll play the same countries. Basically they just want to win and the more you win, the more you qualify to move up a level.

“It is qualifications for the European Championship for two years time. If we win all of our games for these two years, then we qualify for the Olympics. That's unlikely though, because Ireland is kind of small. It's not a tournament. It's like a two-year campaign, so basically you're trying to win to get to the next division.”

How does it feel to represent the country like that?

“Well, it's great. It's unbelievable wearing a jersey that says Ireland on it, especially because that is where my grandparents are from. I would never have that opportunity to play for the U.S. so this is a big deal.”

You were named MVP of your league. Can you talk about that?

“That was my first year, and we won the national league championship. We won the national championship and I was named MVP. The next year we lost in the championship game. This year we're hoping to win both the cup, which is a mid-year tournament, which is a huge deal here, and the national championship.”

Can you talk about the differences and adjustments from the college game?

“It's been an adjustment coming from Iowa State, with the crowd, the program, Coach Fennelly, and everything. In Ireland the biggest arena in the entire country is the size of my high school gym. That was a huge adjustment number one. Number two, it is a lot more physical. The refs are not as qualified. I don't want to say they are not as good, but you can get away with a lot more things than over in the U.S. They are very physical and being a professional player you have to know how to do everything.

“Obviously I came out of Iowa State as a three-point shooter and would never post up. I was never the one that was carrying the ball, so in the first year I had to learn how to do all of that. Knowing that there is only one professional per team here, you want to be the professional and they expect you to score. We were all good at Iowa State, but here they all look to you. At Iowa State, or anywhere in the U.S. where you play college ball, you have a role. I was a shooter. Over here you pretty much have to do everything.”

Have your long-distance shooting skills been helpful in the international game?

“Absolutely. Everything that I am in basketball comes from Iowa State. I learned so much there. In Ireland they are trying to mimic how we play over there, so in my league they try to run and shoot the three. I get to do basically the same thing that I did at Iowa State, but I get to step in and post up. It's fun and I like it.”

What is the difference in competition level?
“Everyone comes from different clubs over here and different coaching obviously. The level is obviously lower. A lot of these girls could have played division one, but it's hard to get over there. It's hard to be seen. It's not at the Big 12 level at all by any means. It's the highest level for Ireland. They don't have a million girls to choose from. This country is about half the size Ohio or the size of Iowa.”

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