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Extension of Hernando county's star power

By DAVID MURPHY
Published April 11, 2007

Was there ever any doubt Bernice Mosby would eventually wind up on a stage in Cleveland, Ohio, flashing a smile as wide as State Route 50, as she did last week after being selected No. 6 overall by the WNBA's Washington Mystics?

Well, yes, there was. In fact, there was plenty of it.

Mosby's career - and life for that matter - has seen more ups and downs than a Sears Tower elevator. She experienced tragedy at an early age her father was stabbed, her cousin Gus died in a car crash that also claimed the life of NFL standout Jerome Brown, feuded with her high school coach, was dismissed from her first college team (Florida), then spent an entire year out of basketball while waiting for a chance to play for her second (Baylor).

During a 2001 interview, Mosby, then a junior in high school, weighed in with some words that resonate much deeper now.

"There are a lot of little girls (in Brooksville) who don't have anyone to look up to," said Mosby, who was coming off a season in which she averaged 22.7 points per game and 12.8 rebounds. "I mean, one girl has to make it out of Brooksville sometime."

Well, Mosby made it out. Now that she has, it's time to look at where she stands on the list of all-time Hernando greats.

The best of all time? Maybe not. But she is certainly up there.

Mosby is only the second female athlete from the county to be drafted by a professional sports team (former Springstead soccer star Jennifer O'Sullivan was the first in 2001).

She was the highest draft pick of any modern-day Hernando County athlete, including Brown, who was selected ninth overall by the Philadelphia Eagles.

It can be argued she dominated her sport in a way no other athlete did, averaging a double double all four years of high school and averaging 27.7 points and 14.5 rebounds as a senior.

She led her team farther than any other team from the county had gone before in her sport, the 1999 state final four.

"I think we haven't seen yet how good she can be," said Jon East, Mosby's former AAU coach.

David Murphy can be reached at dmurphy@sptimes.com or (352) 848-1407.

Fast Facts:

The Greatest of All Time?

Here are some of the other Hernando County athletes who have played professionally.

Jerome Brown: A first-round draft pick (ninth overall) of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1987, he is the most dominant football player ever to come out of Hernando County.

John Capel: The 200-meter champion at the 1999 indoor championship, Capel competed in the finals of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Maulty Moore: The first Hernando County resident to play in the NFL, he was a member of two Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins teams.

Bronson Arroyo: After leading the major leagues in innings pitched last season, the former Hernando pitcher signed a big-money extension with the Cincinnati Reds.

Mike Walker: The former Leopards pitcher was the county's first major-leaguer. He retired in 1999.

Curtis Bunch: Former Hernando football star played professionally for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Bandits.

Jenny O'Sullivan: Former Springstead soccer player starred at Stanford before being drafted by the New York Power of the Women's United Soccer Association.

[Last modified April 11, 2007, 07:32:32]