The last Mader focusing on her big dreams

Like her four siblings ahead of her, Abbi Mader is ready to leave her mark on the basketball court at Tippecanoe High School. Also like the rest of the Maders, she is focused on taking her game to the next level.  Abbi’s freshman season was one to remember for the Red Devils. She led the Miami Valley League in scoring 18 points per game, and was the most talented player in the conference as a rookie. But like any first-year varsity player, she dealt with some ups and downs as she progressed through the season.  “During the good times, it was staying humble, and I had to keep grinding during the bad times,” she said. “I knew I just had to work harder and had to get in the gym to get shots up and more reps, which made me more confident coming off a bad game.”

With a successful season behind her, Mader is not satisfied and wants to continue to improve her game. She knows her role and responsibility have grown and is ready for the challenge. “I need to not dwell on the little things, like one play or one shot,” she said. “I need to let it go and keep moving forward.” One aspect of that is to learn from her siblings and take away their experiences to help her prepare for that movement to the next level. Coming before Abbi was her sister Allison (2018 grad), brother Nolan (2020), and sisters Ashleigh (2021) and Alexa (2023).

She does admit, there is a bit of pressure on her to keep the tradition going to be the fifth Mader to play college athletics. “Seeing them at the college level with the grind and the work they put in, it inspires me to play college basketball. But it also teaches me the lessons they have learned,” Mader said. “Having four older siblings means there is a little pressure, but it is a blessing to be able to look up to them and see what they have done.” Mader is playing this summer with the Legends travel ball club, the top club in Ohio. “We have done well so far,” she said. “This July, we have a few tournaments left. Our last one is our biggest. It is great to cheer on our older team, and it is a great atmosphere and culture.”

While she plays on the younger team, all the teams practice together. Mader will get plenty of reps against the older girls, who are among the most talented in Ohio, with many going on to a high level of college basketball. “Physicality is the biggest challenge, they are strong and physical,” she said. “Once you get put in that situation where you have to compete with them, everything goes, and you adapt to it.” For now, Mader plans to just stay in the gym to help prepare her for the next three seasons of high school basketball and help her take that next step. “I really want to develop how I react to certain situations where it becomes muscle memory and I don’t have to think as much,” she said. “I can just play free and develop that physicality where I won’t get pushed around.”