ROCHESTER, Mich. – Taking her official visit to the campus on May 3, graduate transfer guard Markyia McCormick is back in the Horizon League after committing to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies on Saturday, May 6.



A native Buckeye, growing up about 20 miles southeast of Columbus, McCormick played her first two high school seasons at Pickerington Central – which has produced several notable Ohio State and Michigan Wolverine football and basketball players, such as Justin and Zach Boren, Taco Charlton and Caris LeVert – before rounding out her prep career just down the road with the Canal Winchester Indians, earning First Team All-Ohio Capital Conference (OCC) honors during a 2017-18 junior campaign that saw her average 14.8 points, 3.1 assists and 2.3 rebounds.

Set to enter her final season of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) eligibility in 2023-24 and as alluded to in the opening paragraph, McCormick will not be new to the level of play in the Horizon League, as she spent her first two seasons in the conference with the Detroit Mercy Titans from 2019-21.

During these two seasons with the Titans, she appeared in 44 games, starting 12, and put up more than solid numbers, averaging 7.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 22.8 minutes-per-night.

After scoring seven points-per-game as a freshman, she upped this to 9.8 as a sophomore in Detroit Mercy's abbreviated 14-game campaign, and coincidentally, poured in a career-high 21 against Oakland at Calihan Hall on January 15, 2021.

Even more impressive than the ability to score the basketball at the Division I level that she exemplified with the Titans, McCormick earned Detroit Mercy Honor Roll accolades both years for having a grade point average of 3.0 or better.

Following the 2020-21 season, McCormick transferred to Division II University of Charleston in West Virginia, playing the last two years with the Golden Eagles and tallying 14.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists over 53 contests, numbers that were good enough to result in a First Team All-Mountain East Conference (MEC) spot in 2021-22 and an honorable mention nod last season.

"Markyia is another great addition to an outstanding recruiting class," head coach Jeff Tungate said.

"She has already proven she can score in the Horizon League, having averaged 9.6 points-per-game her last year at Detroit Mercy. She scored 21 against us at Detroit before transferring out, so I'm happy she's now on our side."

Referenced by Tungate, the Golden Grizzlies have been active with impact additions out of the transfer portal, as McCormick is the third student-athlete Oakland has added using this method this offseason, joining former Butler Bulldog Madison Royal-Davis, a fellow guard, and Tennessee State Tiger forward Kianni Westbrook.

The daughter of Jannice and Maurice McCormick, Markyia cited the people she met, the beauty of the campus and the opportunities available to her as what stood out about Oakland University when making the decision on where to finish her collegiate career.


McCormick with head coach Jeff Tungate. Photograph courtesy of Ceejay Round, Oakland University Athletics.


McCormick with assistant coaches Crystal Davis, Tim Webb and Deanna Richard (L-R). Photograph courtesy of Ceejay Round, Oakland University Athletics.