Wildwood senior makes verbal commitment to play Division II college basketball

Posted: October 8th 2024

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

With preseason practices for the final season of her high school basketball career set to commence in about seven weeks, Macie McCracken has already decided where she’ll play college basketball.

The 5-9 sharpshooter from Wildwood High School, arguably one of the greatest outside shooters in Cape May County high school girls basketball history, has verbally committed to play at Division II West Chester University.

“When I went there the first time, I really loved the area and the coaches were awesome and super supportive,” McCracken said. “They definitely showed a lot of interest and they really made me feel wanted.”

McCracken made the decision after an official visit to the campus last weekend. She chose West Chester over fellow Division II schools Wilmington, East Stroudsburg and Lynn (Fla.). All four of the schools had offered athletic scholarship money.

One of the most prolific scorers in county history, McCracken enters her senior season with 1,782 career points, easily putting her on pace to become just the fourth girls basketball player in county history to surpass 2,000 career points. She averaged 22.7 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists while making a state-best 107 three-pointers last season as a junior. McCracken is far and away the county leader in career three-pointers with 275 with a season to go.

McCracken led Wildwood to a 23-8 record, the South Jersey Group I championship and a share of the Tri-County Conference Classic Division title last season. She also was also a starter as a freshman on Wildwood’s 2022 South Jersey title team.

McCracken said she is “very relieved” to have her college choice decided prior to the start of basketball season.

“Now I can just worry about playing well and not have to impress other coaches,” she said. “I don’t have to worry about sending out highlight (videos) and emails. I can just relax and play.”

McCracken, also an elite distance runner who has won three of the last four Big Five cross country championships and also has had great success in spring track, will eventually join a West Chester roster that also features freshman twin sisters Ava and Bella Mazur of Mainland.

West Chester is consistently one of the top teams in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Last season, the Golden Rams finished 24-7 overall, 18-4 PSAC, and qualified for the NCAA Division II Tournament.

Both of McCracken's older sisters previously played college basketball -- Mackenzie at Widener and Maddie at Stockton. Their father, Scott, is the head boys basketball coach at Wildwood.