Chloe Idoni has one of the most successful careers in Ferris women’s basketball history.
The 5-foot-11 senior’s athletic career has been nothing short of dominant. As a kid growing up in Fenton, MI, on the east side of the state, Idoni played just about every sport she could.
Idoni’s introduction to basketball started in third grade and wasn’t the usual story when you come across a player of her caliber. It wasn’t the typical love at first sight or born with a basketball in their hands type narrative, as Marni Sullivan, Chloe’s mother, had to push her into the sport.
“Chloe’s softball coach’s husband was starting a basketball team with some of the local girls and asked Chloe if she wanted to play,” Sullivan said. “Chloe didn’t like sports that involved running, so when I told her she had to run in basketball, she said no, but I thought she would like it, so I signed her up anyway.
It’s safe to say that was the right choice by Sullivan, as Idoni fell in love with the sport and finding her passion.
In fifth grade, Idoni joined her Amateur Athletic Union team, the Michigan Mystics, which helped her attract collegiate attention.
“Joining the Mystics really got my name out there to college coaches and skyrocketed my career,” Idoni said.
Current Bulldog senior Mallory McCartney was also a member of the Mystics and is very grateful for how welcoming Idoni was when she first started there.
“I remember the first day of practice I was very nervous because I’m going to a new team and I hardly knew anybody.” McCartney said. “Chloe was the first person to come up to me at practice, she told me how great it was to meet me and how excited she was to have me there. I think that shows how inclusive Chloe is and how welcoming of a person she is.”
In her time at Fenton High School, Idoni posted a total of 1,228 points, which included a single-game scoring record of 35 points, standing as only one of her accolades. She is also one of 12 players to be selected to the All-Metro first team for volleyball three years in a row and one of three athletes to be selected to the All-Metro team all four years in basketball. Her achievements at the high school level led her to be touted as “one of Flint Metro League’s best athletes ever” by a 2019 MLive article. Idoni’s four years of high school were filled with four sports, as she played soccer, volleyball, basketball and ran track.
As Idoni was excelling and receiving college interest in both volleyball and basketball, she knew it was impossible to play both at the next level and needed to choose.
“Volleyball and basketball were neck and neck as my favorite sport,” Idoni said. “I knew I had better connections for basketball and was on a better travel team so I went that route and I don’t regret it at all.”
It was not until late in the recruiting process that she decided to play basketball. Idoni had it narrowed down to three schools, none of them named Ferris State, until a former Bulldog player invited her to a camp over the summer.
During that camp, Idoni found what she was looking for.
“The girls and the culture here at Ferris is unmatched,” Idoni said. “It felt like family here, as soon as I took my visits it felt like I fit right in.”
McCartney, who was already committed to Ferris recalls the moment at the summer camp Idoni decided Ferris was where she wanted to be.
“We were at our elite camp and out of nowhere she turns to me and tells me she thinks she’s going to commit, I think she definitely had that gut feeling.” McCartney said.
Going into her freshman year, the Bulldogs only brought in two new players, Idoni and current senior McCartney.
Ferris’ coach at the time held a parent meeting for the incoming freshman, that informed the parents only one of the freshmen would see immediate playtime, and that happened to be McCartney.
Idoni remained humble, waited for her turn and made her first start eleven games into the season. She then started the rest of the season until she suffered a knee injury towards the end of the season that sidelined her for not just the end of the 2020 season but the entire 2020-21 season as well.
Even with COVID-19 and the injury ending her season, Idoni kept a positive outlook.
“No athlete wants to hear that they’re not going to be able to play their sport,” Idoni said. “It was tough but it made me resilient and was out of my control and part of God’s plan”
Idoni would return for the 2021-22 season with her knee not at 100%, but she was able to start every game she played in that season and help lead the Bulldogs to an NCAA tournament appearance. The summer going into the 2022-2023 season, Idoni would make sure that her knee was to its original strength.
“That summer is the hardest I have ever seen Chloe train,” Sullivan said. “She spent hours in the gym every day and became the strongest I have ever seen her.”
The 2022-23 season was a different one for Idoni, she was not a young player on the team anymore, she was an upperclassman and as a leader. She embraced it.
“It was a big transition but I took that role and took it with pride,” Idoni said. “I learned from all of the upperclassmen before me, I knew if I stayed confident I could take that role and do good at it.”
Idoni put up a career-high in points, rebounds and assists that season, averaging a team-high 19.3 points per game to go along with 7.6 rebounds per game and 1.8 assists per game. Idoni earned All-GLIAC first-team honors in the 2022-23 season as well.
The team suffered a few key injuries but had a successful season with a 17-12 record and a loss in the GLIAC semi-finals.
Idoni’s senior season was one to remember, as she led the team in points with 16.7 per game and rebounds with six per game. She played a key part in the school’s program reaching new heights this year, setting the program record for wins in a season with 26 and leading the Bulldogs to the first Final Four appearance in school history.
Idoni also received many individual awards, as she won DII Player of The Week and won either GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week or GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week on six different occasions. She also earned All-GLIAC first team for the second time in her career and was a member of the All-GLIAC defensive team this past season.
Idoni was humble when talking about her role in their success-filled season.
“I was able to step into the leadership role and lead our team but honestly my teammates did half of the work by giving me the ball in places to succeed and I am just there to finish it,” Idoni said.
Her favorite moment of the entire season was the regional championship win against Grand Valley State, as it “was so cool to see our hard work pay off and make history with my best friends.”
Idoni is a two-time All-GLIAC first-team player, a 2024 D2CCA All-Region player, GLIAC all-defensive teamer and has tallied 1,640 points in her four playing years. Despite offers at the next level for Idoni, she’s ready to hang it up.
“I do have opportunities to play after college but I am very fulfilled and proud of how my basketball career has been,” Idoni said. “I am at peace and ready to move on with my life.”
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