Caity Matter Henniger

Birthdate: August 22, 1982
Birthplace: Bluffton, OH
High School: Bluffton (Ohio) High School (2000)
College: The Ohio State University (2000-2005)
Year Inducted: 2020

When Caity Matter arrived to Ohio State from Bluffton High School, the Buckeyes knew they had more than just a noteworthy recruit – they had landed a prolific scorer and a winner. Matter led Bluffton to victory in 91 of 102 games at the prep level, several of them coming during deep runs in the girls postseason tournament. In fact, with Matter in the starring role, the Pirates made their first-ever state tournament appearance in 1999 and they advanced to the state finals the following year.

The 5-10 Matter was the Division III Player of the Year as a junior and senior and also was tabbed as Ms. Basketball following the 1999-2000 campaign with averages of 25.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 4.0 steals per game. She tore her ACL in the summer prior to her final high school season and amazingly came back better than ever. That was clear when she set a new school mark with a 45-point outburst in one contest.

She left the high school ranks with astonishing marks – 2,274 career points, a career scoring average of 24.8 points per game, 371 steals and a shooting percentage of 63 percent despite many of her attempts coming from long range. It wasn’t unusual for Matter to play all five positions during the course of a game.

She played in both the North/South Game and the Adidas All-American Game following her senior year – no surprise for someone who was MVP of the 1998 Junior Olympic AAU circuit. Further proof of her athletic ability: Matter also was a two-time state champion in both discus and shot put.

At Ohio State, Matter only hurled basketballs, and she did so with aplomb once she overcame nagging injuries. In fact, she averaged a team-best 15.4 points per game and bombed in 106 three-pointers during the 2002-03 season, a school single-season record that still stands. Her three-point percentage that season was 45.1. At 3.3 treys per game, she ranked second in the nation. At season’s end, she earned the Edward S. Steitz Award as the nation’s best three-point shooter. She was named Second Team All-Big Ten in 2003, 2004 and 2005 along with academic All-Big Ten accolades in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

She played in the WNBA with the Charlotte Sting in 2005 and is now the Chief Sales Officer at Rogue Fitness in Columbus.