But the Red Eddies girls’ basketball coach believes that the best is still to come for the EL senior.

“I think she’s going to play her best when she’s like 20,” Jipson said. “When she gets into a real weight room and she’s just concentrating on basketball. She’s a great soccer player, but when she gets into a good weight training program, she’s going to be at her best. When she’s like 20, she’s going to be unbelievable.”

Jacques came to EL as a young, promising post player. She immediately made an impact and has been a regular starter ever since. Her role has evolved as has her maturity. She’s now a team leader and guard for the Red Eddies and playing some of the best basketball of her career.

“Some people are surprised when they see a 6-foot-1 point guard or shooting guard,” Jacques said. “It’s fun. I love being outside. It’s a lot better than sitting in the post and waiting for the ball to come. I like driving, dribbling and shooting.”

In her early years as a post player, she was holding her own against the likes of Lawrence’s Nia Irving, a Maine Maniacs teammate who is playing at Boston University next year. The last two seasons, Jacques has tried to expand her game for EL. She’s playing mostly outside now and has become a dangerous shooter and  threat to drive to the basket.

“It was more last year when I started,” Jacques said. “We had the post players with Eraleena (Hairston) and Brooke (Reynolds). They were all solid in the post. So I wanted playing time and to get around to play in the guard area because that’s what I might end up playing in college.”

Jacques has made the move look easy. She’s been averaging 17 points so far as EL has started the year 2-1 and is among the top teams in Class AA North.

Many post players try to extend their game to the perimeter but struggle. The longer shots, the necessary ballhandling and the need to create opportunities on the outside can be a daunting task for players accustomed to playing in the paint.

Though both Hairston and Reynolds graduated last year, the Red Eddies still had Karli Stubbs and Jordyn Reynolds who can play in the post. That has allowed Jacques’ game to continue to evolve from the outside.

“The thing with us is that we’ve had a plethora of post players,” Jipson said. “We didn’t need Emily, Karli and Jordyn and of the three, she’s the only one we can move to a guard. She’s a good passer. In my 11 years here, she has the highest 3-point shooting percentage of any kid we’ve had. She’s shoots the 3 well. She drives to the hoop well. She’s a great free-throw shooter. She’s also so tough on the top of the matchup.”

The biggest challenge for Jacques in moving to the guard position has been fine-tuning her shooting touch. Hitting from the outside or firing up a 3 is quite different from a post move from a few feet out. 

“I had to practice a lot more of my outside shot, getting the repetitions of them instead of being in the post and shooting layups all the time,” she said.

She’s done so well with her shot that she’s a consistent threat from the outside. She can also take the ball aggressively to the basket. She’s not afraid to handle the ball or help run the offense. She’ll even post up in the paint if need be. 

“It’s hard being the tallest one out there and having to dribble through 5-1 point guards and stuff, but you’ve just got to get low,” said Jacques, who was an All-Northern A soccer selection this fall.

Jacques has been honing those skills while playing for the Maniacs as well. She’s been with that AAU program since she was in sixth grade. Her goal is to play basketball in college while studying health science. She’s visited Endicott and just had a visit to Springfield College last week. Those two schools are at the top of her list.

“What I really like is she’s just grown up so much,” Jipson said. “When you’re 6-foot tall in the fourth grade, you have all these expectations on you. What we’ve always talked to her about is just having fun. She played on a big-time AAU team with all these tournaments and all this pressure. I would like her to just enjoy it a little more and play a little more relaxed. I think she’s grown up a lot.”

kmills@sunjournal.com

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