Soaring to new heights

ESSEX - The old school basketball adage says rebounding is all about effort and hustle. If that’s the case then Joscelyn Coleman of Essex is all about the effort and the hustle. The junior forward set a state single-game 5-on-5 record in a 101-24 victory over Clarinda Academy on Jan. 29 with 45 rebounds. Yes, 45 rebounds. Coleman grabbed 18 rebounds on the offensive end and 27 on defense. She also added 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting in a game Trojanettes’ coach Allen Stuart called one of the strangest games in his 29 years at the school. Clarinda Academy has lost all 15 of its games this season by an average of 44.2 points per game with a roster of just eight girls and little experience. Playing without leading scorer Tylicia Mills, Stuart and Clarinda Academy coach Jason Armstrong agreed before the game the Trojanettes wouldn’t press or play pressure defense against the outmanned Eagles. The result? The two teams combined for 157 field goal attempts, including 75 three point attempts and 107 rebounds. Essex did not commit a foul in the game and had seven players score at least five points. To go with Coleman’s 45 and 25 night, teammates Jenni Owen and Emily Wenstrand scored 24 and 25 points each, respectively and combined for 22 rebounds of their own. Stuart was aware of Coleman’s big night as it was happening - his son was keeping stats and keeping him informed throughout the game. He suspected his star forward might get a few opportunities on the glass. “We’d come down and fire ‘em up, and they’d fire ‘em up,” he said. “It was kind of strange from the standpoint sometimes you’re playing an opponent that isn’t as skilled as you and you want to be careful you don’t embarrass them and sometimes to game plan for that is difficult. “You can get too many points or too many steals but I don’t think it takes anything away from them or anybody for her to get a record like this.” Big nights from Coleman, a first-year starter who had trouble cracking the Trojanettes’ line up before this season, have become a common occurrence this season. Coleman leads the state in rebounding at nearly 18 per game and is averaging a 23.2 points per game to rank fourth in the state. Stuart said Coleman has rare gifts as a rebounder: great timing and no fear of contact. “Not just anybody can walk in and do something like this,” he said. “There’s a special skill she definitely showcased that evening and in that situation. The thing that’s nice about is not just anybody with skills or talent can do it, it takes more.” While Coleman’s height and long arms help, Stuart added, there are a lot of girls as tall or taller than her, he said, but not all of them can rebound like her. “Joscelyn goes and catches the ball high, most girls wait for the ball to get to them. She goes and gets it,” Stuart said. Coleman has been playing basketball since the fifth grade. In addition to basketball she’s a standout in ivolleyball, leading the Trojanettes in kills last season with 278 and a state track qualifier in the 100-meter hurdles, long jump and 100 meter dash. She isn’t sure what sport she favors. “When I’m playing volleyball I think I like it the most, then when basketball comes I think I like that and then track comes and I want to do that,” she said. Coleman grabbed 24 rebounds in a game earlier this year and has recorded a double-double in all 19 games this season. She has a clear game plan every time the ball is shot. “If they?re shooting to one side, I try and position myself on the other side,” she said. “And then I try and get in position and I just go for the ball.” She wasn’t aware she had anywhere near 45 rebounds until Stuart informed her after the game. The honor student with a 3.34 grade-point average was surprised to say the least. “I didn’t have any idea until they told me at the end of the game,” she said. “I was shocked. It didn’t feel like that many.” She didn’t find out it was a state-record until a few days later during a radio interview. Coleman?s 45 rebounds also ranks as the fourth best girls high school rebounding game nationally. Andrea Keehne of LaVerne Calvary Baptist in Compton, Calif. ranks first with 54 rebounds in a 1995 game. Stuart’s Essex program is no stranger to record-breaking games. His teams own the state record for three-pointers in 6-on-6 game (22 in 1993) and 5-on-5 game (19, last season also against Clarinda Academy). Coleman’s record on the Thursday night in January was that perfect storm of opportunity. “Everything has to work out just right for a kid to do something like this. The stars have to align just right and they did,” he said. “It’s not something you can plan - you can’t just plan to get 45 rebounds. A lot of depends on situations and being prepared when a situation presents itself. She was.” The rebounding record and individual attention is nice, Coleman said, but she and her 16-3 Trojanette teammates have bigger plans. Like making the state tournament. “I think we have a good shot,” she said. Or, maybe, a good rebound.

The Red Oak Express

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P.O. Box 377
Red Oak, IA 51566
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