By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Senior Jasmine Hall has become a cornerstone of the Roosevelt High School’s girls’ basketball team. The 5’9 forward — who is known for her versatility, is averaging 12.1 points per game, and leads the team in blocked shots — is determined to help guide her team to a deep playoff run.
Roosevelt Head Girls Basketball Coach Michael Guinasso describes Hall as a true winner, and the type of player that everyone would love to coach.
“Jasmine is great. She is a senior and has been on varsity all 4 years, she really is a winner. She likes to step up when things get a little tougher, and shoots the ball really well,” Guinasso said. “Jasmine is probably one of the best shooters that I have coached.”
Hall’s journey at Roosevelt hasn’t been without challenges, including navigating three different coaches in four years. Despite this, she credits her most rewarding seasons to Guinasso’s leadership.
“My junior and senior years have been the best years, just because of my coach,” says Hall. “He actually cares about the players and focuses on the game. I am getting more opportunities now than I was getting my freshman year.”
“My sophomore year Metro split up into two divisions, so we didn’t get to play that much competition, but we still made it to districts,” added Hall. “My junior year was kind of when we started to strive, and we were just a game away from going to state.”
Although the team lost some key players from last year’s team, Hall believes this year’s team has successfully adapted and filled the roles left by those departures.
“We lost 5 seniors last year, and 2 of them were starters,” said Hall. “But, this year we are better coaching-wise and even though we did lose 5 seniors, we still have 3 seniors apart of our team this year who were able to fill those roles pretty quickly.”
As it relates to the success of the team, Jasmine’s mother, Katrina Hall, says that it is a direct result of Guinasso’s straightforward approach to coaching and his focus on accountability.
“I love that he [Guinasso] has a goal. He flat out said, we are going to go to state, this is what we’re going to do, and this how we are going to do it,” Katrina said. “He let them know that the best players are going to play, and if you want to play, then you need to put in the work.”
For Hall, this season is about more than statistics; it’s about growth.
“I want to drive more into the paint, I tend to always shoot around the perimeter and the defense is able to read that,” says Hall. “As a team, our goal is just to communicate and learn more about each other on and off the court, to build that strong team foundation.”
“My confidence and my ability to shoot quickly off the pass has grown over the years, and not being selfish and passing it up in the game is something I have noticed about myself,” Hall added.
Her growth hasn’t gone unnoticed. Katrina reflected on her daughter’s progress since her freshman year.
“Her freshmen year she didn’t get much playing time, even though she probably was one of the better players, she had to learn to adapt, and she always did it with a positive attitude and smile,” Hall said. “One thing that we have talked about over the years is that she can get into her own head about her shooting ability, but every year it just keeps getting better and better.”
Another part of her personal growth has been Hall’s ability to balance the time commitment of being a student athlete. Over the course of her career, Hall has developed strong time management skills that have helped her handle both her academic and sports schedules and reduce the stress that comes with being a high achiever.
“I like to get everything done prior to game days and practices, typically on the weekends,” Hall said. “I do [my homework] before practice so then I am able to come home and relax and being able to manage it that way has made it not stressful for me.”
To be able to play, student-athletes must hold a grade point average (GPA) at or above a 2.0, but in Katrina’s household, she holds her daughter to a higher standard.
“She is a great student, has hardly ever asked me for help, has really good grades, and gets her work done,” says Katrina.
“She definitely knows that at the end of the day sports is fun and all, but school and good grades is what makes you a better person and player,” continued Katrina. “We have always really stressed academics over anything else. To play, you need a 2.0 GPA, but in my family, it has always been a 3.0 GPA. So, Jasmine has a lot more pressure to do better because we really want her to succeed in the academic world.”
Recognizing Hall’s hard work and dedication both on and off the court, Guinasso hopes to make her final season unforgettable with a strong run into the playoffs.
“She is a super selfless kid, she wants the whole team to do well, and I think that the deeper we can make it in playoffs, the happier she would be,” said Guinasso. “She doesn’t need to be dominant with the basketball to score, and she doesn’t always need to be the star to make herself look good out there on the court. Jasmine just does her role and finds ways to score and defensively she is very athletic, getting a bunch of steals.”
As her last season as a Roosevelt girls basketball player nears the end, Hall has started to think about her future and what she wants for herself post-high school.
“I have thought more about my future, and I choose the academic route for myself. I know that I don’t want to be in the WNBA because so far it has been low in money,” Hall said. “So, I decided to focus on my academics and go the academic rather than athletic route. I am going to still stick with sports-related careers, and study either sports management or social media marketing to still be connected to the sports industry.”
Source: Seattle Medium
