Joe Gaiter: What does basketball mean to you?
Jasmine Gholson: I don’t believe in the phrase “ball is life” because it really isn’t. It’s temporary, not permanent. Basketball helped me prepare for the real world. Whenever people tell me I can’t do this or that, I find ways to get what I want and it’s the same way in basketball. It helped me learn how to notice who is for you and who isn’t for you. It helped me learn how to work with different personalities and work together in order to win. Basketball is a character-developer. It helped me become the person I am today.
Joe Gaiter: When did you fall in love with the sport?
Jasmine Gholson: I fell in love with basketball ever since I started watching my younger brother play when I was in 2nd grade and he was in 1st grade. My brother was being coached by my dad and I wanted to be coached by him too.
Joe Gaiter: What does it feel like to be 2020 SIAC Champion?
Jasmine Gholson: It still feels surreal to me. Last year was my freshmen year at Benedict and we had a goal to earn our ring, but we fell short in the 2nd round after going 15-0 in the regular season. We were a very young team so it was very new to us so this year we had to come back stronger and let people know we deserved to win it this year. We are still very young with no seniors so next year we should be even better.
Joe Gaiter: How did you face adversity this year on and off the court?
Jasmine Gholson: Off the court, I was very stressed out first semester because I ended up overwhelming myself with lots of classes and credits thinking that my work load was going to be similar to freshmen year, but it wasn’t. That experience taught me to relax and create a schedule that would best fit me. On the court, I was struggling a lot first semester due to me stressing myself out over all the work I had to do.
Joe Gaiter: What has been your contribution to the team this year?
Jasmine Gholson: My role on the team was to shoot the ball and make shots. On defense my role was to make sure my opponent didn’t get the ball.
Joe Gaiter: Do you feel about the state of women’s sports in college?
Jasmine Gholson: I feel like the state of women’s sports has changed drastically in a positive way. We’re slowly getting the credit we deserve and I feel like social media does take a big part into it. The future generations are putting in the work to get recognized all over the world so it’s making people recognize that they can really play. I also feel like Kobe Bryant made a huge impact on Women’s sports as a whole when he was living.
Joe Gaiter: Why did you choose Benedict College?
Jasmine Gholson: I chose Benedict College because I heard they’re a winning program and Coach Rice is a great coach. He’s very smart and he’s going to push you until you can’t go any harder and then when it’s time to push through the fatigue in the game it’s going to be that much easier for you while you’re opponent is tired and worn out.
Joe Gaiter: Who has been the most influential person in your basketball career?
Jasmine Gholson: My dad has been the most influential person in my career. My dad taught me all the fundamentals and he also taught me how to be versatile at a young age. When I played AAU and High School basketball I was always noticed for my basic fundamentals and versatility while being a tall guard. He also taught me that you don’t have to be the fastest or strongest on the court, IQ plays a big part into the game. That’s what has made me successful for as long as I’ve been playing.
Joe Gaiter: How did Westlake HS help prepare you to become the person you are today?
Jasmine Gholson: Before I went to Westlake HS, I went to Mattawoman MS, which was nearby and I use to always workout with Westlake HS varsity girls because my dad knew I was ready. When it was my freshmen year it was that much easier for me to earn my spot on varsity and become the 6th man. After my freshmen year I became the face of the team, played 1-5, and made sure we continued the legacy from my freshmen year. Westlake HS taught me that you have to be able to adjust and work with what you have. It also taught me that anybody can be in the gym watching you so make sure your first impression makes people want to get to know you as a player.
Joe Gaiter: Speak about the chemistry on your team.
Jasmine Gholson: The chemistry on our team is great. Most times we would rather have another teammate score than ourselves. We’re so unselfish when it comes to scoring and our coaches kind of get mad when we turn the ball over from passing too much to get a better bucket. We would rather be recognized as a team than individually because we all win together. We’re all one big family and we appreciate one another so it makes it that much easier on the court.
Joe Gaiter: What is your untold story?
Jasmine Gholson: After my senior year of HS, I honestly wasn’t about to continue playing basketball, but like my parents always say, “You never know who’s watching you.” A person who saw me play my whole HS career saw a post on twitter about a senior showcase that was going on and told me to email the host and I did. I ended up playing in the game, got MVP, and multiple JUCOs, D2’s, and D3’s ended up contacting me. I ended up having all of my college visits that whole month of April and weighed my options to decide where I wanted to go to school. I also had other people that reached out to coaches for me because they still saw potential in me as well.
Joe Gaiter: What do you want to improve on during the off season?
Jasmine Gholson: I definitely want to improve my ball handling, strength, and agility so that I can get faster.
Joe Gaiter: What do you want your legacy to be?
Jasmine Gholson: I want to be remembered as a player that never gave up on my team or myself and improved each year that I played.
Joe Gaiter: What is your ultimate goal?
Jasmine Gholson: Personally, I want to improve as a player every year and outdo what I’ve done in the previous years. As a team, I definitely want to win a National Championship and I knew we could’ve did that this year, but we’ll definitely be back next year.
