Boston College Athletics
Photo by: John Quackenbos
Jaelyn Batts: The Next Gritty Guard
August 01, 2019 | Women's Basketball, #ForBoston Files
An aggressive, off-ball shooter with versatility is Coach Mac's kind of player.
Boston College women's basketball head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee will always have a soft spot for guards. It's the position she played while becoming a Division II legend at West Liberty State, and she openly talks about finding athletes who play the game with the same passion and intensity she had on the court. She forever loves the type of player that plays harder than the rest because of a massive chip on her shoulder, a gritty underdog willing to take on roles.
So it probably won't come as a surprise that her first full recruiting class as head coach of the Eagles included Jaelyn Batts, a player who fits that exact mold as a lightly-recruited and unheralded player that will give every ounce of her body to make every play on the floor.
"It's been really fun so far," Batts said. "It's been a lot of really hard work, but I've really enjoyed it. It's pretty much what I expected, but maybe it's just a little harder (than what I thought coming out of high school)."
Physically, Batts will fit right into BC's roster development and chemistry. She possesses a six-foot frame but combines speed and agility into her size. She's a pure shooter that broke the all-time scoring record at her high school and plays with a gritty aggressiveness but still understands that there's room for development.
"I really enjoy working with the team," Batts said. "It's a great group of people, and I really just appreciate the mentality that everybody has. Most of the team game is built around fast breaks, and that's where I succeed the most, in comparison to a slower, half-court game. We run a transition-based game, and that's more of my style. It's where I can help the most."
Those improvements are pure opportunity for a player seeking a complete game. Each practice is already improving her range as a shooter, and her defensive identity is starting to emerge. She embraced the coaches' emphasis on conditioning and running and is mature enough as a rookie to understand that everything is part of a process to build the team and program.
"We're just told to run as fast as we can," Batts said. "If I can get the ball, I want to look to score. But if the opportunity isn't there, I know to look for an open pass or player.
That combination creates a showcase for one of Virginia's best guards. She scored 1,768 points at Freedom High School in South Riding, leading her school to three consecutive District Championships and a Regional Championship in 2017-2018. She broke the all-time scoring record as just a junior, then continued rewriting individual marks. She scored a program-record 35 points in one game in 2017, then set a program record for consecutive free throws.
She scored double figures in 19 games as a senior and nearly averaged a triple-double after recording 11.6 rebounds and eight assists per game as a senior. It made her an All-District selection for three consecutive seasons and 2017-2018 District Player of the Year.
"I grew up about 30 minutes outside the D.C. area," Batts said. "Our basketball conference had some really good teams in there that were really tough challenges, and the region got much harder (than the league)."
Still, she flew under the radar as a recruit because Virginia is one of the thickest, richest, most fertile recruiting grounds for basketball. Batts was able to make an impact but still needed a coach to take a leap of faith. Enter Coach Bernabei-McNamee, who noticed Batts and took an interest while she coached at Albany. She moved to Boston College shortly thereafter, but the coach remained interested in the player. It was an impression that the grittiness would let Batts flourish in the ACC, regardless of the colors or school on the uniform.
"I first met (Coach Mac) when she was at Albany," Batts said. "She wants to build a winning program, and that's something that I want to be a part of. So it was still the best idea (to play for her). I also really liked that it's the ACC, which is one of the strongest basketball conferences. It's going to let me play against the best that's out there and it's a great academic school."
For BC, Batts represents the next piece in the evolving roster puzzle. She is capable of playing both the shooting guard and small forward positions, which means there is flexibility for personnel groupings. She could easily slot into a back court with a player like Taylor Ortlepp, but she could also step forward to play next to Emma Guy. But all of it depends on her continued development as a student-athlete, something she accepts as part of the process already underway.
"I'm really excited," Batts said. "The fact that the ACC plays in Virginia means my family and friends will be able to come and watch me play. I've been to a few Wizards or Mystics games, and I've been to random games that we could go to. I always enjoyed watching them because I just enjoyed watching basketball. Now it's about working on myself, and just trying to continue getting better."
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So it probably won't come as a surprise that her first full recruiting class as head coach of the Eagles included Jaelyn Batts, a player who fits that exact mold as a lightly-recruited and unheralded player that will give every ounce of her body to make every play on the floor.
"It's been really fun so far," Batts said. "It's been a lot of really hard work, but I've really enjoyed it. It's pretty much what I expected, but maybe it's just a little harder (than what I thought coming out of high school)."
Physically, Batts will fit right into BC's roster development and chemistry. She possesses a six-foot frame but combines speed and agility into her size. She's a pure shooter that broke the all-time scoring record at her high school and plays with a gritty aggressiveness but still understands that there's room for development.
"I really enjoy working with the team," Batts said. "It's a great group of people, and I really just appreciate the mentality that everybody has. Most of the team game is built around fast breaks, and that's where I succeed the most, in comparison to a slower, half-court game. We run a transition-based game, and that's more of my style. It's where I can help the most."
Those improvements are pure opportunity for a player seeking a complete game. Each practice is already improving her range as a shooter, and her defensive identity is starting to emerge. She embraced the coaches' emphasis on conditioning and running and is mature enough as a rookie to understand that everything is part of a process to build the team and program.
"We're just told to run as fast as we can," Batts said. "If I can get the ball, I want to look to score. But if the opportunity isn't there, I know to look for an open pass or player.
That combination creates a showcase for one of Virginia's best guards. She scored 1,768 points at Freedom High School in South Riding, leading her school to three consecutive District Championships and a Regional Championship in 2017-2018. She broke the all-time scoring record as just a junior, then continued rewriting individual marks. She scored a program-record 35 points in one game in 2017, then set a program record for consecutive free throws.
She scored double figures in 19 games as a senior and nearly averaged a triple-double after recording 11.6 rebounds and eight assists per game as a senior. It made her an All-District selection for three consecutive seasons and 2017-2018 District Player of the Year.
"I grew up about 30 minutes outside the D.C. area," Batts said. "Our basketball conference had some really good teams in there that were really tough challenges, and the region got much harder (than the league)."
Still, she flew under the radar as a recruit because Virginia is one of the thickest, richest, most fertile recruiting grounds for basketball. Batts was able to make an impact but still needed a coach to take a leap of faith. Enter Coach Bernabei-McNamee, who noticed Batts and took an interest while she coached at Albany. She moved to Boston College shortly thereafter, but the coach remained interested in the player. It was an impression that the grittiness would let Batts flourish in the ACC, regardless of the colors or school on the uniform.
"I first met (Coach Mac) when she was at Albany," Batts said. "She wants to build a winning program, and that's something that I want to be a part of. So it was still the best idea (to play for her). I also really liked that it's the ACC, which is one of the strongest basketball conferences. It's going to let me play against the best that's out there and it's a great academic school."
For BC, Batts represents the next piece in the evolving roster puzzle. She is capable of playing both the shooting guard and small forward positions, which means there is flexibility for personnel groupings. She could easily slot into a back court with a player like Taylor Ortlepp, but she could also step forward to play next to Emma Guy. But all of it depends on her continued development as a student-athlete, something she accepts as part of the process already underway.
"I'm really excited," Batts said. "The fact that the ACC plays in Virginia means my family and friends will be able to come and watch me play. I've been to a few Wizards or Mystics games, and I've been to random games that we could go to. I always enjoyed watching them because I just enjoyed watching basketball. Now it's about working on myself, and just trying to continue getting better."
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