Thompson Erases Doubt, Makes History
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
February 14, 2017
When Jacara Thompson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee this past summer, she thought she was done playing basketball.
The fact it was the second torn ACL of her high school career, along with the timing of the injury, had the Swartz Creek superstar doubting her future.
“I thought I wasn’t going to play basketball anymore,” Thompson said. “This is my second knee blowout and I need to be done – that was my first thought. I was going to miss my whole senior year, and that was really hard.”
Thompson proved her initial thoughts wrong, however, and is back on the court making history. Recently, she broke a school record that had stood since 1979, setting the all-time mark for scoring at Swartz Creek. She had scored 1,179 career points through Feb. 10, now well ahead of the former mark of 1,087.
“I don’t even know how to explain it,” Thompson said of setting the record. “Nobody in my family has ever broken a big record like that or anything. It really didn’t hit me until people started telling me congratulations.”
Those congratulations would have been well deserved for any player hitting that mark. For those who have watched Thompson overcome two major knee surgeries and break the record despite missing 17 games, the moment was even more special.
“I was extremely proud,” Swartz Creek girls basketball coach Adrian Trzebiatowski said. “As a player, you have a tremendous amount of respect for anyone that achieves that goal. As a coach, to see a young woman grow up, to blossom, to develop into a very good basketball player and an amazing person, it is an extreme sense of pride and admiration for what she’s gone through.”
It was in Trzebiatowski’s second season at Swartz Creek that Thompson entered high school, and the slashing guard was making an impact on the varsity team as a freshman. But her debut lasted only six games as Thompson’s first torn ACL, in her right knee, came early in her career.
She came back with a strong sophomore campaign, and as a junior joined the state’s elite, averaging 25 points per game and totaling 501. She was named Class A all-state second-team by The Associated Press.
“Early in her career she was a slasher – she could take a bump or two or three and still get to the basket,” Trzebiatowski said. “Last year we really committed to lifting weights, and she could finish with contact. She was able to get herself to the line and finish layups. I wish there was a stat column for how many and-ones she has. She was a strong player who could really plow and weave her way to the basket.”
Thompson also was developing a stronger mid-range game and working on her outside shot to keep defenders even more off-balance. Before she could showcase her advancing skills and build on the momentum of her junior season, she suffered her second ACL tear.
While an initial doubt she could return again was in her own mind, it was something her coach never saw.
“She knew how to rehab, and knew what she had to do to get back,” Trzebiatowski said. “As far as mental toughness, Jacara overcoming this is probably one of the toughest athletes I’ll ever coach.”
As Thompson worked her way back again, she said it was her Swartz Creek teammates who helped her get to the right place mentally.
“I finally got over it when I started to practice with my team,” Thompson said. “I couldn’t scrimmage with them, but they made me feel even better, that you’re going to be even stronger when you come back.”
Trzebiatowski said the team had to learn to play without Thompson over the summer, but despite that, Thompson’s impact on the young Dragons squad remained strong.
“Everybody looked at her as a leader, but I don’t think she’s always felt that way until this year,” Trzebiatowski said. “When we actually voted for team captains, the team decided before we even voted that Jacara would unanimously receive the vote for team captain. That’s never happened to me.”
Thompson missed the first two games of the season, but has come back strong. She’s averaging 17 points per game and has now added a more dangerous 3-point shot to her repertoire, something she said already has caused opposing defenders to take notice.
“I kind of always knew I had to get better at it,” she said. “Shooting wasn’t really my big thing. I always loved driving and getting to the basket and to the free throw line, but I knew I had to add an outside game. I feel like (defenders) look for me to go the basket every time, but now that I have an outside shot, they’re going to have to check me. They’ve caught on. They call me a shooter now.”
She said she feels like her old self now, although it took a while to get there.
“I’d say probably about 90 percent of it is mental, really,” Thompson said. “Because you have to think about what move am I going to do? Am I going to tear my ACL again? You think about every move you do when you’ve been through two ACL surgeries.”
Thompson is undecided on her basketball future, but said she wants to play at the college level. Her injuries have helped her to focus on her off-court future, however. No matter where basketball takes her, Thompson wants to study to become a physical therapist.
“I had always thought about going overseas and even trying to make it to the WNBA,” she said. “I don’t think I want that anymore. I want to do something to help people with ACL injuries.”
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Swartz Creek's Jacara Thompson prepares to shoot a free throw. (Middle) Thompson, back this season after multiple knee surgeries during her career, looks to get past a defender. (Photos courtesy of the Swartz Creek girls basketball program.)
Breslin Bound: 2021-22 Girls Report Week 2
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 13, 2021
We’re two weeks into this girls basketball season, and it’s not taking long to recognize a few teams that could be in the championship mix in three months.
Midland Dow and Parma Western were among those to continue headline-making starts last week, and another power-packed schedule coming up could vault a few more potential contenders as we move toward the holiday break.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com. Send corrections or missing scores to [email protected].
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Midland Dow 56, Hudsonville 51 The Chargers (4-0) actually defeated two reigning Finals champions last week – Hudsonville (2-1) on Tuesday in a rematch of last season’s Division 1 Semifinal, and then Division 3 Grass Lake on Saturday.
2. Parma Western 44, East Lansing 43 The Panthers (4-0) handed East Lansing (1-1) its first regular-season loss since Feb. 26, 2019.
3. Portland St. Patrick 46, Pewamo-Westphalia 30 After breaking a 12-game losing streak against the Pirates (3-1) in last season’s lone showdown, the Shamrocks (4-0) made it two straight over their rivals to continue a perfect start.
4. Ypsilanti Arbor Prep 68, Wayne Memorial 41 The Gators (3-0) should again be among Division 3 favorites and made a nice statement with this Best of Michigan Holiday Classic win over the Division 1 Zebras (0-1).
5. Grand Blanc 72, Clarkston 43 Both were District champions last season, and this is a nice early move as the Bobcats (3-1) look to build on last winter’s 12-4 finish.
Watch List
With an eye toward March, here are two teams in each division making sparks:
Division 1
Brighton (2-0) The Bulldogs went 15-4 with a District title last season, and they’ve rolled that success back into this winter. After opening with a 59-40 win over Flint Carman-Ainsworth, Brighton on Friday defeated Farmington Hills Mercy 58-32 – Mercy is the reigning Detroit Catholic League Tournament champion and likewise an annual Division 1 force.
Saline (4-0) The Hornets entered this season a combined 40-4 over the last two, with both regular-season defeats during that run to Temperance Bedford. Saline has an upper hand in that Southeastern Conference Red showdown this winter, defeating Bedford 38-29 on Friday, and after opening the week with a 51-44 overtime win over Canton.
Division 2
Houghton (3-0) Breaking a four-game losing streak against Negaunee could be a great sign for a team that went from 6-15 to 12-6 last season and seemed on the cusp of taking even a few more steps up –four of those losses were by five points or fewer. The Gremlins defeated the Miners 65-56 and also have handed the lone defeats to Ishpeming and L’Anse.
Lansing Catholic (3-0) While the Capital Area Activities Conference White also features reigning Division 2 champion Portland, the Cougars have emerged as another league force winning 13 games and a District title last winter. They’ve more than doubled up their first three opponents, including last week at Detroit Cass Tech.
Division 3
Cass City (3-0) The Red Hawks are off to a fast start as they seek their first above-.500 finish since 2018-19. After finishing 6-9 last season, Cass City is halfway to equaling that win total and Friday avenged a February loss to North Branch, 39-36. The Red Hawks opened the week with arguably an even more impressive win, 49-30 over Ubly, which went 11-4 last season.
Hartford (3-0) After tying for second place in the Southwest 10 Conference last season and finishing 11-6 overall, Hartford is off to a speedy start and already has avenged two of last winter’s losses – opening with a 36-30 win over Gobles and following with a 45-31 win over Mendon. Gobles had ended Hartford’s 2020-21 season with a four-point Regional loss March 29.
Division 4
Portland St. Patrick (4-0) While some of their toughest competition may come from also-undefeated league foe Fowler, the Shamrocks may be on their way back into the statewide Division 4 elite. In addition to Division 3 Pewamo-Westphalia (noted above), St. Patrick also has handed lone losses this season to Lansing Christian and Adrian Lenawee Christian – and is winning its games by an average of 25 points per victory.
Rudyard (2-0) The Bulldogs made an early Straits Area Conference splash with a 55-53 win over reigning champion Sault Ste. Marie on Friday, avenging 22 and 15-point losses from last season to the Division 2 Blue Devils. Rudyard has won 11 or 12 games all of the last three seasons, but did finish last winter on a 9-3 run.
Can't-Miss Contests
Be on the lookout for results of these games coming up:
Wednesday – Detroit Renaissance (2-0) at Wayne Memorial (0-1) – This is a rematch of a Division 1 Semifinal from last season, won by Renaissance 75-72.
Friday – Parma Western (4-0) at Jackson Northwest (3-1) – Western won both meetings last season and is an emerging Division 1 force, but Northwest has received its share of statewide attention over the years as well.
Friday – Ypsilanti Arbor Prep (3-0) at Plymouth Christian Academy (2-0) – The Eagles made some noise with their first-week win over Detroit Country Day, and a win over Arbor Prep might ring even louder.
Friday – Fowler (4-0) at Portland St. Patrick (4-0) – The Central Michigan Athletic Conference might have two of the top Division 4 teams statewide, and this will be their first meeting of the winter.
Saturday – Detroit Edison (1-1) vs. Hudsonville (2-1) at Aquinas College – This is arguably the premier matchup of the West Michigan Spotlight; Edison is coming off a two-point loss to Indiana power South Bend Washington.
Second Half’s weekly “Breslin Bound” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
PHOTO Mikayla Sharrow and Charlevoix surged to a 33-22 win over Boyne City. (Photo courtesy of the Petoskey News-Review.)