Badger Spotlight: The Other Jordan
December 22, 2003 | Women's Basketball
The Badger women's basketball team meets UW-Milwaukee tonight at 7 p.m. in the final home game of 2003. Expected to play a major role in the game is sophomore Jordan Wilson (Naperville, Ill.). Tickets are available at the door.
Jordan Wilson wears number 23, she shares his name, and she hails from the state where he won six world championships; that is where her similarities to the other Jordan end. Unlike Michael, this Jordan and the Badger women's team are trying to do something the other No. 23 never did; win a Big Ten Conference Championship.
The sophomore forward from Naperville, Ill., is used to success. In high school, she was an All-American, Illinois All-Star MVP, and a member of numerous All-State teams. Now, with a promising freshman campaign under her belt, Wilson is prepared to help lead the Badgers back to the winner's
circle.
With the Big Ten season just around the corner, Wilson is excited about the direction Coach Lisa Stone is taking the program. 'Her energy is contagious,' says Wilson of Stone. 'Emotion is one of the major things we 've lacked on our
team since I've been here, but we've started to come around. A major thing she has given us is passion and optimism for what we can do; that really gives us a lot of confidence in ourselves.'
Wilson's game personifies the team's new-found confidence. Already this year, Wilson has recorded career highs in points, rebounds, and minutes played. In the championship game of the Miami Tournament against Butler, Wilson recorded her first double-double as a Badger scoring 13 points, pulling down 15 rebounds, and adding two assists; a performance that ultimately garnered tournament MVP honors. 'That's probably the most energy we've ever had during a game since I've been here,' said Wilson of her groundbreaking performance. 'We just went out there and had fun.'
However, Wilson's recent success has not come without apprehension. After averaging 2.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game last season and coping with the wholesale change of her coaching staff, she was uncertain as to her role on the
team. 'Coming into the year, I wasn't sure what Coach Stone wanted to do with me,' Wilson admitted. This prompted her to dedicate herself to improving over the summer. 'I put a lot of effort into doing more back-to-the-basket drills.'
Similarly, the transition to the college game has also forced Wilson to make other adjustments to her game. 'I came in here a much more offensive player, however, my new focus has been on defense and rebounding. At practice, I try to hit the boards and bring as much intensity as I can to the drill; my number one goal is to get on the boards.'
These changes are starting to pay off. On Dec. 4, 2003, Wilson started her first collegiate game against nationally-ranked Notre Dame. 'I was very excited
that Coach Stone had the confidence in me to start against a ranked team like Notre Dame.' And with Wilson's increased playing time, comes renewed ambition. 'My personal goal for this year is to be one of, if not the leading rebounder on the team. Rebounding is the biggest thing I'm concentrating on right now as well as my consistency.'
With the heightened play of sophomores like Wilson, and Coach Stone 's new highly-touted recruiting class, the Badgers are well on their way to regaining championship form. Wilson is particularly excited about the new additions because she played with four of them in high school on her AAU team. 'They are definitely very talented and athletic players, they will bring a lot more speed to our game and quickness on defense, they're great shooters, and most importantly, they 're wonderful people too; I think they'll fit in perfectly.'
These new additions promise to make the already close Badgers even closer. An ingredient that Wilson believes is the key to future success. 'We are an extremely close team off the court. However, we need to bring that closeness on the court. Sometimes we don't play as a team out there; we need to communicate and not play so inside of ourselves.'
After a thrilling home-court win over Iowa State, Wilson and the Badgers are beginning to show signs of what can be expected in the future. However, despite her success, Wilson realizes that the team's future lies in the relationships she has with her teammates both on and off of the court. 'I look to them for inspiration. When the going gets tough, we keep each other up.'
