Senior guard Jemiyah McDonald is now a headliner for Homewood-Flossmoor, but that wasn’t always the case. Not when she started out as one of the few girls in an all-boys youth league.
At age 5, she faced Bryce Heard and Gianni Cobb, who led the Vikings to the Class 4A state title last season. Both are playing in college — Cobb at Columbia and Heard at North Carolina State.
Welcome to basketball, Jemiyah.
“That was tough,” McDonald said of her early experiences with the sport. “I got pushed around a lot, but it made me tougher and made me work harder. It made me be the strong kid I am now.
“I’m able to score a little bit more under and pressure and with contact.”
McDonald showed that toughness Friday night, producing 11 points, six rebounds and five steals in a 46-30 victory over St. Laurence at the Naperville Central Tip-Off Tournament at Benet in Lisle.
Junior guard Jenesis Moore added 13 points and three steals for H-F (2-0). The rest of the offense was spread out, however, as H-F coach Anthony Smith used 11 players in the first quarter alone.
Freshman forward Marlee-Michelle Coleman led St. Laurence (0-2) with 12 points, 11 rebounds, four blocked shots and three steals. Maeve McNamara had five points and seven rebounds.
McNamara came off the bench for St. Laurence, which played without injured sophomore Aaliyah Flores. Last season, Flores averaged 13 points, earning all-conference and team MVP honors.
While Flores hopes to be back in two weeks, McDonald scored eight points in the first half Friday night, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that helped H-F take a 26-11 lead at halftime.
“She is very versatile and can do everything on the floor,” Moore said of McDonald. “She just has that dog in her. We’ve played together for three years, and she’s a good leader.”
McDonald was brought up to varsity for smaller stints during her freshman and sophomore years for H-F before playing a bigger role last season.
As a sophomore, McDonald gave a nice glimpse into the future with a 10-point performance during a 56-31 victory over Sandburg to win a regional title.
“I’m more in shape and I can get up and down the court a little better,” she said, comparing her development from freshman year. “I shoot the ball a little more and I drive more to the basket.
“And my defense is better, too.”
Smith has a talented lineup, but for the early part of the season, he plans on subbing freely.
“It’s going to be around until six or seven or eight or nine of them separate themselves,” he said of the mass substitutions. “I want to give everyone a chance starting off, and hopefully, they can all continue to play well.
“If they can’t separate themselves, I’m OK with playing 11. All we ask you to do is play hard.”
The 5-foot-6 McDonald, who played goalkeeper on the water polo team as a freshman, said she’s getting interest from Blackburn and Loyola. Blackburn is NCAA Division III and Loyola is Division I.
“I hope to get an offer from anywhere,” McDonald said with a laugh. “We got to play in Loyola’s summer camp and the coaches talked to me there.”
During the football season, senior quarterback RJ McDonald ran the show for H-F. Although Jemiyah is not related to RJ, she attacks the opposition with similar traits.
“She does play like a quarterback,” Smith said. “She’s a heady kid. She’s our quarterback.”
“I feel like a quarterback,” McDonald said. “I try to make sure everybody is in their right spots and that everybody knows the plays.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
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