Rhoads to the pros
It's hard for Jence Rhoads to find much time to talk these days.
Whether it is trying to land a professional basketball contract overseas or working with kids as an instructor for the nationally known Point Guard College basketball camps, Rhoads has precious few opportunities to relax.
She treats every spare moment the way she treated the basketball as a point guard at Slippery Rock High and then at Vanderbilt University: with great care.
“Busy? Yeah. Very busy,” Rhoads says. “But that's the way I like it.”
Rhoads scored a Butler County record 2,170 points while at Slippery Rock and finished her career at Vanderbilt as only the player in school history with 1,100 points, 500 assists and 400 rebounds.
She has her eyes set on a professional basketball career — the game has been in her blood since she could walk. She talked about her future and her past in a phone interview Thursday.
The last time we spoke, you were looking to hire an agent. Found one yet?Yes. I haven't heard from her recently, but she's been contacting leagues in Europe trying to find a spot for me. She's been sending stuff out to different contacts, and I should know by the fall.
Any preferences on where you go?(Laughs) Somewhere safe. The big leagues are in Russia, Turkey, Israel. Any one of those would be fine by me.
In the meantime you landed a nice summer job in, what else, basketball.I get to go all over the place working these camps. ... I was looking for a job in the summer and a former camp director of mine (Sefu Bernard) told me to send in my resume ... and I got the job.
So, where are you now?I'm actually in Slippery Rock this week. I have a week off and then I go to Connecticut, Colorado and then Texas.
What do you enjoy most about working these camps?The one I'm working now, I'm working with kids in the seventh through 10th grades. Some are skilled, some aren't as skilled ... when you see one of them actually take something you showed them and do it in a game or a drill, and you know you actually helped ... that makes you smile.
What is the best advice you can give your campers?I tell them always work hard, always do your best and have fun. My dad (Posey) always had a saying, “Play hard and have fun. If you play hard, it is fun.” It makes me sad when I see kids lose that fun. It's very sad when you see kids — and even college athletes — lose that enjoyment whether it is because of too much pressure or because they are pushed too hard. It's sad when they don't remember the feeling they had when they made their first ever basket.
When did you make your first ever basket?(Laughs) Wow, well, technically ... there is this picture we have of my dad lifting me up at (Slippery Rock University) and me putting the ball in the hoop. I guess that was my first basket.
More like your first dunk.(Laughs) Yeah. My first dunk. That's right.
You and your family had a tough season this winter. You battled injury and your dad was fighting cancer. How did you get through that and how are things now?He's doing very well. He's retired now — a week ago — and he's hanging out by the creek, fishing and chilling. ... It was really hard because I wasn't around to see how he was doing and to get regular updates. He couldn't come to the games, but my mom (Melinda) came and I would see her up in the stands. So that helped. ... He helped all of us because he was so strong. I don't know how he does it.
What was your favorite memory while playing at Vanderbilt?Winning the (Southeastern Conference Championship as a sophomore).
How about your favorite memory while at Slippery Rock?Playing with my (twin sisters Karly and Kourtney) and winning the District 10 championship.
What is your very first basketball memory?Wow. (Pause). I remember going to my dad's games and practices when he was the men's basketball coach at SRU. I was that little girl on the side with all the big dudes, looking up to them and trying to dribble a basketball. It's a little hazy, but that was a special time.
<I>This is part of a summer series of Q & A features profiling Butler County area sports personalities.</I>
