(Photo taken from skidmoreathletics.com)
Starting basketball as a freshman in high school, Jessica Centore ‘20 always knew she wanted to play sports in college. Originally a soccer player, Centore took up basketball in the winter, playing on a (relatively unorganized) team for fun. It wasn’t until she entered high school that she started playing organized ball and became more serious about the sport. Now a senior on the Skidmore Women’s basketball team, Centore reflects on her career playing collegiate basketball and how the sport changed her.
During her first two years on the team, Centore didn’t play as much as she expected and mostly sat on the bench. Looking back she says, “I never really had that before, I was always a key player. But the first two years were just as good as the last two.”
A part of the reason why she got so little playing time was due to her coach’s mentality where he prepared his underclassman but played the upperclassman. “We were all okay with that because we were doing so well at that time, but then he quit and we got a new coach.”
That was a big transition for Centore because she was waiting to play under her old coach. And although Centore loves her new coach and thinks the program is heading in a good direction, she describes how hard it was to adjust. Nevertheless, Centore notes that this season (19-20) was her best one, despite all the changes.
During her junior year, Centore proved to be a key player, leading the team with a scoring average of 9.2 points per game, 15 blocked shots, 58 assists, and 57 steals. Centore was third in the Liberty League in steals per game (2.3), 17th in blocks (0.6), and 13th with assists per game (2.3), also earning Liberty League Honor Roll honors. As a senior, she continued to lead the team in points scored per game (13.5), steals and blocks. She also had Liberty League Honor Roll honors three times this season.
When asked to speak about this season, Centore states that going into it, the team had a lot of potential and talent. The Thoroughbreds ended with a 7-18 record, and Centore describes that the team was faced with a lot of upperclassman injuries, meaning that they were young. Thus the 18-19 season was more a building year with the new coach, Centore and the team expected to thrive and have a good season this year.
“I think it took us a while to find why we are playing,” she explains. Centore further explains that it took the team a while to figure out why they are playing and have the hunger it takes to win. And although there were sparks in some games, the team couldn’t keep it consistent. “I think that was our downfall.”
On and off the court, Centore was faced with challenges, especially when it came to her role on the team. As a captain, Centore was challenged to speak up and be more direct. However, she claims she’s “not a big speaker, so I don’t really voice my opinion on the court. I still keep to myself when I think it’s appropriate, but I try to be more outspoken because it wasn’t just my coach asking me to do it, it was my teammates who wanted me, and needed me, to speak more too.”
Speaking up changed her game mentality, whereas instead of blocking everything out, Centore tries to zone in and be present on the court. When you block things out, she says, you’re not taking anything in and you’re not taking in any feedback, “but locking in is taking in necessary feedback and making game time decisions.” Although playing in front of a big crowd may seem daunting, Centore says that it actually helps her focus more.
And playing in front of a big crowd is only one reason among many why Centore loves the program and the game. According to the talented guard, the best thing about basketball is the ability to make the game your own: “You can really develop your own craft. Nobody knows, especially on offense when I have a defender on me one-on-one, what I’m about to do. There are so many different moves you can put together.”
As for her life after Skidmore, the Health and Human Physiology major is planning on going into an Accelerated Nursing Program. And for basketball, Centore doesn’t think she’ll continue playing after she graduates: “Maybe somewhere along the line in the distant future or near future I’ll play, but I don’t know where I'm headed. I’ll look into coaching or assisting coaching because I want to be involved in the youth of basketball.”
One piece of advice for anyone looking to play basketball in college or elsewhere would be that you can be any kind of player you want to be as long as you work on those certain aspects that come along with it. Centore claims that her coach didn’t see her as a scorer at first, but she knew what kind of player she wanted to be and decided to work on her shot or ball-handling skills until it became easier — allowing her to become the player she wanted to be.
As she looks back on her time here playing basketball, Centore is thankful for everyone that supported her, whether it be on the court or in the classroom. She says, “The program is so much fun and we are all like a little family. I really loved everybody on the team throughout my four years.”