November 16, 2004

     NEW HAVEN: Kim Jackle will do anything for her teammates, anything to get the next basket and anything to make sure her team wins. Jackle, the 5-foot-7 senior shooting guard, is a tri-captain for the Southern Connecticut State women's basketball team.
     Last season, she was a second-team Northeast-10 Conference selection and led Southern in scoring, averaging 14.8 points.
     She said that as the leader of the team she trusts herself to make the right decisions and to lead by example.
     "I want that role," Jackle said. "I don't want anybody else to have it."
     Jackle said her competitiveness to win gives her an advantage over her opponents, and she's had that mentality since she first started playing basketball at age 4.
     "That's why people don't like me in this league," Jackle said, "because I will do anything. I hate losing."
     Coach Joe Frager, said Jackle's best tangible skill is her ability to shoot the ball from long range. But she also brings an intangible aspect that is vital to her game.
     "She brings a great deal of passion to the floor and her teammates see that," Frager said. "She wears her heart on her sleeve. Sometimes that's not always the best thing to do, but that's Kim, and that's what makes her tick."
     Frager said that when the ball is in her hands, she makes good decisions because of her feel for the game and her work ethic.
     He also said Jackle's game has gotten progressively better since she's been in college.
     "Some kids you get out of high school are a certain level player, and they kind of plateau and stay there," Frager said. "Kim hasn't done that."
     Jackle said she has the same attitude and is the same person both on and off the court.
     "I want to do the best in whatever I do," Jackle said. "The more you work hard at something, the better chance you have at succeeding. That's how I look at it."
     Jackle said the team is like her family, and if the team expects to be good, everyone has to know that they can rely on each other and trust one another, something that the team needs to work on early in the season.
     "They have to know that I need them just as well as they need me," Jackle said. "If they've got a problem, (they should) know that they can come to me or any of our captains."
     She said this year's team will be better than the 2003-2004 squad if all the players get on the same page and follow Frager's system.
     Last year, the team was recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association for leading Division II in scoring defense. Opponents averaged just 49.3 points against the Owls.
     Jackle said while defense isn't her strong point, she knows that one of the team's main goals is to play good defense, and it will be essential if the Owls want to finish better seventh, where it ended last season in the NE-10.
     "You have to have good defense in order to have good offense," Jackle said. "Defense starts everything."
     She said that in the offseason she worked on getting physically stronger and also worked on getting a quicker release with her jump shot.
     Jackle also noted that she will have to focus on other aspects of her game, not just scoring. She'll have to control the pace of the game and get more rebounds, assists and steals. She puts a lot of pressure on herself, and that's what drives her to play.
     "I try so hard to be perfect," Jackle said. "That's why sometimes I get mad at myself because I try so hard."