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Nicholls forward Jasmine Scott has become a force to be reckoned with.
One of the team’s best defenders, Scott’s defense and strong presence in the post have been a positive for the Colonels all year, and according to Nicholls coach Dobie Plaisance, Scott is the team’s de facto Wildcard
“Just athletically and what she’s capable of doing with the basketball, she’s sometimes an impossible match-up in this conference,” Plaisance said.
Scott has proven that with her recent play. She contributed in a big way in Nicholls’ 67-60 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Jan. 18 by having one of her best all-around performances of the season.
In it, she scored 10 points, grabbed four rebounds and made two blocks while also notching a pair of steals in the contest.
Nicholls had four players reach double figures that day, which helped snap a three-game losing streak in conference play.
Scott then replicated her performance with a similar effort in the team’s 71-63 victory at McNeese State three days later that moved the Colonels (9-9 overall, 4-3 conference) back above .500 in Southland play.
With performances like those, Scott is capable of contributing on both sides of the ball on any given night.
The only thing that can hold Scott back is herself, Plaisance said.
“When she goes full throttle, she’s a force to be reckoned with,” she said. “When she settles a bit, that’s when she takes away from herself and her explosiveness. But if she stays full throttle, pedal to the metal, she’s not (just) a secret weapon but an arsenal of weapons and she’s incredible.”
At 6-foot-1, Scott is one of the tallest players on her team. That height and size advantage particularly comes into play on the defensive side of the ball where she’s most effective.
“She can be down in a stance guarding the ball, and when they pick up that dribble to go to pass, she has a vertical like a man,” said Plaisance. “She can just jump up and take the ball out of the air.”
But it’s not just Scott’s defense that stands out. The Baton Rouge native has proven to be a good shooter as well.
The 10 points she scored against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi marked the fifth time this season that Scott reached double figures in scoring. She’s also shooting the ball at nearly a 50 percent clip this season – second highest on the team.
Shooting the ball well isn’t something new to Scott. As a junior a year ago, she placed second in the conference in field goal shooting at 58.6 percent.
“Getting Jasmine touches has always been something we’ve intended to do,” Plaisance said. “I don’t think there’s a lack of not passing her the ball as much as she’s just not creating enough opportunities for herself.
“Then in terms of rebounding, when she’s in position and wants to go after a rebound, there’s nobody around that can stop her. The only entity that could ever stop Jasmine Scott is Jasmine Scott. She is that explosive.”
If that sounds like a coach trying to motivate one of her players, perhaps it is.
For her part, Scott agrees with her coach’s critique that only she can hold herself back.
“It’s true because if I don’t perform at my top level, our team isn’t going to hit on all (cylinders),” Scott said. “I know I have to always push myself further to that next level to help us out.”
The best way for her to do that, Scott said, is to stay positive and not get down on herself.
“During halftime, if I feel myself drifting off or just not in my groove, I just take a breath and listen to what the coaches are telling me because I know it’s for the betterment of myself,” Scott said.
Scott may not be the first player people look for on the floor or in stat sheets after the game, but she’s done well in her role – and it’s one she embraces.
“It’s a team thing,” she said. “Most of the (plays) are run through the guards because it’s a guard-oriented offense. But for the post, we still have to have that presence on the inside.”
And as long as Scott is there to fill that presence, she will continue to be a force to be reckoned with.
Nicholls returns to the court this Thursday against Oral Roberts. The game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. tip-off at Stopher Gymnasium.
The Colonels are 9-9 this season.
Nicholls State forward Jasmine Scott readies her body for a free throw during a game this season. The post player is proving to be a Jill of all trades for the Colonels this season. Able to score in the post, from the perimeter and from the outside, Scott is a valuable weapon in the Nicholls offense. She is also one of the team’s best defenders, all traits that are making her difficult to take out of the game in the midst of the Southland Conference schedule. Nicholls returns to the floor Thursday.
