Small-Town Girl Makes it Big in College Life

Bay Path College forward/center Jessica Hunt was recently named one of the North Atlantic Conference's Top 15 basketball players.  Jessica, a psychology major, is the daughter of Madison's Cathy and James Hunt.  Jessica's 3.0 GPA also makes her one of the most academically accomplished student-athletes in the North Atlantic Conference.

At 5-foot-11, Jessica completed her freshman season as third in scoring, second in rebounding, and third in blocked shots.  She was also seventh in field goal percentage and eighth in steals.  Jessica led her own team in field goal percentage, rebounds, steals, blocked shots and also held the team-high 16 points per game.

Jessica, although only a freshman, is already a co-captain of the Wildcats team.  Jessica’s coach, R.J. toner, is impressed the most by her love for the game of basketball, though he is also impressed by her willingness to grow in her game.

"Her love and passion for the game is what shines the brightest about Jess," says Toner.  "Jess has turned from a one dimensional player to having three or four dimensions that make her almost unstoppable on the basketball court."

Jessica fell in love with basketball when she joined a youth girls' team in the fourth grade.  At first, she merely liked the experience of meeting new people, but eventually, she fell in love with the sport itself and became very competitive.

After going through this experience, she devoted much of her time to playing basketball, both on an organized team as well as at basketball camps.  Jessica learned how to use her height to her advantage.  

"I've always been the tall girl on the team so I learned how to utilize my skills as a larger post player," Jessica says.

After reaching high school, Jessica realized that she was not the only girl who was tall and that she could not rely solely on her height to get the attention she wanted on the court.  She grew and adapted to different coaching styles and began to stand out from the crowd.  Jessica is most proud of what her coaches and peers have said about her and that the awards she has won reflect her work in the locker room rather than on the court.

"I like getting awards, but the Sportsmanship Awards and the Coach's Awards mean the most," she says.

Despite going off to college and almost immediately becoming a co-captain and solid contributor, Jessica still remembers what her high school years taught her.  

"[I learned that] it's a challenge working with different coaching styles and I think that the dynamic of the team [DHHS] allowed me to carry that throughout and I'm a captain now," she says.  "I think that just knowing I can help people allowed me to do well throughout college."