The Jordan girls’ basketball team is off to a terrific start under first-year coach Wesley Rosenbaum. The Panthers opened the season 11-1, their best start to a season in more than a decade, giving Jordan fans hope for a run in the CIF Southern Section playoffs, where their team will compete in the Division 3A bracket. Only seven other teams in that bracket have a record as good as Jordan.
“It’s been a great experience so far, and I’m really proud of what we’ve built to this point,” said Rosenbaum. “We have a long way to go obviously, but we’re in this thing, and I’m not going anywhere. I’m really happy to be here, I love my school, l love my community.”
The Panthers have run into a big hurdle in the Moore League, dropping back-to-back games to Long Beach Poly and Wilson by 66 and 27 points. But Rosenbaum said he’s tried to set realistic expectations for his team to avoid them getting discouraged.
“We were shut down because of positive COVID tests twice, then our first game back we play (Poly),” said Rosenbaum. “So yeah, that’s a real cold, cold shower to play them–but this is the Moore League. All these teams are good, it’s a different level. And we’ve told the girls, we have to continue to learn and improve and stay together. I’m looking at the bench during these games to see how our team is reacting, can we handle the heat?”
The Panthers’ goal is to finish in the top four or to secure an at-large bid into the Division 3A playoffs, Rosenbaum said regardless of how the season finishes out, he’s happy with the big step forward Jordan has taken this year.
“We’re building culture, we’re getting our team values down,” he said. “It’s about the foundation. And we’re focusing on being together–our attitude, our mindset.”
Rosenbaum especially credited his senior class with being willing to relearn a lot about basketball and team sports in their final year, especially after enduring the strain and stress of sports and school in the COVID-19 world the last two years. He said senior captain Tara Dozier has been at the front of that effort.
“She’s been our leader from the get-go,” he said. “She’s mature–I wish I could have had more time with her here.”
Two other senior leaders have been Kira and Kiarra Dubisson, with point guard Asia Edwards and post player Julie Davis also standouts early in the season for the Panthers.
Jordan hosts Lakewood Friday then faces Millikan and Lakewood again next week as they hope to earn a trip to the playoffs.
