TAYLOR BIRD
Sports Assistant
When people see junior Jessica Ross of the women’s basketball team, they may think of the dependable guard who has been in the starting lineup all 24 games so far this season. They may think of the athlete who led the Waves in three-pointers (41) and minutes per game (30) last season as a sophomore. But those who truly know Ross see the young woman who enjoys playing the guitar, writing music and spending time with her family and friends, while quietly and consistently going about her business, on and off the court.
Ross began showing an interest in playing sports during grade school. It was also at that time she started to foster aspirations of playing at the college level.
“I’ve always loved sports,” Ross said. “I started off playing soccer and just kind of fell in love with basketball. It was a dream of mine for a long time to play in college. Maybe in about fourth or fifth grade I really started expressing a lot of interest and passion [in basketball].”
Even at a young age, Ross said her style of play on the court was perfectly suited for the position of guard.
“When I was little, I always loved shooting the ball and dribbling and going one-on-one,” she said.
Born in Oakland, Calif., and raised near the Bay Area, Ross often attended Stanford University women’s basketball games and found herself idolizing several of the Cardinal players. She especially looked up to Kate Starbird, the 6-foot-2 guard who broke the Stanford career scoring record during her college tenure and went on to play in the WNBA.
Now that she’s at Pepperdine, Ross’ favorite part of playing college basketball is the opportunities she has to develop strong relationships with her teammates.
“It’s a pretty incredible bond to be part of a team at this level and part of a university and all of the experiences we have together,” Ross said. “We spend a lot of time together.”
This camaraderie is especially important because, according to Ross, there isn’t much room in a college athlete’s schedule for a social life.
“The first thing to go is your social life,” she said. “The focus is on school and basketball.”
The women’s basketball team practices during the morning, so Ross’ day begins early and doesn’t let up until she returns home in the late evening.
“A typical week day is practice all morning, get lunch, go to two classes, get dinner,” Ross said. “And by the time my day is done at 9 o’clock or so, I just head home and try and get some homework done — if not, sleep.”
Keeping up with homework and studying is a daunting task for all college students, but for Ross and her teammates it’s even more of a challenge. This is particularly true during conference play when the team is on the road every other week, and Ross often has to miss three consecutive days of school.
“Most professors are understanding,” she said. “Of course, you run into a few that aren’t so much.
“But I’d just say that learning to manage your time is the biggest key to being successful; knowing, ‘I have an hour between classes — this is the time I need to be reading, not on Facebook.’”
Waves’ Head Coach Julie Rousseau praised Ross for her dependability, not only as a teammate, but also as a human being.
“She is consistently predictable in a good way,” Rousseau said. “We know what we’re going to get from Jess … she has a lot of depth to her; she is not superficial.”
Rousseau also complimented Ross on her upbeat attitude and constant optimism.
“I enjoy coaching her, I enjoy being around her. She is always positive, always encouraging … I think basketball is just one of the talents that Jess provides.”
According to junior forward Dana Huley, Ross serves as one of four captains on the women’s basketball team and carries out that responsibility exceedingly well.
“She’s a real sweetheart … she truly, honestly cares about the team,” Huley said. “She wants everyone to do well. She’s funny. She has a good sense of humor. I’m glad she’s my captain.”
Although the women’s basketball team has struggled this season, Ross said she is currently focused on helping put herself and her teammates in position to win the West Coast Conference tournament, which begins March 6.
“It’s been a rough, rough season but there’s still time,” she said.
Outside of basketball, Ross named her family and friends, along with her passion for playing the guitar, as the most important aspects of her life. She majors in advertising but still hasn’t decided which career path she’ll take after college.
“I’ll be getting an internship this summer,” Ross said. “[But] I don’t necessarily want or need to go into some kind of sports or athletic side of advertising.”
Ross has no interest in playing basketball professionally after college, but she did say she would like to coach basketball somewhere down the line in order to stay around the game.
“I’d like to coach someday, whether it’s my kids or a high school team,” Ross said. “Still be a part of it somehow.”
02-21-2008
