money Meet Manual's JaKayla Thompson, The Courier Journal's Athlete of the Week
Manual junior JaKayla Thompson has balled out at the varsity level since she was a 7th grader, so it's not surprising she's developed into one of the best players in the city. Her 16.9 points and 5.2 per game make her one of the best two-way players around and her leadership on the court has the Crimsons thriving at 12-4.
Last week, Thompson's 25 points and nine rebounds led the Crimsons to a 70-60 win over Seventh Region foe Central. That win gave Manual it's fifth straight and because of her efforts, Thompson was selected as The Courier Journal's Athlete of the Week.
Thompson spoke with The Courier Journal this week. Here are some things we learned:
Subscribe: The Courier Journal launched a high school sports newsletter
Why she chose basketball
Thompson's love for basketball first developed as a 4-year-old when her dad signed her up for a church youth league. Even from a young age, Thompson loved to watch and play sports — including soccer, baseball and cheerleading.
But none of the other sports could compare to basketball.
"My dad really got me into basketball," Thompson said. "I had tried a lot of other sports before then, but he knew that basketball was the sport for me."
Bigger than bingo: Seymour has helped keep girls basketball LIT running for 50 years
She's a scoring machine
On Jan. 4, Thompson reached a milestone most young players can only hope to reach when she scored her 1,000th point in a win over St. Francis. And with only being a junior, there's a lot more points coming her way.
Since she first picked up the rock, players have struggled stopping her left hand. As she's grown as a player, so has her IQ and versatility. She has the capabilities of going off on any given night and her 51% field-goal percentage indicates that she does with efficiency.
Finally reaching the 1,000 points was a celebration of the hard work Thompson's put in the years, and to her, the night was unforgettable.
"It was really special for me because all my friends and family made a bunch of signs for me and when I hit the point everyone went wild," Thompson said. "I knew this would come sooner or later, but I'm just so happy I got it."
Ready for redemption
On Saturday, Manual will have a chance to avenge one of its most heartbreaking losses of the season.
Thompson remembers well the night the Crimsons lost to No. 8 Bullitt East 74-61 in the Queen of the Commonwealth semifinals. Despite the final score, the game was very competitive and the Crimsons even led for a large chunk of the game.
Thompson hopes that the Crimsons will finish what they started when they meet the Chargers again in Saturday's Republic Bank Louisville Invitational Tournament at 1 p.m. at Valley High School.
Manual's won six of its last seven games since losing to the Chargers on Dec. 21 and Thompson believes that the Crimsons have what it takes to upset the Sixth Region juggernaut.
"We need to shut down (Gracie) Merkle," Thompson said. "We need to get more rebounds and run them. I think we're faster, and if we run the floor, we can use that to our advantage."
Follow Courier Journal reporter J.L. Kirven on Twitter @JL_Kirven for more updates on Louisville prep sports.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Courier Journal's Athlete of the Week: Manual's JaKayla Thompson
