Veteran Ledbetter leads a young Rancocas Valley girls' team
Jonise Ledbetter is one of those players who seems to have been around forever. She was a freshman on the tail-end of the golden age of Rancocas Valley girls' basketball, the young spark plug for one of the most talented groups in South Jersey history.
Jonise Ledbetter is one of those players who seems to have been around forever.
She was a freshman on the tail-end of the golden age of Rancocas Valley girls' basketball, the young spark plug for one of the most talented groups in South Jersey history.
It seems like ages ago for the senior.
"Now," she said, "I'm like the mom of the team. Everybody calls me the team mom. It's my job to make sure everybody is doing what they have to do."
Her role for RV has changed, and her game has evolved.
This season, Ledbetter isn't a complementary piece on one of South Jersey's top teams.
She's the centerpiece.
She's the area's shiftiest, fastest point guard, a leader for a team ranked No. 2 in South Jersey by the Inquirer.
"Jonise is our X-factor," said RV coach Anthony Corrado. "Some teams have the big 6-foot-4 girl that no one can match up with. We have Jonise. She has that speed that most teams just don't have.
"She's been in more wars then the rest of the players in the group. And she's a leader. And she's grown into that role more and more."
Rancocas Valley (5-1) entered this season with all five starters back, one of South Jersey's most balanced lineups. But the team features just three seniors.
The Red Devils can shoot the three. And they are just as strong in the paint as they are on the wings.
The team has options all over the court. And that's what makes Ledbetter especially important.
As much as her speed and athleticism, she's known for her court awareness, ability to run an offense, and distribute the ball, skills that have only gotten better.
It's Ledbetter's job to make sure the team's balance is featured every game.
"We have a lot of strengths on our team, and we need to make sure we play to those strengths," Ledbetter said.
Ledbetter has been playing point guard since she was 5. She was always the fastest kid on the court.
She played field hockey for a while, and, with her natural gifts, she likely would have excelled at any sport she played. But basketball is her passion.
She said she studies the game, and she learned from the great players who were around when she was a freshman.
Rancocas Valley made it to the Tournament of Champions finals a year before she arrived. A strong group of returnees led the team to the sectional semifinals the next season.
She studied the way they handled themselves. She took mental notes when she went against players such as fellow shifty point guard Alliya Butts, a Holy Cross product now starring at Temple.
"But now I feel like I finally know how they felt," Ledbetter said. "I'm in their shoes. I'm leading everyone."
Rancocas Valley has already tested itself against some of the area's best teams this season, grinding out a victory over defending South Jersey Group 4 champion Lenape and falling short in overtime in a one-point loss to Cherokee, another Group 4 power.
Saturday, RV will meet Camden Catholic, ranked No. 1 in South Jersey by the Inquirer.
It's a chance for the Red Devils to claim the area's top spot in the rankings for the first time since Ledbetter was a freshman.
She remembers those days. She knows how the area's top team should look.
That's one of her greatest assets. Soft-spoken by nature, Ledbetter might not be a natural "team mom." But it's been one of her greatest contributions.
"It's not easy because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings," Ledbetter said with a laugh. "But you've got to do what you've got to do. I believe we can take it all the way this year.
"I just want to play my role."