NEW PALESTINE — Once she got back onto the court for an actual game, there was no hesitation.
After missing her entire sophomore season with an injury — a torn ACL during soccer season in September 2017 — Jordan Reid wasted no time when she suited up for the New Palestine girls basketball team’s season opener against Connersville on Nov. 1.
The Dragons junior poured in a game-high 17 points, led her team with five steals and three assists, and added five rebounds.
That was a sign of things to come. As the team prepares for Saturday’s game against Delta, the Dragons sit at 7-1 on the year and 1-0 in the Hoosier Heritage Conference.
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Reid, a junior on a senior-driven team, finds herself second on the team in rebounding and steals, and she is third in scoring and assists. Through the first eight games, she’s averaging 10.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 steals per contest.
“I’m so fired up,” Reid said. “My adrenaline before every game is just going. I’m so blessed to have the opportunity to be here. I’m out here playing the game that I love, with the people that I love, and the knees aren’t holding me back. I’m just going to keep rolling from here.”
It took a while to build her confidence, strength and speed back up. Setbacks after the initial surgery to repair her torn ACL left Reid recovering for longer than expected, all the way through the spring and into the summer.
If she isn’t 100 percent, she is at least close.
The 5-foot-10 guard is at least past the point where she worries about her knee holding up.
“Not gonna lie, some days feeling a little sore, especially after big game days,” Reid said. “I just come to practice and I trust my girls, and I trust my knees and what the doctors have done, and I’m feeling mostly 100 percent. I just come out and not really think about it. If I start thinking about it, that’s when things go downhill.”
Reid followed up her season debut with a monster game, her best of the season, dropping 24 points and nabbing 12 rebounds in a blowout win against Greenwood.
She added a 14-point, nine-rebound performance this week against New Castle, the third time in eight games she has led the Dragons in scoring.
“She just adds another dimension athletically,” New Palestine coach Sarah Gizzi said. “She’s big and she’s long and she’s extremely fast. She can jump out of the gym. She just adds that element. Not a lot of teams have a girl that can do that.”
Gizzi didn’t get the chance to see Reid play in a game last year, her first as coach at New Palestine. She knew coming into this season that she had a special group, a team boasting eight seniors and led by returning Hancock County Player of the Year Leah Seib.
The Dragons won 18 games without Reid last year. They figured to be good this year regardless.
But with the junior back in the lineup, the team has an extra spark on and off the court.
“Jordan’s just a whole light in this world,” senior Tatum Biddle said. “She’s so bright, and just her energy, just being on the court, it brightens up everything and brings everyone else’s mood up.”
Her coach agreed.
“She’s a great teammate; she’s awesome to have around,” Gizzi added. “She keeps things light, so besides the awesome on-the-floor impact that she has, she’s a really great part of our team.”
While she was hurt and recovering, Reid continued to work on her shooting. Her coach said that she focused on her 15-foot jump shot, along with her free throws and general range.
Gizzi said she sees Reid putting everything together, now. She’s starting to move to the next level, and it’s proving to be a big boost to the team.
“She’s a beast,” Biddle said. “She’s quick and pushes and finishes, and that’s really nice to have. I think we just needed that kind of extra little push from last year. She’s it for us. It’s great to have her back.”
Reid had to watch helplessly from the sidelines last season as the Dragons were eliminated by Pike in a regional semifinal.
She’s eager to get a chance to help her team get past that point this season. With the returning pieces and the senior leaders on the team, she, like her coach, said that she thinks this is a special group.
The Dragons have started hot. Reid is determined to keep that roll going, both individually and as a team. She has big goals in mind.
“This is the year to do it,” she said. “We have the players, we have the team chemistry. So obviously conference, and then sectionals, and then maybe regionals. We’re just going to take one game at a time, one practice at a time, go hard every practice, every game. Just beast it out and keep going.”