Colleges are already starting to line up with offers for Oak Forest freshman Janae Kent.
Michigan, Pittsburgh and Illinois are ready and waiting.
West Virginia, Marquette and Cincinnati are showing serious interest.
“It feels good that, after so much work, something is paying off,” Kent said. “I’m blessed to have it, but I’m ready to continue growing and getting more.”
Her opening act was mighty impressive.
Kent, a 6-foot-1 guard/forward, averaged 15.5 points and eight rebounds during her rookie season for the Bengals (18-14). She was named all-tournament at Lincoln-Way Central and Sandburg and earned all-conference honors.
Oak Forest coach Jeff Kelly said he hasn’t coached anyone like her. He’s not sure anybody from the program ever has.
“I’m sure there were some really great players here back in the 1970s,” Kelly said. “But I don’t know if they had Division I looks as a freshman.
“Janae is far beyond her years when it comes to basketball knowledge and skill.”
Kent made her varsity debut in a Nov. 18 game against Ag. Science.
“The day before that game, my coaches and my uncles were joking like, ‘You’re going to go out there and score 30 points and get 50 rebounds,'” Kent said. “Before the game I felt no pressure. And when I went out there it was just fun.”
It turned out to be a memorable night as Kent finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds.
“I looked at the scoreboard and saw that I had 30, but it didn’t mean anything to me at the moment,” Kent said. “I was out there happy, doing what I loved with the people I enjoyed playing basketball with.”
Kelly was amazed at the scoring, but also at the versatility Kent showed during the course of the game.
“Oh, it was unbelievable,” Kelly said. “She was beating them from the outside shooting. After they kind of doubled her, playing her tighter, we just put her in the post.
“Then she demonstrated her ability to play low. Their coach did a phenomenal job anticipating what she was going to do, but she had counter moves. To show that in her first game was unbelievable to see.”
Kent was a consistent double-figure scorer for the Bengals. She met her matches along the way, especially under the basket, but wasn’t intimidated.
“Playing varsity never really bothered me because of AAU,” Kent said. “I always played up with the bigger and stronger girls. To me, it was just another AAU game, only in high school.”
In seventh and eighth grade at Jack Hille Middle School, Kent never lost a game.
Kelly gave her the green light from the start at Oak Forest. He didn’t regret it.
“She led our team in points,” Kelly said. “She can rebound. She can fill the point guard role. She can defend the other team’s best player.
“She’s just a game-changer. It’s great when you can rely on a kid to where you can say, ‘Hey, here you go. Go win us the game.’ And she did that.”
Kent’s older brother, Jayson, was a first team all-area selection in boys basketball as a senior. On April 2, he committed to Bradley.
Janae and Jayson rarely missed each other’s games.
“He’s my best friend,” Janae Kent said. “Without him, I don’t think I would be where I’m at right now. He has pushed me and supported me.
“There was one game where it was really tough for me. He was the one in my corner. He talked to me and I got through it. Every game he was there cheering me on, acting like a fool and just making the game fun.”
Being in college won’t stop the cheering.
“I’ll be able to watch her games online,” Jayson said. “Words can’t even describe how proud of her I am. It’s truly a blessing.
“I love her competitiveness and enthusiasm. She has that edge. She always wants to be the one on top in the game, at practice, in everything.
“She is a winner.”
