How much did Jaci Menard know about Indiana before she started high school?
“Absolutely nothing,” she said with a laugh. “If you’d asked me two years ago, I probably wouldn’t even have known that this was a state.”
She learned quickly, though.
Menard, who grew up in New Hampshire, moved to Indiana with her family after her freshman year and enrolled at Boone Grove.
The 6-foot junior guard/forward said she has gotten settled in her new state, and she is flourishing on the basketball court. She is the leading scorer for the Wolves (5-4) through the first month of the season.
Menard was in her usual form during a 53-33 home win against North Newton on Tuesday night. She led Boone Grove with a game-high 12 points and five rebounds, right in line with her season averages of 12.1 points and 5.1 rebounds.
Basketball has always been a central part of Menard’s life. She picked up the sport “as soon as I was able to walk,” she said.
It was almost always on her calendar in New Hampshire, and it became the primary way she adapted after moving halfway across the country.
“Basketball helped a lot,” Menard said. “Going to practices, I met a lot more of the girls, and you have to be able to get along with the team.”
She had another adjustment to make on the court.
“Indiana is 10 times more competitive,” Menard said. “The pace of the game is so much faster, and the players are more relentless here.”
Linda Eleftheri, who is in her 19th season as Boone Grove’s coach, was impressed with Menard’s abilities the first time she watched Menard play.
“She’s just a good player,” Eleftheri said. “She’s super coachable and very fundamentally sound. I like the fact that she can read the floor. Sometimes it’s nice to have her break the press because of how well she sees the passing lanes.”
Menard has developed the speed and skill necessary to handle the ball anywhere on the perimeter. But with her height, she also can be an imposing figure inside. She leads Boone Grove with 46 rebounds and 12 blocks through nine games.
“The main advantage with her is that she can play inside and outside,” Eleftheri said.
After a red-hot start to the season — Menard averaged 16.3 points in Boone Grove’s first four games — she had a slight drop-off in scoring. She said she had a few games where subpar shooting planted seeds of doubt in her mind.
Following Boone Grove’s win Tuesday, though, Menard believes she’s back on track.
“You just have to keep telling yourself that you can do it,” she said. “If you miss a shot, you just have to forget about it. I started out strong, but then it got a little rocky. Hopefully it’s only going up from here.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
