Takisha Jones was a skinny, 6-1 freshman high school cheerleader when she was spotted by her high school's varsity girl's basketball coach, Edward Pellman. In Jones, Pellman saw someone better suited for another activity.
"She was trying to pursue a career in cheerleading, and she didn't have the body for it," Pellman said. "So I begged her to become a ballplayer."
Despite never touching a basketball before ninth grade, Jones decided to give up cheerleading for roundball. And after three seasons as the varsity center for Orangeburg Wilkinson High School in South Carolina, Jones has signed a letter of intent with the Duke women's basketball team.
"I've always wanted to go to Duke since I was a little girl," Jones said. "I wanted to go there because of the prominence. Everyone said, `Duke is the school to go to if you want to be something in life.'
"I wanted to go to Duke regardless of if I received an athletic or academic scholarship. And when the opportunity came, I took it. It's a childhood dream that is now being fulfilled."
Jones credits her dedication to the sport as the main reason why she has been able to learn the game so quickly.
"Every day I practice," Jones said. "Even on the weekends, I have to practice. I want to do well, and I'm a perfectionist. I always have to do better than everyone else.
"But if I fail, that just pushes me harder. I'm not afraid to fail."
Jones' willingness to risk accepting a lesser role was one of the main reasons she decided to become a Blue Devil.
"She wanted to be challenged--that was one of the biggest things for her," Duke women's basketball head coach Gail Goestenkors said. "She didn't want to come in and start right away."
Despite playing against stronger, more physical opponents, Jones managed to score 18 points, grab 12 rebounds, and block four shots per game during her senior year. But according to Pellman, her game is based more on finesse than power.
"When I use the word `finesse,' I'm talking about intelligence--skills, thinking, the fundamentals," Pellman said. "She takes bigger, stronger opponents and uses them. She'll take their strength and make it her strength by maneuvering, outfaking her opponents."
Goestenkors said that Jones, a three-sport star in high school, will be the team's most athletic player next year. Jones also played volleyball and competed in the high jump, an event which improved her jumping ability to the point that she can now dunk a tennis ball.
Jones is looking forward to playing on a much-improved Duke team, which is focused on becoming a national power.
"Their slogan was, `On the fast track,' and I think that's the perfect theme," Jones said. "They just want to improve, and that's how I am. Even if I do something right, I want to do better than I did before."
Jones is also looking forward to playing for Goestenkors, whose personal touch during the recruiting process helped Jones become a Blue Devil.
"I talked with her on the phone before we met in person and we talked for an hour and a half about life," Jones said. "It's not like she wanted me to come to Duke to just play ball. She wanted me to have a good academic background."
Goestenkors compares Jones to current Duke forward Tyish Hall. Both players are tall and have a quick, finesse game. Also, both players only began seriously playing basketball in high school.
Because of that lack of experience, Goestenkors plans to gradually work Jones into the rotation, removing the pressure which she had as the star player for the Orangeburg team.
"She won't have to carry the burden anymore," Pellman said. "In high school, when she played well, we'd win. If she played bad, we'd lose.
"Now she's in a college situation where everybody can play, and it can make a better ballplayer out of her."
Coming to Duke on a basketball scholarship still seems like a dream to Jones.
"I still cannot believe it," Jones said. "I will not believe it until I'm on the campus walking around. I know I have good work habits, but I never thought that they would carry me so far. I'm just in awe."
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