Women’s basketball hosts ‘Get Jacked with the Hoosiers’

Some ran, some walked and some road tricycles while others skateboarded their way along Clear Creek trail Saturday with the IU women’s basketball team.

Members of the Bloomington community and the IU Athletics Department came together to show their support for the team as part of the first annual “Get Jacked with the Hoosiers.” The event served as a chance for those gathered to meet and greet the players and staff of the team.  

The day began with team stretching led by basketball captains senior Whitney Thomas and sophomore Jordi Davis.

Thomas, a Bloomington native, said she was appreciative of the support from her community.

“I’ve lived here my whole life, and the community has always been behind me,” Thomas said. “This is a great event today to have people from the community come.”
As the team members finished their group run along the trail and came back to the starting area, they were greeted by their fans, and later they had an autograph session.

One fan, William Garcia, skateboarded along the route.

Garcia, a graduate assistant athletic trainer with the men’s tennis team, said he enjoyed watching the team work hard.

“It was a fun time,” he said. “Even on a fun day, the girls are still working and running hard, so it’s good to see.”

IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said she was excited about this year’s team, which will have a strong group of upperclassmen. She added that she hopes to see a lot of fans come out and support her team.

“We can easily say we want to dream about having 3,000 in the stands, but we dream of 17,000 ’cause our goal is to always reach for the moon,” Legette-Jack said.

The women’s basketball team this year features four seniors, two of whom are natives of Bloomington. Thomas will be joined by classmates Lydia Serfling, Kim Roberson and Amber Jackson for their final seasons on the team.

Legette-Jack said this year’s senior class is very special and it would be a shame if fans did not come out and watch them before they leave IU.

“If you don’t get out here and watch them play right now you’re going to miss them,” she said. “They bring something so special to this community that you haven’t seen on any other team.”

Davis, an underclassman, has taken on a leadership role and will be a key part of the Hoosiers’ success.

Davis said she enjoyed the community support, and it will motivate the team to do even better on the court.

“It motivates us to go out and win some games for them to show them that we’re a good team and we’re working hard,” she said.

The women’s basketball team will kick off its season Nov. 1 when it  hosts the Southern Indiana Eagles at Assembly Hall.

Until then, Legette-Jack will prepare her team and live by a mantra one great coach taught her regarding her community: “This is a place where great people come to do great things.”

Legette-Jack said she hopes her team will be able to follow it.

“This is a place where great people came, and we’re not going to be any different,” she said. “We are here to do some great things, and our prayer is that it comes to pass.”