The “Jackson” 5
Family of b-ballers makes sweet music on the court
UNSCRIPTED
By Keith Edmonds
Of Fort Wayne Ink Spot
Now be honest, when you read the title of this story you thought “Why is he writing a story about the pop singing group the “Jackson 5” right? Well, before we go back into the history of that amazing Indiana-born singing group lead by King of Pop, Michael Jackson, our current history is bringing us another group that may be just as talented in our area gymnasiums as the singers were in the studio.
Just as the singing Jacksons were comprised of five members, this family quintet is comprised of five members as well: Swynn, Saniya, Nevaeh, Jalen and their mom, Katie. This family of basketball players is set to dominate the Hoosier state with eyes on winning championships at the local, state and national levels along with attracting the attention of the nation’s top collegiate coaches. This family is close, supporting each other’s accomplishments and keeping up with their grades at a high level.
Q: Jalen, with you being the oldest, how do you guys help each other get better before, during and after each season?
A: We spend time with each other either shooting or going to the YMCA and working out. They don’t really like to play against me anymore because I’m so much bigger and stronger now than when we started years ago (laughter). Usually, I try to encourage them to work on their game and I assist in whatever way they need me. Swynn is the youngest so I spend more time with her than anyone, but we support each other positively and at times negatively to bring out the best in each of us.
Q: Nevaeh, tell me what it’s like to have your identical sister, Saniya, on the floor going to battle with you every practice and in games?
A: I think it’s fun playing with Saniya. There are times when I’m not playing well that she’ll see something that needs correcting and tell me how to get readjusted (I guess, lol). I really enjoy just playing and being out there with her.
Q: Saniya…
A: First of all, I don’t tell her, I YELL at her! (laughter) There are times when she acts like she hears me but doesn’t listen. At times it gets annoying, especially when she yells back at me, but for the most part, I enjoy it too!”
Q: Swynn, as the youngest in the house, what have you learned from your siblings that is making you better?
A: I know that I’m going to be taller than ALL of them so that’s encouraging (laughter). But for the most part, it’s fun because I can go to their games and watch and learn. They all are willing to help me be a better player and person. Like Jalen said earlier I spend the most time with him, but the twins help me too!
Q: Katie, your kids are talented ballplayers. Did you see this coming at an early age or was this all pretty surprising to you?
A: I saw that they were all extremely competitive at an early age which they got from me being a former college basketball player. I’ve always coached the twins, so when I saw the individual and team awards start to come in for them it started to hit me that maybe they had a chance to be successful. With Jalen, it was in 6th grade at Lakeside Middle School and the success that he had with coach Ken Causey. With Swynn, it was almost a natural progression because she was exposed (as they all were) to basketball literally at birth because I was a referee, and she had all of these uber-competitive siblings around her. I think when they would come home and turn basketball games on TV for no apparent reason and begin asking “higher level” basketball questions, along with constantly wanting to go to the gym, that got my thoughts moving toward possibly making basketball something that they would pursue deeper.
Q: Nevaeh, how do you and Saniya separate your talents from each other? What makes each of you separately special in your own right?
A: I’m more of a passer than Saniya is, not to say that she isn’t, but I always look to make the extra pass to help a teammate be successful. Saniya is a driver which is something that she’s good at but we’re always trying to help each other in the areas that we’re weak in. Whether it’s shooting, dribbling or passing we’re always trying to help each other get better.
Q: Saniya, same question for you…
A: First of all, I don’t wear a “top knot” on my head like Nevaeh does! (laughter) I wear a ponytail but aside from that I think that if you watch us play, you’ll see some similarities in our game, but some parts are different as well. I think I’m a little better rebounder and a little quicker than Nevaeh, but we try to help each other get better in all areas of our game to be complete players.
Q: Now I know that each of you wants to play basketball collegiately and have the talent to do that. What level do you have as a goal for your basketball talents?
Jalen: I’d love to play in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) at maybe Ball State or another MAC school. After that, if the opportunity to play overseas comes then I’ll travel the world and play basketball which would be awesome to experience.
Saniya: I’d like to play at the D1 level and then become an attorney. I used to have the WNBA as a goal but not so much anymore. I want to be an attorney because they make more money than professional basketball players so that’s my goal after college.
Nevaeh: I’d also like to play at the D1 level and then start a career as a pediatric nurse at maybe Riley’s Children’s Hospital. I enjoy working with kids and that would be awesome if I could do something like that after college.
Q: As we bring this to a close what are a few interesting facts that each of you likes to share that maybe we don’t know?
Katie: Well, we have a group chat each week that we call, “La Familia” (The Family). What I love about it is that we discuss the week’s activities and events, but the greatest part is that they support each other in what they’re doing and that makes me proud.
Jalen: Mom is the most inspirational person on this planet. I see her as a person who not only works and guides us as a family but has a huge impact on other kids either at her school, her friends or those that she coaches. She’s always putting others ahead of herself, and I appreciate and love her for that.
Saniya: I know that most people think that Nevaeh is my favorite but it’s actually a tie between her and Swynn. Swynn is so much fun! We fight the least and we laugh the most when we’re together.
Nevaeh: Mom is a lot of fun to be around. Even when we’re fighting, she’ll join in—and probably get slammed by me—but I love that she’s not a boring mom. She’s always there for us. She’ll even do an occasional Tik-Toc video with us which is pretty cool.
Swynn: I like it when mom works out with me—that’s so helpful. I also wanted to share that the room downstairs always shakes when mom does Tae-Bo upstairs! (laughter) Also, Jalen is a pretty good cook who likes to try to make new dishes for us to eat instead of the same old things.
Q: Your family had a pretty nice honor(s) come your way recently with Jalen and Saniya winning the WPTA 21 Player of The Week honor. Now, this is the first time that two members of the same household received this honor in the same week. What was that experience like?
Jalen: It was pretty cool and not something that I expected. With Saniya and I both winning this award, we threw a lot of shade at Nevaeh. (Laughter) It was nice though to share it with my family, and we know that Nevaeh will eventually win this award as well.”
Saniya: I was surprised because all I wanted to do was play a good game against Snider and help our team win. We are extremely competitive in our home and are always trying to outdo each other in everything that we do so it was nice to win this award. It was even better to come back and win the sectionals last weekend too! Our goal is to go as far as we can in this state tournament, and we feel that we can go all the way if we keep playing hard and together.
Q: Katie, out of all of your kids’ accomplishments, what’s the one thing that makes you the proudest?
A: That’s easy: They’re all good people and understand how to treat others with respect and dignity. Athletics will come and go but how they treat others is hopefully what will set them apart from everything else. That’s what makes me the most proud of them.
