By Holly Tormey, senior
Go to a Friends University basketball game and look for the girl who warms up to “Stronger” by Kanye West and blows her mom a kiss before every game, and you will spot the talented Jessica Halsig.
Intimidation, nerves and anxiety filled Halsig’s mind when she started her first basketball practice as a Falcon last fall -- “scared of what the girls would think of me and afraid that they would think I was trying to take over the program,” said Halsig.
Coach Gayla Soyez recruited Halsig from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, a Division 1 school.
“Jessica didn’t just have to fill a position on the court,” Soyez said. “She had to fulfill the role of an all-around player to help us.”
“Jessica is a difference-maker in this program, on and off the court.”
Halsig is 30th in the country for total scoring, 36th for points per game and 33rd for having the most three-point shots.
Before transferring to UMKC, Halsig played basketball for two years at Barton County Community College, where she started every game her second year. Halsig averaged 10 points, three rebounds and four steals a game.
“My goal was to go to a Division 1 school,” Halsig said. “I wasn’t getting a lot of looks at the high school level, so I decided to go to Barton to get my general education requirements out of the way.”
Halsig grew up in Wichita and played basketball at Bishop Carroll High School all four years.
She was named Honorable Mention All City and All State her junior and senior years. She was also picked as the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association All Coaches selection for All-Star game her senior year and was nominated as a McDonald’s All-American.
Settling in as a Falcon, Halsig has decided to change her major from physical therapy to criminal justice.
“My mom graduated from Friends University with a criminal justice degree, and I decided to go that route as well,” she said.
A senior, Halsig is anticipating graduation in the spring so she can travel overseas to play basketball. This summer Halsig is planning a trip to Barbados for a basketball tournament that is currently in the works with the coaches at Friends.
“Playing anywhere in Europe would be an awesome experience,” said Halsig.
“My mom is one hundred percent supportive, and my dad, he will miss me.”
If playing overseas doesn’t work out, then continuing her education would always be an option but not a dream for Halsig.
Coming into the Falcon basketball family, Halsig was hoping for a conference championship to end her college basketball days.
But the Falcons sit at 7-7 in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and 11-12 overall.
“I am so excited that I get to finish my last year here,” she said. “I love all my teammates, and I’m glad I get to play with them for my last year.”
Soyez sounded less than excited about seeing Halsig graduate.
“I can never replace Jessica Halsig as a player for Friends University,” the coach said. “She will always be there to give back wherever the road leads her.”