Jenny Ramirez doesn’t get pumped up about a lot of things. The Lab Museum United guard is low key, almost to a fault. Even getting recruited by Division I schools got a ho-hum response initially, according to Jaywana Bradley, her travel coach with Long Island Lightning Dingle.
“I think I saw her get excited one time,” Bradley said with a laugh “We were leaving an open gym at Truman and they wanted to go to McDonald’s. She doesn’t get excited about too many other things.”
Ramirez might not have been excited Wednesday. But she was definitely proud after signing a National Letter of Intent to play women’s basketball at Marshall University. A player from the PSAL’s ‘A’ league earning a Division I scholarship, especially to a Conference USA school like Marshall, is a rarity. The lower levels just don’t get as much exposure as the ‘AA.’
“From the start I knew that whatever I wanted to reach, it was going to come harder,” said Ramirez, who chose the Thundering Herd over St. Peter’s. “I just pushed myself. That’s always in my mind.”
The first step for Ramirez was hooking up with Lightning Dingle. The program was holding tryouts at Riverbank State Park, where Ramirez was practicing for the Gazelles. Janicha Diaz, one of Bradley’s players at Manhattan Center and with Lightning Dingle, is Ramirez’s best friend and the two tried out for together.
The super-athletic, 5-foot-4 guard didn’t have a name then, but her skills and athleticism made her a shoo-in for the team. She’s only gotten better since then, adding a better jump shot to her superior physical skills – speed, jumping and length for her size.
“She had the opportunity and now she’s taking advantage of it,” Bradley said.
Ramirez liked Marshall, because of its welcoming atmosphere and also because it was a higher level. In high school, where she averaged 18.9 points per game last year and dropped 35 in a first-round playoff loss, she can mostly dominate in the ‘A’ – but it won’t be like that in Conference USA, a least right away.
“I saw myself playing at that level, knowing that I was used to playing at my level or below it,” Ramirez said. “I can go there and better myself.”
Bradley agrees. The main knock on Ramirez is her lithe frame, but the coach thinks the strength and conditioning program at Marshall will add muscle in her first preseason alone.
“She’s definitely gonna be an impact on the program,” Bradley said. “She can do so many things when she puts her mind to it. When she starts dissecting the game, it’ll all come together for her. She’s bouncy, very fast, very quick.”
What she isn’t is very excitable. Even making the choice to sign with Marshall was a tough one. Ramirez, a Bronx native, still isn’t sure what it’ll be like leaving home.
“I was excited, but then again I was also really worried, because I was gonna be away from my home,” she said. “It’s four years of my life. I didn’t know I was making the right choice. Only time will tell.”
Ramirez is introspective, which is why she doesn’t get hyped about most things. She’s just striving for more. Except maybe when it comes to McDonald’s.
“I do get excited,” Ramirez said. “But personally, I just always feel like I could do better.”