Jacki Jewell had life all figured out.
Even as she was tall and talented in her multiple sports for Centralia High School back in the mid-2000s, her true passion was showing horses.
“I honestly thought I’d go to school with my horse,” Jewell admitted.
One conversation changed it all. Jewell (maiden name Speer) had someone in her life say she shouldn’t pursue basketball in college.
She decided to stop showing horses and put all her focus on hoops.
“That lit a fire underneath me,” Jewell said. “When someone tells me I can’t do something, I want to do it that much more and excel at it. That was the first time in my life it presented itself in that way.”
Jewell did more than excel.
The Tigers alum will be formally inducted into the Southern Oregon University Hall of Fame in September as a member of the five-person class. Jewell will be formally recognized on Sept. 21 at the Rouge River Room.
It will be the first time Jewell will be able to take her family to her former campus, including her two children Kennadee and Cohen. Her husband Chad, parents Lorri and Jeff Speer plus her grandmother Margie Trentlage and mother-in-law Diane will also attend the ceremony.
“My initial reaction was shock and pretty emotional,” Jewell said. “My assistant couldn’t figure out if they were happy tears or sad tears. It was really overwhelming.”
The interesting part of Jewell’s excellence at the NAIA program?
She’s legally blind in her right eye.
Jewell was born with cataracts and first found out she was blind in first grade. That eye never fully developed a connection with her brain.
All of her prep and college teammates knew about it, and even playfully did some things to garner a giggle, but it was never a big deal.
Reflecting back now 14 years after her collegiate career, Jewell is appreciative.
“I was valued for what I contributed and that’s what was important to me,” she said. “Basketball is a team sport and it wasn’t about one person. I knew I was breaking records, having good games, but I just wanted our team to be successful.”
Her support system of her parents and grandparents were a big factor in playing basketball. Going to different camps and always being the driver aided Jewell’s growth.
Yet the summer prior to Jewell’s senior year proved to be one of the more difficult times.
She had reconstructive nose surgery and stated she was playing basketball “totally blind.” At one point, she was concerned about her future.
“I remember being really worried because I was going to lose scholarships,” Jewell said.
NCAA and NAIA programs sought after her commitment from the east and west coasts. Southern Oregon stood out from the rest.
“I am a small town girl and after visiting some of the bigger schools, it didn’t feel as comfortable,” Jewell said. “As soon as I did my visit with SOU, it felt like home.”
And the Red Raiders head coach that recruited her, Lynn Kennedy, didn’t always look at the box score.
“He said he saw so much character in what I was going through. That really carried a lot of weight with him. That always stuck in the back of my mind,” Jewell said. “He invested in people that invested in themselves. The harder I worked, the more he gave me. That’s why I was successful. What I poured into myself, he poured twice as much.”
It helped that in the same recruiting class was Whitney Scott, Jewell’s AAU teammate at the time who played at Black Hills.
Even with her blind spots on the court, those two developed an instant point guard and post connection.
“Her and I just clicked,” Jewell stated. “Took hours in the gym and just shot after shot, it was muscle memory.”
Jewell’s time at SOU featured the only 20-10 season in school history her senior year when she averaged 20.6 points per game and 13.8 rebounds a night to snare second team All-American honors. Once her career was completed, she was the all-time leader in rebounds at 1,358, second in scoring (1,864) and blocks (130).
She was a part of 92 wins in her four-year career and was a two-time All-American.
"Averaged 14 free throws a game in college since I was always roughing it up in the paint,” Jewell said. “I miss it.”
Throughout her life, Jewell has always been “uncomfortable” with receiving praise. To her, she prefers to lay low and let her game speak for itself.
Still, she knows there will be plenty of applause and goodwill towards her in a couple of months.
“Probably the first time I’ve sat back and accepted it for what it is,” Jewell said. “It is acknowledging how much those four years shaped me. I am excited to accept this honor. I am going to try to be really good about taking it all in and not shying away from it.
“Soak it all in. It came full circle for me.”
