Present for the March 4 signing ceremony at North Adams High School were: Front row, from left, Ethan Jones (brother), Robert Jones (father), Jayce Rothwell, Darlene Jones (mother) and Taylor Wilburn (sister); Back row, from left, Jeff Stricklett (NAHS Boys Basketball Assistant Coach), Ryan Unger (NAHS Boys Basketball Assistant Coach), Austin McCormick (NAHS Boys Head Coach) and Tony Peters (AAU Coach). (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
Yet another outstanding student athlete from an Adams County school will be making the transition from high school sports to the collegiate level. In a ceremony held on March 4 at North Adams High School, senior Jayce Rothwell inked his name to a letter of intent to continue his basketball career with Coach Toby Carrigan and the Lions of Mount St. Joseph University, located in the Delhi section of Cincinnati.
The success of Rothwell and Green Devils basketball has been well-documented – back to back gold ball titles in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference and a trio of district championships and appearances in the Sweet 16, plus all the other innumerable memorable moments for the fans of North Adams.
For Rothwell, a multi-sport athlete who also excelled as a goalkeeper in soccer, his senior year on the hardwood showed his versatility as he made the move to point guard, a duty he handled flawlessly. In his senior season, Rothwell averaged 11.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game and led the Southern Hills Athletic Conference in three different categories, assists (5.9), field goal percentage (56.0) and steals (2.3). The culmination of his hard work in the classroom and on the court led him to Mount St. Joseph.
”I went to one of the Mount’s camps over the summer after they had seen me at an AAU tournament and given me an invite,” explained Rothwell. “I guess they liked what they saw from me there and at the end of the day I got a text from the coach saying they were offering me an official spot on their roster. They watched me for a couple of AAU weekends and then told me after the camp that they had liked what they saw. We took a visit there and I had been there three or four other times just to watch them play. The campus is small but it’s nice and it felt like home to me.”
The memories of his careers at North Adams have obviously provided lifelong memories and lessons for Rothwell and he reflected on some of those.
“From the times we were little and Jody Young showing us different drills and then getting to high school and being able to play with Bransyn and Nathan (Copas) and how much they knew about the game and now with Coach McCormick, just their knowledge of the game is going to help me when I get in those big moments. Playing for three district titles, I’m already used to the big games on a college floor and I’m hoping that helps me, being a winner.”
Rothwell mentioned both of his high school basketball coaches, Nathan Copas for three years and then Austin McCormick for his senior year. McCormick spoke with the Defender about his graduating point guard.
“Jayce’s work ethic is second to none,” said Coach McCormick. “The time and commitment that he puts into the game and how hard he works on every single drill in practice. He sacrificed a lot for us this year being a facilitator and a pass-first point guard. Last year he played the 5 man for us and guarded the other team’s post players and this year he ran the 1 for us with the ball in his hands constantly and did such a great job of getting everyone involved.”
“Most importantly, Jayce is a kid of extremely high character,” McCormick continued. “Everything that he has gone through in his life, a lot of people would never have ended up where he has and he should be an inspiration to anyone who faces adversity or any type of struggles, making the right choices and doing things the right way. I’ve been able to see him grow since he was in the fourth grade as a player and a person and I can’t say enough great things about him or express how proud I am of him. It doesn’t surprise me at all that he is moving on to the next level. I might coach another 25 years and never have another kid like Jayce.”
While at Mount St. Joseph, Rothwell plans to study Health and Exercise Science with hopes of becoming an Athletic Trainer or Physical Therapist. He has been accepted to the program and will be graduating high school with his Associate’s Degree.
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