Ivie Juarez commits to play basketball at Parkland College
By FRED KRONER
Last year, Ivie Juarez helped Mahomet-Seymour lose a girls’ basketball game.
This year, Juarez is helping the Bulldogs win games.
Last school year, Juarez was a junior at Normal Community High School.
During a COVID-plagued and abbreviated spring season, M-S was seeking a basketball opponent and Normal Community invited the Bulldogs to come over.
When they played on March 6, 2021, the home team led 14-3 after one quarter. Juarez scored six of her team-high 12 points early to spark the quick getaway. Normal won the game, 38-31.
This year – after the family moved to Mahomet in mid-October so her father could be closer to his job – Juarez is suiting up for M-S. The 5-foot-10 post player has played a role in the team’s 11-1 record.
That she would contribute – and be accepted by her new teammates – was a given only a few weeks after she enrolled at M-S.
“She was voted (by her teammates) one of our captains (along with Durbin Thomas) maybe a month after she got here,” M-S coach Garret Risley said. “Once we started playing (in preseason practice), you could tell she knows basketball.
“From Day 1, she has been a vocal leader on the defensive end.”
From the beginning of Juarez’s basketball career, she had a goal of playing in college, just like her grandfather Robert Garretson (at Nebraska), her aunt Melissa Garretson (at Illinois State University) and her mom, the former Amanda Garretson (at Eastern Illinois University).
Juarez took the first step last week, committing to Parkland College, which she hopes will be a steppingstone to a possible career at a Division I school.
“I’ve always had that dream since I was little,” Juarez said. “I’ve grown up around basketball and love basketball as much as them (family members).”
What sold her on Parkland, she said, was “I loved the competitive atmosphere in the gym as well as how much focus they put on their academics.”
Her role models didn’t exaggerate their exploits. Both her aunt and her mom are in their high school Hall of Fame at Argenta-Oreana.
Juarez, who also considered Illinois Wesleyan University, acknowledged her game is not refined enough yet to step into a role at a big school.
“I’m not ready for that right now,” she said. “I have to get bigger, stronger, faster, and I definitely need to improve my outside shot.”
Versatility will be important moving forward.
“Growing up, I’ve been the tallest on my team,” said Juarez, who played for the Illinois Valley Warriors AAU team, “and that will change in college.”
Risley said Juarez has one trait not always seen in post players.
“She is able to get up and down the court and get points in transition,” Risley said.
At the outset of her senior year, Juarez wasn’t ready to leave her teammates at Normal Community – where she had played since transferring from Bloomington Central Catholic after her freshman year – but decided to make the best of the situation.
“I had been in Bloomington since first grade,” Juarez said, “and had really good friends.
“Change can be hard and I was pretty upset up until I was here. Now that I am here, everyone is so welcoming.
“The key to getting adjusted,” she added, “is that change is happening, and to keep a positive mindset. You have to recognize that change is a part of life.”
She knew she’d have a new set of teammates a year down the road. The timetable was moved up when her father’s job with Ameren required a relocation.
“I’ve tried to take the opportunity and run with it,” Juarez said.
She arrived at M-S and knew no one.
“Zero people,” she said.
The best situation for that circumstance, she said, was to transition almost immediately into a sport.
“It can be pretty tough socially,” she said, “but basketball has been my saving grace. Having teammates made it a lot easier.”
And for the Bulldogs, having Juarez in the lineup has made the start of the season a lot easier. She is now ready to be a key player for her new-found high school team.
She is averaging 10.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and has posted three double-doubles. No Bulldog has been more adept at getting to the free throw line. Juarez has attempted 69 free throws in her first 12 games.
But, from her perspective, it’s not about her.
“I want what’s best for the team,” Juarez said. “I’ve been a pretty vocal leader. I remind them (at practice) we’re here to work and get better. We can have a special team.”
The nucleus of the Bulldog team that played last spring returned. Just two seniors who scored points last year graduated. Overall, M-S returned 94.1 percent of its scoring.
Adding another talented player to the mix didn’t automatically guarantee success.
“There can be drama,” Juarez said, “but there hasn’t been. It’s like a family and that’s part of being in a small-town community.”
Risley said Juarez’s role in her quick acceptance at M-S cannot be downplayed.
“Ivie has been very well-received,” Risley said, “and the key is who she is.
“She is one of the more humble athletes I’ve been around. She didn’t push herself on anyone. She let them get to know her. When she is on the court, she means business. She is a great communicator.”
When Juarez’s transfer to M-S was complete, her former coach at Normal Community – David Feeney – reached out to Risley with a simple message.
“He said, ‘You’re getting a great girl,’” Risley said.
Juarez was recognized on the all-Big 12 Conference team as a junior.
“Her accolades speak for themselves,” Risley said. “If you play like Ivie, it’s hard not to be recognized. She will 100 percent put in the work.”
Only Cayla Koerner (14.5 average) has scored more points for M-S than Juarez through the first one-third of the season. Juarez is the team rebounding leader.
Though Juarez broke onto the scene at M-S with a 12-point outing in her Bulldog debut, she wasn’t satisfied by her early-season performance.
“The first few games, I didn’t play as strong as I normally can,” she said. “After that, I’ve been happy with the way I’ve played.”
Her focus now is on basketball, but she has more on her mind for the future than a sport.
Juarez hopes to go into criminal justice and said, “I want to be a lawyer.
“That was developed through high school. I took a business law course and I’ve never paid attention to a class more than that one.”
She subsequently had a chance to sit in on a trial in McLean County and added, “I loved that stuff.”
Some day, if her dreams become reality, Juarez will simply transition from one court to another.
