Mount St. Mary’s women’s basketball graduate student Jaedyn Jamison recently chatted with PressBox about buying into the Mount’s plan for her, who she looked up to early in her college career and more. The 6-foot-1 forward averaged 3.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game for the Mountaineers in 2024-25. Jamison is a native of Rocky Mount, Va., and graduate of Franklin County High School.
PressBox: How did you first become interested in basketball?
Jaedyn Jamison: I first became interested in basketball when I was much younger. I was about 5 years old. My mother, [Makisha Patterson], was putting us in different sports to try out and see what we took a liking to. One of the sports I tried out for was recreational basketball. I ended up taking a liking to it, and I’ve been playing it ever since. It started with my mom trying us out in different sports in that recreation youth age.
PB: Who was the biggest influence on your game growing up?
JJ: It was definitely a mix of family members because all of them had grown up around basketball. That was one of the main staples of my family was people who played basketball. I was influenced by a lot of people — my mom, my aunt, my uncle, my grandmother. They were very heavy influences in my basketball career in helping me grow up to be the player I am today and helping me critique my game and giving me feedback after games.
PB: Why did you choose to go to the Mount?
JJ: I chose to go to the Mount because at the time I was being recruited, it was the year after COVID. It wasn’t as easy to go on visits. One of the things that I appreciated with the Mount was them trying to give me the best experience of campus while not being on campus. They did that by Zooming me. We talked on the phone and things of that nature. They were very persistent with me because it did take me awhile to come to my decision on where I wanted to go. They continued to stay in contact with me and check in on me and my family, tried to encourage me to keep taking my time and make the right decision for me. They were very patient with me and I appreciated that from them.
PB: What’s your favorite thing about the Mount?
JJ: My favorite thing about the Mount is probably the connections that I’ve made since being here. Coming in as a freshman, there were a lot of experienced returners that came back. That was a good aspect for me coming in as a freshman because I got to learn from a lot of them. Over the years, I grew closer to each and every person that I met that joined the team. That’s probably my favorite part of being at the Mount, the connections that I’ve made of being here.
PB: Why did you redshirt in 2021-22?
JJ: That was developmental. When I came to the Mount as a freshman, the year prior they had won the NEC championship. The following year, [head coach Antoine White] had a lot of those girls come back. The majority of the team were returners that knew the system and were ready to play. For me, I needed the opportunity to develop and learn from them and watch their games and see what I needed to do to be prepared to play for the next year.
PB: This marks your fifth season at the Mount. Why did you buy into White’s plan for you in which you began as a redshirt freshman and gradually developed into a starter?
JJ: I’ve believed in his plan for me because I know that he’s had confidence in me throughout the years and he’s seen the potential that I’ve had to grow as a player. I think year by year, I’ve been able to develop each year and make progress each year. … Seeing the results of my growth and development each year, I think that helps me continue to stay bought in. The confidence Coach White has instilled in me has been a major part in that as well, making me continue to be bought in and just stay consistent on my journey. As time went on, it took me to being a starter. I appreciate him continuing to push me and have confidence in me and see the potential in me when at times I didn’t always see that.
PB: Was there anyone along the way who taught you the art of rebounding?
JJ: I think I’ve had coaches throughout the years kind of point me in the right direction for rebounding and the positioning on that, but me personally I’ve also seen a video on social media of Dennis Rodman talking about the rebounds and that one famous video of him talking about how he had players come in the gym and shoot the basketball and he would see which way it would go. I think that’s part of what I’ve gathered over the years of playing, when people shoot on different positions of the court understanding where the ball might come to and where it should be when it hits the rim and things of that nature. That is where I’ve gathered that knack for rebounding.
PB: Who’s your best friend on the team and what’s a story that underscores your friendship?
JJ: Giana Hoddinott, definitely. She is one of the ones who have been here with me the longest. Me and her have grown very close together. Just being around each other for so long, we’ve been through a lot together. She missed out on her freshman year, so that kind of bonded us together as well. She medically redshirted, so we were close in that nature of having to redshirt as freshmen. I think that has also helped us grow because she’s been here the longest with me under Coach White. Those experiences we’ve had being together for so long has bonded us closer together. She understands what I’ve been through for the most part, and I understand what she’s been through for the most part. I think that is what bonds us together and just makes us so close.
PB: Who did you look up to early in your college career?
JJ: When I was a freshman, I had a lot of good seniors in that class that came before me. I think one of the major ones I looked up to was of course Kendall Bresee and then another one was Aryna Taylor. They were both very, very good seniors to look up to in terms of their leadership and how they played and their relationships with teammates on and off the court. I think they were very helpful to me in the aspect of trying to make the experience comfortable for me because I had to redshirt that year. They were there to help me get through that. Aryna that second year, she was big on just supporting me. Me and her really got close. She helped me learn about things on the court that I needed to know. She would talk to me and help me along the way in certain aspects. I was just getting back out there and she would help guide me in the right direction of how I needed to play and what I needed to be doing. She [took on] a very big role [in] me starting to play on the court.
PB: What advice would you give to younger players?
JJ: The advice I would give to younger players looking to play in college is to really do your research and really understand that as long as you go to play college basketball, it doesn’t matter what level it is. A lot of people have aspirations of going Division I. I think you have to understand coming in it’s not as easy as most people think. It takes a lot of hard work and it takes a lot of mental and physical strength to get through that and be able to play at that level. My advice is to really do your research and understand what level you are going to be most successful playing at and your well-being is taken care of and you put your mental and physical health first. Understand what level is going to be best for you and not just setting the bar super high early on without understanding what you are getting yourself into.
PB: You are pursuing a master’s degree in business administration. What are your plans for after basketball?
JJ: I’ve not decided yet. I plan on letting God take the control on that aspect because I’m unsure right now, but my goal is to eventually own my own business, do something in sports, something in that nature. Management is a more specific direction for that.
Photo Credit: Tabitha Sumsion
Issue 295: October / November 2025
Originally published Oct. 15, 2025