What makes a great defensive basketball player?
It may be stats like blocks, steals and rebounds or how a player can disrupt opposing players by forcing them to commit a turnover or having them take difficult shots.
All those factors are true, especially for senior forward Jewelyn Sawyer.
Sawyer won Big West Defensive Player of the Year last season, finishing with 47 steals and 15 blocks.
Her defensive prowess helped the 49ers win 24 games and reach the semifinals of the Big West Tournament. It also cemented LBSU as a top defensive team in the Big West by leading in the league in turnovers forced, steals and finishing second in blocks.
“I didn’t expect [to win defensive player of the year] because coaches vote,” Sawyer said. “I’m not saying I don’t try to play defense, but I didn’t go out and think I was going to win defensive player of the year. I just wanted to play hard, where our team could win and if I get a personal accolade on the way that’s nice, but it’s not like the biggest thing. I want us to win more than like me getting personal awards.”
Head coach Jody Wynn, on the other hand, was not surprised when Sawyer won the award.
“I definitely think that she’s the best defender in the league,” Wynn said. “She can defend [the whole court] and we put her in positions in the full court, half court, [she guards] point guards and centers. She disrupts people’s offense through our presses as well as our half-court defense. She rebounds the ball and she has great length, her wingspan is 6 feet 5 inches.”
Sawyer attended Gahr High School in Cerritos where she averaged 18.1 points per game, 4.7 assists, 12.4 rebounds, 4.2 steals and 5.4 blocks in her senior year. She also helped the Gladiators reach the CIF Championship game her senior year.
According to Wynn, Sawyer was a versatile player in high school thanks to her height and natural athleticism, but a key reason for her recruitment was her character.
“[She’s a] long, lengthy, athletic player, but before any of that her character,” Wynn said. “She was a good student that was awarded through her high school. She gained several awards for her character, for her community work, for her success academically over at Gahr High School. When you combine that with a ball of potential, which is what she was, we were just excited.”
Some of the awards that Sawyer won in high school were L.A. Sports Council High School Achievement award, CIF-SS Champion of Character award and was a two-time selection for the ESPN High School/Cal-Hi Sports All-State team.
Her character is one of the many reasons why the team voted her to be one of the two team captains.
“I was captain last year and I was voted captain again this year,” Sawyer said. “I don’t find it as having pressure because most people say a captain is the person who can talk to the coaches and talk to the team. I have to make sure that I’m fulfilling my role.”
Despite feeling there is no pressure as a captain, Sawyer says that she rarely has time for herself outside of school and basketball.
“Since we’re in season, all you pretty much just have to do is focus on school and basketball,” Sawyer said. “When we’re not in season you’re training to be in season. It’s really hard because basketball goes over both semesters and then summer [is] usually the prime time to work out and to get better as a basketball player.”
Even though she’s always busy, Sawyer has a positive outlook on things. She stays relaxed, calm and laughs about practically anything.
Sawyer recalls a time back in her freshman high school summer basketball camp when one of her coaches would make her run because she would smile and laugh in serious moments. She said it sucked to run, but it taught her when to laugh and when not to laugh.
Teammate and senior guard Raven Benton mentioned that Sawyer loves food especially Krispy Kreme.
“She eats anywhere,” Benton said. “She don’t really like restaurants that much because she [doesn’t] like sitting down so it has to be a fast food restaurant. She loves going to Krispy Kreme. That’s her favorite place to go.”
Sawyer defended herself by saying she hasn’t gone to Krispy Kreme in a while, but says she loves cronuts, a croissant-donut mashup, and recommends them to everyone.
All food aside, Sawyer’s goal for the season is to win the Big West Championship.
“We haven’t had that feeling of cutting down the net,” Sawyer said. “And even in high school I was that short. I was in the CIF Championship and I lost. This year I want to make it to the championship game and win it and have that feeling of finally cutting down the net because I’ve never won a significant title. So I want to try to win at least somewhere.”
Sawyer hopes that this will be the year she’s able to help her team to a title.