Cal Stars Basketball

Janelle Travis wasn’t alone when she signed a national letter-of-intent Wednesday with the U.S. Military Academy Prep School of Fort Monmouth, N.J. Her parents, Graden and Stacey Travis, were right by her side. So was Robert Jordan, Justin-Siena High School’s president, and Mike Boles, the coach of the girls basketball team. Close by were Travis’ teammates at Justin-Siena, the Marin County Athletic League tournament champion which tied for the MCAL regular-season title and advanced to both CIF North Coast Section and Northern California playoffs during the 2009-10 season. Students and staff also turned out in the library to see Travis, an All-State and All-Northern California senior player who scored 1,082 points in two years, sign official documents in a noon-time ceremony.
 
“That speaks to her impact that she is leaving on Justin-Siena. Her whole team was here,” said Boles. “The amount of people here is a testament to Janelle and her impact here in a short two years at Justin-Siena. It’s a big day for Janelle. It’s a big day for her family.” Travis, the Napa County Player of the Year, was notified on May 5 of her appointment to the Prep School by the admissions committee. Admission to the Prep School is extremely competitive and selection should be a source of pride in your accomplishments, U.S. Army Col. Deborah J. McDonald, the director of admissions, wrote in a letter to Travis.
 
The 5-foot-7 point guard led the Braves in scoring (19.7 points per game), rebounding (6.6), assists (5.3) and steals (2.9). Her No. 4 jersey was on a table, just to the right of her. “I’ve had the dream of playing Division I college basketball since I was in the fifth grade,” she said. “I’ve been dreaming about this signing day for years now. It’s finally here. It’s a great feeling. “The next level ... that’s what it’s all about. I’m going to be ready for it.”
 
Many of the Academy’s distinguished graduates entered West Point from the Prep School, said McDonald. The purpose of the Prep School is to prepare selected candidates for admission to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Travis will play basketball next year for the Prep School, which offers a one-year developmental program. Recruits play a 20-plus game schedule against the nation’s top junior colleges, prep schools, and club teams before entering West Point and playing Division I basketball for Army.
 
“In the course of a school year we celebrate accomplishments, we take inventory of defeats, and then we grow,” Jordan said in his opening remarks. “Today, we certainly celebrate the accomplishments of our own senior, Janelle Travis. But we don’t just celebrate what she has done. More importantly, we celebrate who she is — to her family, her friends, her teammates, her community, her country, and certainly to us, her Justin-Siena family. “Students like Janelle make handing her a diploma in a few weeks difficult. On the one hand, we are very excited for her future. On the other hand, it’s just sad to see her leaving. Today, we join you in beginning that journey.”
 
Travis, 17, will leave Justin-Siena as one of the top players in school history. She led the Braves (28-5 overall) to their first MCAL tournament title. Her other accolades this past year included:
 
•CalHiSports.com All-State Division IV.
• All-Northern California Division IV by NorCalPreps.com.
 • San Francisco Chronicle North Bay Regional Player of the Year and Second-Team All-Metro by the Chronicle.
• First-Team All-MCAL.
• All-Tournament at the Puma Invitational and San Diego Surf ’N Slam.
• ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Girls State Athlete of the Week.
 
She set school records for single-season free-throw percentage (89 percent), career free-throw percentage (84 percent), and single-season assists (178). She is tied with three others for the single-game free-throw percentage record — a perfect 100 percent mark, as she was 10- of-10 in three different games this past season. Travis made 88 three-pointers on 40 percent shooting from the arc. She shot 41 percent from the field during a season in which she scored 650 points.
 
“You’ve got to give her the ultimate credit,” said Boles. “To change schools after two years is quite a big challenge on its own, add in the expectations on basketball that we place here as well as academic expectations, and to go meet those challenges with success, says a lot to her character. “I think that’s why she’s going to succeed at West Point. She’s going to bring a competitive fire. Obviously, when it comes to ust basketball skill sets, she’s very good. She’s going to give her new coach ... whatever amount of time she’s on the floor, fire. She’s going to succeed.”
 
Travis played her freshman year at Miramonte-Orinda and her sophomore year at Campolindo-Moraga, both East Bay schools. She transferred to Justin-Siena for her junior year and had two outstanding seasons for the Braves. Addressing students, staff and family, Travis said: “This school and all of you have definitely changed my life. I’ve become close with all of you the past two years. Coach Boles, he is the one that’s transformed me into the player that I am. Without him, I wouldn’t be doing this right now.”Travis should be proud of the individual accomplishments, said Boles. She should be equally proud of the characteristics that she displayed over the course of the two years at Justin-Siena, the coach said. “You’re a hard worker. You’re determined, a lot of desire, unselfish, passionate, enthusiastic,” he said. “As you move on to your next challenge, I want you to know that you have the support from the coaching staff here, from your Brave teammates that have taken the time to come see you, and from the Brave family and the Brave community. I am confident that you will succeed at your next challenge at the U.S. Military Academy Prep School.”
 
Travis scored 20 or more points 16 times and had 30 or more points in two games. She was named as the ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Girls State Athlete of the Week in late February, scoring 20 points in the Braves’ 63-33 win over Lick-Wilmerding of San Francisco to open the CIF North Coast Section playoffs and scoring a season-high 34 points in the Braves’ 70-55 quarterfinal-round playoff win over Fortuna. “Coming to Justin-Siena, it changed my whole life,” said Travis. “Coach Boles taught me things that I will carry on for the rest of my life.” Boles worked with Travis on the mental part of her game. “I used to get down on myself all the time and I wouldn’t really handle adversity as well,” she said. “But Coach Boles taught me to get past it. I can’t let little things get to me.”

Travis graduates June 5, then reports to the Prep School for basic training on July 15. Representing West Point yesterday was Ben Bergfelt, a 1982 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy. Bergfelt represents Army in this area. “Just making it there is huge,” said Bergfelt. “We’re looking forward to having her in the athletic program. Moving on from high school, it’s a big step, it’s a big commitment. ”Travis thanked her teammates and everyone at the signing ceremony.
 
My whole basketball team was here,” she said. “That just shows what a special season it was and how much of an impact our team had on the school. It’s a special feeling.”