Rutgers-Newark Athletics

By Jim Hague

When Jade Howard was a senior at St. Joseph of Hammonton in southern New Jersey, she was the object of desire for all of the programs in the New Jersey Athletic Conference.

And rightly so, considering Howard was a unique specimen for the NJAC, a 5-foot-11 power player with immense athleticism and talent. She was able to put the ball on the floor and go to the basket with authority and also had the ability to collect rebounds like others collect baseball cards.

“A lot of people wanted Jade,” said Rutgers-Newark women’s head basketball coach Kevin Morris. “She could have gone to any of the NJAC schools, but she was really interested in our criminal justice program. It was a good fit for her.”

“I had a lot of options,” Howard said. “It was a tough decision for me. But when I came for a visit, Coach Morris really sold the school to me. It was a good program, a good school, a chance to get a Rutgers degree.”

Morris said that former R-N standout player and graduate assistant Nerlande Nicolas, now an assistant at the University of Dayton, was the first person to recognize Howard’s incredible talents.

“Nerlande saw her and told us that we had to get her,” Morris said. “We drove down (to Hammonton) a couple of times to see her play. She was the MVP of a county All-Star game and that’s when I knew we had to seal the deal with her.”

Sure enough, Howard agreed to enroll at Rutgers-Newark and it’s been a marriage made in basketball heaven.

“She does things you can’t teach,” Morris said. “She can jump, she can run. She has such athleticism and aggressiveness. If she could consistently knock down the foul line jumper, she would be very tough to guard. We’ve been working hard with her short range game.”

Howard made an immediate impact with the Scarlet Raiders a year ago, averaging 7.8 points and 6.7 rebounds. Those were sensational statistical numbers for a freshman, but they could have been better if Howard could have managed to stay healthy.

“I missed a lot of games with a sprained ankle and a concussion,” Howard said. “I also got stitches in another game. I had a lot of injuries. I felt like I didn’t get a chance to show my talents.”

There has been nothing but positive signs so far for Howard in her sophomore year. She is averaging 11.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game thus far for Morris and the Scarlet Raiders.

“She’s definitely a better player this year,” Morris said. “We just have to keep her healthy. But Jade keeps getting better every minute and she’s doing more things than she did the minute before. She just continues to improve.”

Howard knows that she’s a better player.

“I think I’ve improved a lot,” Howard said. “I’m definitely more confident now than I was as a freshman. I think we have a lot more chemistry now on the team than we had. It’s fun to come to practice every day. I think that helps my confidence a lot.”

Howard has been more of an aggressive performer this year.

“I think I always had that ability,” Howard said. “I just never really showed it. I’m working on the little things that make me a better player. I know everything can’t be a drive to the basket. I am working on being more diverse. But going to the basket is my favorite thing to do.”

Howard has also concentrated on her play on the defensive side.

“I’ve been working a lot with (Scarlet Raider teammate) Jewell Palmer,” Howard said. “She’s a very good defender, so working with her a lot has helped. I feel like I’m becoming a better defensive player.”

Morris believes that the sky’s the limit for the talented sophomore.

“She can become a dominant force in this league,” Morris said. “I already think she’s one of the best inside players in the league. But she has the potential to be the best post player in the league, no question.”

Morris said that Howard is the kind of player who doesn’t wear her emotions on her sleeve.

“She really doesn’t show much emotion,” Morris said. “She’s almost kind of stoic. She has the same facial expression for everything. She has shown her emotions on occasion and shows that she has some fire. We just have to play to her personality. I’d like her to be a little more vocal in general, both on and off the court. She tends to be somewhat of a quiet kid.”

Howard is majoring in criminal science with the hope of getting into law enforcement.

“I want to become a DEA agent,” Howard said. “I know I wanted to get into some sort of police work, maybe the FBI. My best friend has an uncle who works for the DEA and I really got interested in that.”

For now, Howard is content being a positive impact on the R-N women’s basketball program.

“I feel like I can be that kind of player,” Howard said. “As long as I stay focused and do what Coach Morris tells me. I definitely believe that my better days ahead.”

“I’m hoping that she can continued to develop her game,” Morris said. “If she continues to knock down jump shots, then she’s almost impossible to guard. When she’s running the court and going to the basket, that’s when she’s at her best. She has to play aggressively. That’s what she does best. When she goes to the basket, who’s going to stop her?”

Right now, there aren’t many who can stop Jade Howard, as she’s proven in her first two seasons at Rutgers-Newark.