Biography
By Jim Hague
The truth be told, Jasmine Lombard really didn’t want to attend Rutgers-Newark, even though she spent a lot of time on the school’s campus growing up, attending camps and clinics.
“I really wanted to go to a (NCAA) Division II school and get a scholarship,” said Lombard, a 6-foot sophomore center at R-N. “I had a lot of offers from other Division III schools, but I thought I could get a scholarship.”
Lombard, a four-sport (basketball, softball, soccer and track and field) standout at Hillside High School in Hillside, NJ, said that she received offers from Division II schools like Goldey-Beacom College in Delaware and Georgian Court in Lakewood.
But there wasn’t enough to pull her far away from her roots.
“It made sense to stay at home,” Lombard said of her decision to attend Rutgers-Newark and major in public administration. “I felt comfortable there.”
Lombard said that she felt particularly comfortable with former R-N assistant coach Jada Jefferson, who was once a standout at Malcolm X. Shabazz High School in Newark and later Fordham University.
“She worked a lot with me one summer,” Lombard said. “But when I got to Rutgers-Newark, she left, so it was a little different.”
Lombard played her freshman year for the coach who recruited her, Kevin Morris.
When Bill Zasowski was named interim head coach of the women’s basketball program while Morris took a leave of absence, Zasowski called Morris to ask him about the returning players – one of whom was Lombard.
“Kevin was the one who got her to commit to Rutgers,” Zasowski said. “When she committed here, Kevin said that Jasmine could become the best post player in the league. That’s one glowing comment to make.”
Lombard saw action in 25 games as a freshman, averaging just a hair under 4.0 points per game.
Now, with Zasowski calling the shots, Lombard is seeing more action – and her production has nearly doubled in practically every single statistical category.
Lombard is averaging 7.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game coming off the bench. She had 14 points in a recent victory over Hunter College and had 11 points and seven rebounds in a loss to Connecticut College.
Zasowski likes the way Lombard has developed into a key contributor.
“She’s become a force to be reckoned with,” Zasowski said. “She’s shown flashes of brilliance close to the basket. You should see her in practice. She’s knocking over Derryk (Alexander) and Fateen (Belfield, the team’s assistant coaches). To Jasmine’s credit, she wants to learn and wants to understand. There’s not a day where she doesn’t ask a question. She wants to learn and has made a concerted effort to be good.”
Lombard said that her relationship with senior center Sharee Gordon has helped her development.
“She has definitely been like a role model for me,” Lombard said of Gordon, the Scarlet Raiders’ starter at center. “She’s been a big help, like having a big sister on the team. If I don’t know what to do, Sharee is waiting there to tell me. She helps me know what to do and what not to do.”
Lombard has an older sister, Danielle, who is 28 years old.
“She just tells me what to do,” Lombard said.
Lombard knows that she’s far from being a finished product. She has to work on certain things, like her conditioning.
“Right now, I have to keep her to 16-to-20 minutes per game,” Zasowski said. “After that, she starts to get tired. That’s the glaring obstacle right now. She did not have a great year last year and that was because of her physique. We talked about her struggling with her conditioning. She’s trying to make a commitment to do it.”
“Coach Bill told me before the season that he needed me to work on my conditioning,” Lombard said. “So I’ve been getting on the treadmill to work on my stamina. I feel better about it. I feel better about the way I’ve been playing, because last year, I felt like I wasn’t contributing.”
Lombard has worked on a series of post moves in the paint with assistant coach Belfield.
“I’ve always been pretty good close to the basket,” Lombard said. “I like post moves. Fateen has been working with me to use the backboard more and that has paid off. It’s like it’s automatically going in.”
Lombard is shooting 48 percent from the floor, but has made 11 of her last 21 shots, reaching double figures in each game.
“I definitely need to work on a 15-foot (jump shot),” Lombard said. “I also need to get in shape better. If I get in better shape, I can get up and down the court better. If I get a jump shot, I can draw defenses out to get me and that can open up down low for someone else.”
Zasowski agrees.
“A great player has a soft touch, can step out and shoot it from 15 feet,” Zasowski said. “It’s not all about having your back to the basket. She has the ability to get to the foul line all the time. But I can see now what Kevin was talking about. She has the potential to be an all-league player. When she gets in better shape, she can be a better all-around player and play longer.”
Zasowski likes what Lombard brings to his team, both on and off the court.
“Her presence in the post is one thing, but the role she plays off the court as a leader is another,” Zasowski said. “She’s a leader in practice and that’s the most important thing.”
Lombard hopes to get involved somehow in the community after graduation in two years.
“I’m not too sure yet what I want to do,” Lombard said. “But it will be community related.”
Lombard never dreamed she would eventually become a college basketball player.
“When I was a little girl, I was a real girlie girl,” Lombard said. “I never thought I’d play basketball in college. I was too busy playing a lot of dress-up and stuff. But I do like playing basketball a lot more now.”
It helps when you have a little taste of success like Lombard has enjoyed in recent weeks.
