BY GERARDO BOLONG
Special to the Times-News

If freshman Jordan McPhee's performance for the Seattle Pacific University women's basketball team against Humboldt State is any indication, the 2014 Mount Rainier High School graduate is well on her way to athletic excellence in her new surroundings.

McPhee came through with a huge game against Humboldt State in the NCAA Division II Women's West Regional in a 77-62 defeat of Humboldt State on Fri., March 13, at the Alaska Airlines Center, Anchorage, Alaska.

She played 16 minutes while shooting 2 of 3 from standard field goal range and 1 of 2 from beyond the arc. McPhee also shot 6 of 8 from the free throw line and totaled seven rebounds with two blocks and two steals.

Seattle Pacific's stellar season ended at 22-7 the next night in a 90-76 semifinal loss to Cal Poly Pomona, but McPhee's career appears to be well on its way toward the athletic leadership and achievement accomplished in her four years at Mount Rainier High School.

During her senior year of a four-year starting career for Ram basketball, the 5-foot, 10-inch athlete averaged 15 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and five steals as a senior, helping the Rams to a 25-4 record and second place at 4A state. In her four years, Mt. Rainier went 101-15.

As a junior and senior, she earned first team All-SPSL honors following honorable mention as a freshman and second team as a sophomore.

In 2014, she became the first-ever recipient of the Highline School District Athlete of Distinction Award and was named Seattle Times Athlete of the Year in 2011-2012.

Her athletic talents also shined in distance running as the 2011 Washington state 4A cross country champion with subsequent second and 13th places.

She won the the 4A state 1,600 meter track title as a sophomore in 2012, following up her third place finish the season before.

After such superb accomplishments, she now has begun a new career for the SPU Falcons womens' basketball team.

The route to Seattle was fairly quick and straightforward
"On my visit to Seattle Pacific, I met coach (Julie) Heisey and the team," she said. "One week later I committed and about a week after that I signed. The academics were important as well as the big team aspect. Coach was very nice."

New challenges appeared on the horizon, such as juggling homework with gym time and games.
To that end, coach Heisey was really helpful.

"She has it all well balanced with school and family life," continued McPhee. "She pushes you to be good in all categories."

Head Falcon coach Julie Heisey, who has built a 195-64 record in nine years at SPU along with Great Northwest Athletic Conference titles in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 prior to this season, and a 357-
183 record overall until this year, recalls some early knowledge about McPhee.

"We'd been watching her play throughout her years and into state for Mount Rainier," said Heisey. "She is a remarkable young woman who is humble, competition-driven and very coachable.

Before the season, morning workouts began at 6 a.m. and got adjusted to late afternoons, depending on game schedules.

Basic practice routines begin with some weight training before going into the gym.

As she trained and played during this season, she worked on strength conditioning as well as technical aspects of the game.

"Jordan has a nice shooting touch with a nice release and will become more of a scorer as she gets more confidence," said Heisey. "Right now, she's working on being fast with the ball in front of her and will be hard to stop. She's already a good cutter and will become a better rebounder. Another task is to get better off the ball defensively. She's so coachable and understands the game well. Her awareness on the court is great."

One adjustment that she has made is finding a shoot around partner.

While at Mount Rainier, she always had an automatic partner in twin sister Brittany.

"I have one-on-one practice against assistant coach Randi Richardson," McPhee stated. "She isn't necessarily a replacement for Brittany, but she's been a great help in improving my play."

McPhee's teammates have been a major part of her growth.

"It's like sharpening iron sharpening," she stated. "Everybody helps. The harder you work, the better you make your teammates."

Before the Humboldt State game, her best game was against Northwest University, on Dec. 13, 2014.
Due to an injury to a starter, McPhee logged 31 minutes as a starting guard in a 79-58 Falcon win. She scored 10 points on 3 of 5 shooting (2 of 4 from 3-point range) while posting six rebounds, four assists and one steal.

"My role on the team has been to bring spark and positive contributions," McPhee said. "I enjoyed the chance to start a game and want to always be ready when needed. I'm working from the bottom up this year."

McPhee completed her season by playing in 29 games including the start against Northwest. In 315 total minutes logged, she averaged 3.1 points per game and 2.2 rebounds a game along with season totals of 21 steals, 17 assists and six blocks.

Growth on the court has been augmented by personal growth.

"I've grown a lot as a person," McPhee said. "it's a new experience. The faith aspect and religion is strong."
Part of her college experience includes enjoying the location of the campus.

"It's a great location with sports, downtown and the Fremont Parks," she enthusiastically said. "People around here are so fun to hang around and I enjoy the skylines and Lake Union. Of course it's nice to be near home."

Family support has always been strong from her parents, Alice and Bryce plus siblings Jake, Bryce, Brittany and Jenna. There is also a strong family background with her father, uncle, mother and brother Bryce all having played college basketball and twin sister Brittany getting high quality court time this season at Stanford.

Other than basketball, Normandy Park resident Jordan would enjoy doing cross country and playing tennis. Her favorite basketball moment was winning in last season's high school basketball semifinals after losing the two previous years.

Her easiest subject is math and her most difficult is physics.

A little deeper glimpse into the life of McPhee is gleaned by observing her fun activities.

She enjoys any kind of water sports such as wake boarding, water skiing, surfing behind a boat, paddle boarding and her recently found favorites of fly boarding and hover boarding.

For now, the t winkle-eyed performer with an engaging smile and personality is thoroughly enjoying her experiences.

"I'm having fun playing basketball and enjoying it all," she concluded.