Jan. 3—JAMESTOWN — Basketball has always been “it” for Jamestown High School’s Adisyn Yunck.
“My parents signed me up for the Saturday morning basketball program put on by Parks and Rec and that set me up for the love of the sport,” Yunck, a junior at JHS, said. “From the first day, I knew I wanted to do it for as long as I can.
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“I love that it’s so competitive,” she said. “I have so much passion for it. Every sport that I have been in hasn’t even been close to how much I feel about the game of basketball. Basketball is so thrilling from the tip off to the buzzer at the end of the game. The sport is something I will always come back to at any point in life.”
Yunck has been on the Blue Jays’ varsity roster since her freshman season. In her first year with the Jays, she averaged a whopping 11.1 points per game and ended the season with 233 points — the most of any team member. As a sophomore, her averages dipped slightly and she averaged 6.2 points per night with a grand total of 148 points.
“I think the strengths of my game compared to the last two seasons has been slowing down the game significantly which led me to have better shot selections,” Yunck said. “I also have increased my next shot mentality throughout my AAU and the start of high school season.”
Now as a junior, Yunck is averaging 8.4 points per contest. Yunck is shooting 36.75% from the floor and is 26.1% from long range. Outside of scoring, she has nabbed seven defensive boards and dished out 23 assists. Head coach Andy Skunberg has had Yunck out for 117 minutes through five games played.
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“She brings a lot of energy and she flies around on defense,” Yunck’s teammate Mea Ulland said. “She plays really hard.”
During the basketball season, Yunck said she spends an average of three to four hours touching a basketball but her training involves more time than the 12 week high school season allows her.
“During the offseason, especially during the spring and summer I have AAU season,” Yunck said. “This helps me stay engaged with the game. … Out(side) of AAU season I go shoot as much as I can. I usually go up to TRAC and hop on the shooting machine and get at least one thousand shots in, get dribbling in for about 15-30 minutes, do some finishes around the rim, and then finish with 25-50 makes of free throws. I do this training session as much as I can to ensure that I stay consistent with my game.
“I think doing the same training session over and over keeps me consistent and has made me a better player,” she said. “I try to be in the gym getting shots up and dribbling for one to two hours to make sure that I get the most out of the time I have.”
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Consistency has been a common theme for the Blue Jays the past three seasons. In the last three years the Jays have lost one player to graduation.
“Having the same people for the last two years has helped our chemistry out so much,” Yunck said. “You would think when a new season starts you have to meet the new underclassmen coming up, but for us from the first day of practice we are getting after it. We don’t have to have awkwardness or shyness towards each other. We know how everyone’s style of play is and we can translate that into the first game right away.”
Ulland has been a part of the Jays’ core for the past four years. The now-senior is a huge threat beyond the arc shooting 43.9%.
“Mea is a sniper, plain and simple,” Yunck said. “If we need a 3 at any point in the game, she will make it. She has put so much time into her game and most importantly her shot that whenever she shoots, it’s gonna swish. Mea is also a person that I think the whole team looks to for encouragement, she always makes sure everyone is engaged in the game.”
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Ulland began playing basketball competitively as a third grader. The 2022-23 campaign marked Mea’s first season as a varsity team member while her first year starting was her sophomore season. Ulland is currently averaging 11.6 points per game. While she has drawn up the most fouls of any player on the roster at 58, the Jays are +24 when the senior is out on the floor. Ulland is leading the team in minutes played at 120.
“Before every season I am very excited,” Ulland said. “It’s another chance to do something I love with the people I love, there’s always an opportunity to get better as a player every day and I love it.”
Since Ulland has been on the Jays’ varsity roster, the team has won a total of 29 games but the senior said there has been consistent improvement every year she’s been with the team.
Take last season for example — the Jays finished at 9-15 overall and 6-12 in conference. The year before that, the team ended with a 6-18 overall and 2-14 conference record.
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“Last year we definitely improved as a team and we got older and more experienced, our record didn’t show what we wanted it to, but we were still young, it was a great experience for us to keep growing,” Ulland said. “(This year) I expect a lot of improvement not only from myself but with my teammates as well. We worked really hard in the off season together, and you can tell in practice and in games our team chemistry has gotten a lot better. I think our team can achieve a lot of amazing things this year, but it starts with hard work in practice.”
As of Dec. 31, the Jays are 2-3 overall and 0-2 in conference. Results from the contest with Bismarck St. Mary’s on Jan. 2 were unavailable when The Jamestown Sun went to press.
“We’re focusing on the weaknesses in practice, and in practice we’re trying to focus on the little things which you can always improve while also working on the fundamentals,” Ulland said. “I am very excited for the rest of the season, also a little shoutout to … our athletic trainers they always help us get ready to play and keep us healthy, they deserve the most recognition, and are the best in the world. Go Blue Jays.”
