After an extended wait, the St. Joe’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are preparing for NCAA play, welcoming in two new freshmen to each of their squads. They will seek improvement from last season, which ended in losing records for both teams.
For the women’s team, freshmen guards Olivia Mullins and Emma Boslet are eager to make their debut.
Mullins, who played point guard at Rutgers Preparatory School, comes from Somerset, New Jersey. Mullins led her team to a 25-5 record her senior year and 102-18 record over her four years. Mullins averaged 10.5 points per game her senior season, and along with being a 2019-20 McDonald’s All-American nominee, she was also a repeat All-Skyland Conference First Team pick.
“I’m a very offensive minded player,” Mullins said. “I think my mid-range game is a lost art, so I think that’s very valuable to have.”
Mullins comes from a diverse basketball background. Her father, Lee Mullins Jr., played for Coastal Carolina University during the 1989-90 season where they won the 1989-90 Big South Championship. Her uncle, Tyrone Findley, played at Jersey City University, and her aunt, Camille Findley, played at Franklin Pierce University.
“I was handed a basketball at a very young age,” Mullins said. “Just having people around me with love and knowledge for the game throughout my life has definitely influenced my game and passion.”
Boslet played for Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in New Jersey, where she is the all-time leader in points across both the men’s and women’s programs with 1,948 total points in her four years. Boslet led the Trojans to a 25-5 record during her senior season, scoring 16.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and averaging 1.7 assists per game.
“I think my versatility is the best part of my game,” Boslet said. “I can score, I can make a play or I can grab boards.”
Boslet collected a slew of awards during her tenure with the Trojans, including being a 2019-20 McDonald’s All-American nominee, Home News Tribune Player of the Year, All-County, All-Division First Team selection and led her team to the Great Middlesex County Championship title.
According to the freshmen, the team so far has offered a family-type atmosphere, and the upperclassmen on the team have been there for support, looking to create chemistry on and off the court.
“They really act like big sisters,” Boslet said. “Whatever and whenever I need something, they are there to help, whether it’s information or advice, they’re there for us.
Head Coach Billy Lange’s men’s team welcomes two freshmen: Jordan Hall and Jadrian Tracey. The two have been training with the team since the beginning of the school year.
Jadrian Tracey comes from Fort Myers, Florida, where he played basketball, football and baseball for West Oaks Academy. Tracey averaged 16 points, five rebounds and four assists per game and led his school to the 2020 Florida State title game, finishing the game with 19 points.
Tracey attributed his signing with St. Joe’s to the program’s commitment to him, as well as the school’s culture.
“I broke my hand and needed surgery, and they still stuck with me and believed in me,” Tracey said. “The school is a great place to be and is filled with opportunities.”
Jordan Hall, a New Jersey native, played for Neumann Goretti High School of the Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL). Hall led his school to a 45-13 record over the course of his junior and senior seasons. He was named First Team All-Catholic and First Team 3A All-State after leading his team to a highly contested PCL title his senior year.
“I can shoot, I can handle, I can pass,” Hall said. “I think my best skill is passing. I’ve learned a lot since coming here, the physicality and work is much more intense than high school.”
Sophomore guard Cameron Brown noticed a fearlessness from both Tracy and Hall that impressed him right away.
“Both of them have come here and put the work in and shown that they’re not afraid of anything,” Brown said in a press conference. “They’re both going to grow and become better for themselves and for the team.”
Lange said that already, Hall has exerted a court vision that is among the best he has ever seen, both in the NBA and college.
“Jordan [Hall] is exactly what I thought he was, he’s as gifted of a passer and player as I’ve ever seen,” Lange said in a press conference. “He’s probably within the top seven in floor vision that I’ve ever coached or coached against.”
With the NCAA season for both men’s and women’s basketball set to begin on Nov. 25, all four freshmen await their opportunity to make their mark on St. Joe’s basketball.
