FORT SMITH — With a name like hers, Fort Smith Northside junior Jersey Wolfenbarger seemed destined to be a star.
Wolfenbarger, who has grown from 5-8 to 6-4 in the last 18 months and is one of the nation’s top 20 players in the 2021 class, has turned into just that.
She showed off her skills again in a 25-point performance Friday night as Northside (23-3) won its 18th consecutive game by whipping North Little Rock 57-38 to remain unbeaten in 12 conference games.
“I think the biggest thing is that I am able to play multiple positions now - 1 through 4 or 5 now,” Wolfenbarger said. “I can go inside or I can spot up and shoots 3s. That helps me develop as a player and also helps my team out.”
Wolfenbarger, who along with Bentonville junior forward Maryam Dauda are ESPN’s No. 19 and No. 22 ranked players nationally in 2021, scored from all levels during the contest.
“She runs the floor at 6-foot-4 with guard skills and just changes the game,” Northside coach Rickey Smith said. “She passes the ball, she can shoot the 3, she can score with both hands inside. The sky is the limit because she is going to put on 20 or 30 more pounds. Her growth spurt might be ending, but she is only going to keep getting better because she works so hard.
“What a joy to coach. She is a 4.0 student, yes-sir, no-sir kid. Just a once in a lifetime opportunity to coach.”
Arkansas women’s basketball coach Mike Neighbors, who is a close friend of Smith, is around Wolfenbarger as much as NCAA rules allow.
“Best friends,” Smith said. “Coach Neighbors has done great job recruiting her. When she was a ninth grader, we were in constant communication and he was her first offer.
“He took a chance then because she was 5-8 and 105 pounds, and it is paying dividends now. Mike and I are close. I might have had a little prodding on the offer, but we communicate daily.
“He was watching online (Friday night). He has used all seven of his head coaching visits. He’s working it. He knows.”
Wolfenbarger, who led her team to the Class 6A girls state title last season, is keeping a close watch on Arkansas’ program.
“I love their passion and their fire,” Wolfenbarger said. “I think Coach Neighbors does a really good job at making them feel empowered and you can really see that in their play.”
She is a fan of Arkansas star Chelsea Dungee, a versatile 5-11 junior guard who averaged 20.5 points last season and is averaging 17.8 this season.
“She definitely lays out the blueprint, something to chase,” Wolfenbarger said. “She has made me set goals for myself that both keep me motivated and keeps me humble.”
Wolfenbarger has over 30 offers from schools such as Oregon, Oregon State, Baylor, Florida, Mississippi State, Texas, Miami, Notre Dame and Southern California, but is not thinking about recruiting until the season is over.
“I will probably focus on that more after the season,” she said. “My only concern right now is to continue to learn and continue to build.”
Smith is amazed at his star’s focus and has been since she took the high school court as a freshman.
“From her ninth grade year on, whenever you talk to her, you think she has studied the questions the night before because it is like her answers are scripted,” Smith said. “I have never been around a kid that is that in tune with her teammates' feelings, her coach’s feelings, the proper things to say, but Jersey really believes that.
“Now she has got a killer instinct on the floor because she wants to win and she is special. I have coached a long time and I have had a lot of great players, but she is special.”
Wolfenbarger, whose team clinched the outright 6A-West conference championship Friday night and still has two regular season games to play, is happy to be pushed by Smith.
“He holds us to a high standard, and every day in practice you are competing against the best and you are happy to go 110 percent every practice,” Wolfenbarger said. “He doesn’t let us take a day off from getting better.”
She also loves the bond she has with her teammates.
“A lot of it is our team chemistry,” she said. “We all want to win for each other, we all do our jobs and we all do them well.”
Wolfenbarger and fellow junior Tracy Brashears are two keg cogs for the Lady Bears.
“They are best friends, too,” Smith said. “If you see one, you see the other. They share the basketball, they challenge each other in shooting. It is one of those deals where you just feel extremely blessed to be a part of those kids' lives.”
The pair have grown physically since being bought up as ninth graders.
“She was a 5-8 freshman and the first one in school history to move up along with Tracy,” Smith said. “We played North Little Rock and they physically banged on her and I had to giggle after the game, knowing that she was going to mature.
“Now here it is two years later, she’s pushing 6-4 and still has those ball skills. She struggled with it a little bit early this year when the sudden growth spurt hit her, but as you can see these last few weeks, she is catching up with it.”
Wolfenbarger’s work ethic is perhaps best illustrated by a story that involved Smith’s son.
“I have a nine-year-old son and we drove by the gym,” Smith said. “He is in my truck and he says, ‘Dad, something is wrong.’ I said, ‘What do you mean something is wrong?’
"He said, ‘Jersey’s car is not at the gym, so something is wrong.’"