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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Beyond basketball

Hitchens, Carter's relationship goes past the court

Brittany Carter picked up a newspaper, and saw a picture of herself after winning the Missouri Class 5A State Championship. During that moment, Carter reminisced on what she calls "the greatest feeling in the world."

It took Carter, now a freshman on the Ball State women's basketball team, three years of heartbreak before she accomplished her dream of winning a high school state title. At that instant, it began to hit her.

"There's really no feeling like it," Carter said.

It was almost like she was lost in time. The occasion was made even better because Carter had her best friend and current teammate, sophomore Jazmin Hitchens, alongside her.

"It was so emotional for both of us because we went through it all in those years when we were together," Hitchens said.

The two first met during AAU basketball, and from that point forward, their relationship took off.

They don't call each other best friends. Rather, they refer to each other as sisters.

"We've been playing with each other [since AAU], and we just grew close because we both have the same kind of competitive spirit," Hitchens said. "What we've been through in high school has brought us closer together."

THE BEGINNING

When their relationship sprouted, it spread into their families. Carter remembers the times where Hitchens would visit on the weekends and spend time with her family during the holidays. Since then, it's become tradition for Hitchens and Carter to get together during their time away from basketball.

"That's just a typical thing, having her over, spending the night, spending time with our families, really just taking her in like she's one of ours," Carter said. "She's a great girl, and I love being around her."

Though they aren't roommates at Ball State, Hitchens and Carter set aside time to catch up during the week. It's rare to not see Hitchens and Carter together, especially on the weekends when they aren't traveling.

"We're always [eating] together or just walking around campus," Carter said. "We walk to study tables together. We're always around each other."

Both Carter and Hitchens played basketball for Incarnate Word Academy, a private Catholic school in St. Louis, Mo.

The women led the Red Knights to a combined 57-5 overall record and three state titles.

While in high school, they received several awards. During her senior season, Hitchens was named Gatorade Missouri Player of the Year, St. Louis Post-Dispatch Player of the Year and was an All-Metro and All-State selection. When Carter was a senior, she was an All-City, All-Metro and All-State selection.

But none of those achievements would've been possible had Hitchens and Carter not developed their skills.

Eventually, they adapted to the game and took on different roles. Hitchens mastered the ability to compete, while Carter discovered her strength of shooting.

"Great leaders are hard to find, especially the ones who are going to put the work in," Dan Rolfes, Incarnate Word varsity coach, said. "Sometimes your best players aren't the best leaders."

While Hitchens and Carter enjoyed success, they matured as players, eventually becoming a pair of unique athletes. Rolfes described Hitchens as a true competitor and Carter as a natural leader.

THE COMPETITOR

In both of her first two seasons at Ball State, Hitchens took time to sit down with her teammates and talk about the kind of tempo she'd grown accustomed to during her high school playing days.

"I [told] them the kinds of things we did in practice, and they wouldn't believe it," Hitchens said. "We scouted, [studied] film, went over our opponents, and some of the girls [here] never did that before. Our coach was very defensive-minded."

If she had a weakness to her game, it would be adapting to a different style of play. Initially, Hitchens struggled to adapt, but she's made a constant effort to improve every day.

"It was hard," Hitchens said. "The way I'm raised, I'm a little bit feisty. I'm still working through [it], but it's gotten a lot better since high school."

Hitchens has always had a knack for competing to the fullest when it comes to basketball. Rolfes said in her high school days she didn't accept defeat.

Hitchens said her competitive nature is something that she wasn't taught; she was born with it.

"I don't really know what it is in me," Hitchens said. "I've been competitive with anything. It could be something as simple as recreational basketball [or] the [Mid-American Conference] Championship game. I'm going to be competitive.

"Some people see competitiveness as something that's scary and they [feel the] need to be timid, but you have to be competitive in everything you do. You shouldn't hide it."

Hitchens certainly hasn't hidden her competitiveness by making her presence felt on the court. While in the midst of her sophomore season, Hitchens leads the Cardinals with 22 blocked shots and is fourth on the team with 97 rebounds and 41 steals.

THE LEADER

Carter hasn't always had the natural ability to lead. It wasn't until her senior season she fully grasped the concept.

"I strive to be a leader," Carter said. "A leader has many qualities that need to develop over time. Watching the older girls like Jaz and really looking up to [her] and seeing how they lead a team and just bouncing off them."

Though she's just a rookie, Carter said she is looking forward to one day becoming the leader of the Cardinals.

When Carter was going through the recruiting process, Hitchens had no influence on her decision to come to Ball State.

"I get that question a lot, but Jaz had no impact whatsoever," she said. "I didn't even know about Ball State. That really had nothing to do with my decision. I really wanted to make sure that it was going to help me in the future."

Carter has had a standout freshman season for the Cardinals. She leads the team in playing time with 29.2 minutes per game and is fifth in the conference in free throw percentage with 84.3 percent.

But it was during the first week of preseason when Carter caught the eye of coach Kelly Packard. Carter's pure athletic ability gave Packard the confidence to insert Carter into the starting lineup.

"From the first week in preseason, Brittany stepped up, was comfortable saying things, was comfortable not just being a person with affirmation words, but kind of talking about effort issues and [she] just naturally can do that," Packard said. "That's leadership."

This season, Hitchens and Carter are the Cardinals' top two offensive players. If not for Rolfes, who spent countless hours each day to fine-tune both Hitchens' and Carter's skills, they wouldn't be in the position they're in today.

"He prepared us to always think about playing at the next level, to always be better than the level we're playing at," Hitchens said. "College was a different transition, but [we] were always ready to be competitive and that's what [Division I] is all about, being competitive."

Whether they're on the court together or spending time with each other, Carter said her relationship with Hitchens is more than being best friends.

"She's like that older sister that I've always wanted that is there to give me advice when I need it and to just have fun and laugh with," Carter said. "Jaz has been a good friend and been there for me through everything."


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