Jenna Boyl sits with her family and coaches after signing her letter of intent to play for St. Clair County Community College. Front from left: Kingston girls basketball coach Jay Green, Boyl, St. Clair girls basketball coach Joel Whymer. Back: Boyl’s mother Glenda Boyl, and father Scott Boyl.
By Mike Gallagher
Sports Writer
KINGSTON — Kingston senior guard Jenna Boyl is a very versitle player. She can shoot the long-ball, make the tough passes, and provide leadership on the court. All of these skills, plus a bit of hard work have helped Boyl, an All-Thumb first-teamer this season, earn a scholarship to play for the St. Clair Community College Skippers basketball team.
“I’m really proud of Jenna for earning a scholarship to SC4,” said Kingston girls basketball coach Jay Green. “SC4 has a good basketball background and they’ve had a lot of success in the past few years.”
“They were pretty close to home, and I didn’t want to too far away,” said Boyl, a three year varsity starter for Kingston. “They had the courses that I wanted to take for the major I wanted to go into.”
Skippers head coach Joel Whymer says that he and his coaching staff had been recruiting Boyl for most of the season.
“Basically I talked to Mr. Kerr (Kingston athletic director Bill Kerr) in the fall, and then I checked on a few things and watched some highlight tapes of her,” said Whymer.
Whymer and his staff were impressed with what they saw.
“We saw how she could shoot the ball, and we were intrigued,” Whymer said. “We want girls that can space the floor and shoot threes.”
Boyl feels that she is going to enjoy playing for Whymer.
“I think that he’s a good coach,” said Boyl. “ I got to watch him coach a few games, and I liked his coaching style, and I played down there a few times and it was really fun.”
Boyl averaged 11.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists this season for the Cardinals, and according to coach Green, she was a great teammate as well.
“She was a great teammate in the sense that she could provid scoring some nights, some nights it was assists, and other nights it was defense,” Green said. “She has been a three year starter here, and has really improved all parts of her game throughout. She just had a well rounded game, and was a big part of the success that we have had here. .”
Some of that success includes being named all-conference, compiling a 39-1 league record over the last three seasons, and winning a regional title this past season.
“It was really cool winning Regionals at home, and it was one of the best feelings ever,” said Boyl. “My favorite moment though was making the game winning three against Deckerville last year in districts.”
Boyl puts up a jumper during a district game this season.
Boyl’s ability to shoot will fit Whymer’s system well.
“We like to play fast, and shoot a lot of threes, and with Jenna playing on the wing, I see her being able to hit shots and really stretch the floor,” said Whymer. “We have a lot of guards, but I think she is right in the mix to compete for time with the other girls.”
Whymer sees Boyl bringing more than just the abitlity to shoot to his team though.
“I expect her to come in and bring value, and leadership, being a great student, and being a great teammate,” Whymer said. “All that stuff carries over into being a good player, and I think she fits that mold. She’s a good kid, comes from a good family, good school, and she can play on top of that.”
Jenna is the daughter of Scott and Glenda Boyl.
“I want to thank my family, and coaches for supporting me for so long,” said Boyl. “They’ve always pushed me to do my best, and that’s why I’m here now.”