Tribute to Betty Jaynes, Part 1: Just Call Her "Jump Shot"

( Guru's note. As your Guru said in a tweet Monday when word of WBCA executive Betty Jaynes' passing was made public, it was hard to believe in exactly four weeks' time we lost two great WBB trailblazers in Betty and retired Penn State WBB SID Mary Jo Haverbeck.

But the Guru is here to serve and pay tribute as always.

Since the WBCA is handling a bunch of coverage, the Guru is working the hinterlands as a companion to them -- going in places only the Guru can go to get notables from the past some wouldn't be aware of.

This will be ongoing over the next week with regular Guru season coverage, just as the WBCA must get things done at its busiest time of the year, while also honoring Betty.

Requests just started getting around Tuesday afternoon for those who want to go in this direction. So let me get out of italic type and start our tribute here. )

By Mel Greenberg

To begin, in this first part, since Betty was about fun, the Guru feels we start on a light note with a few of his own thoughts and then getting the answer to the question that immediately rose but did not appear elsewhere -- where did Betty's nickname come from?

In fact, if everything was reversed into other individuals right now, if the Guru would run into Betty in a hotel lobby, she would probably start like this:

Big smile and "Mel, Howl you" in her enchanting southern drawl.

And then she would next cut to the chase. "Mel, I've been dying to ask you because I know you know people, where did (person) ever get that nickname?"

You should know way back before some of you were born and the Guru was starting to assemble what became the first Associated Press rankings voting board -- which back then had to be coaches since media was mostly nil -- Betty was one of the first persons the Guru called at the suggestion of his Guru back then -- Ed Jaworski, the sports information director at Queens College.

And once we started, a Sunday night didn't go by without one of the Guru's staff saying, "Hey, Betty wants to talk to you a moment."

And it was usually a query about something that was happening.

When the NCAA was on the horizon to become involved in women's athletics, Betty was looking for advice on which way the winds were blowing and what did the future hold.

And she would run ideas by me and vice versa.

And of course, when she discussed the WBCA concept I totally endorsed it as something that would be important in the new world.

As I said in Monday's tweets, she would always invite me to come up to Springfield, Mass., and sit at her table when the Naismith induction ceremony/dinner was in the old arena before its renovation and before the new hall was built and things became more than a bit pricey.

One year she said I could bring a guest and the Guru remembered Anne Donovan always wanted to go to the event.

So he gave the invitation, but then Anne couldn't make it because something came up.

The next year Anne was voted in and Betty said to me, "Well, Mel. It looks like Annie is going to have a better seat this year."

Betty was involved in everything and since she wasn't exactly the best at evolving technology, it was always a bit humorous at some of those early Mock Bracket sections the NCAA held to see Sue Donohoe and Michelle Perry go over to help Betty understand all the computer jargon.

So that's some quick starts and also at the end of this next passage, the Guru will offer some of the emails that arrived while in part two, he's giving the folks at James Madison their own thread throughout our tributes here.

Just Call Her "Jump Shot"

So of course having the same curiousity as Betty did as mentioned above, an attempt was made to find out the roots to the nickname.

The Guru first called Wendy Larry, now in charge of women's basketball at the Atlantic 10, but who coached and played at Old Dominion, a rival of JMU in the state of Virginia.

Furthermore, she served as a WBCA president working close with Betty.

"Well, you actually have to go way up the food chain to get that answer," Wendy said. "But I can tell you this:

"One year they gave Betty a boat and they called it "Jump Shot."

"And, if you were fortunate enough to get an invitation, there were visors to wear with the phrase 'Jump Shot.'

"I won't say too much more but I will say those cruises were quite memorable," Larry related.

"But to get serious before I have to run. I have never met anyone who was a more passionate and I mean passionate warrior than Betty was -- not only about women's basketball, but especially about fighting for Title IX. She was the best."

Meanwhile, you know your Guru knows his way up that food chain and sure enough, Beth Bass, who has been Betty's WBCA executive successor, revealed most in an email the Guru received early Tuesday evening.

And special thanks to Jack Watford at WBCA, who has his hands full on normal issues besides helping the tributes flow, for helping the Guru at his end.

The parenthesis in Beth's remarks are the Guru's for placing times in Beth's story.

"(Current WNBA Indiana Fever assistant coach) Mickie DeMoss gave Betty the nickname (way back) after she learned that Betty was an All-State player and accidentally scored two points in her high school career.

"She was a defensive player in the old days of "half court" and rovers. DeMoss thought that was hilarious and started calling Betty "jumpshot" for her only two points in her career.

"Honestly, Betty told me at first it kinda bothered her, but then Pat (Summitt), (Holly) Warlick, (Theresa) Grentz, (Lin) Dunn, Billie Moore, Mary Nell Meadors and me (Beth) started to call her that too.

"We were at a golfing weekend in Destin. Betty eventually embraced the nickname, even with the absence of cocktails.

"But you should call DeMoss. She is certain the story has gotten even better by now. It makes her smile."

The Guru tried to reach DeMoss through mutual friends before writing this, but some of his technology was out of whack to get a return via DM twitter. He's still on the case for an ensuing follow-up.

Supplementary Tributes Here to What They are Saying at the WBCA Site.

Hall of Famer Ann Meyers Drysdale: "Betty was the 'GodMother' to so many of us in the game of women's basektball and the WBCA. She was always speaking out and fighting on behalf of the players and coaches.

Betty was so special to us all, that were involved in the game of basketball, but she was much more---a friend to us all. She will be missed, but her legacy will always be a part of all of us."

Minnesota women's basketball coach Pamela Borton: "I don't remember a time in college women's basketball without Betty Jayne being very involved. She was our leader, our voice, our mentor and one that was instrumental in where the game is today.

"She was caring, always looking out for all the coaches and developing future coaches for our game.

I" enjoyed talking with Betty on the phone because I could always count on her southern accent and how she said my name, It always made me smile. She would always call to say hello and when she needed something and of course I could never say no to Betty.

"We all will miss seeing her at the Final Four and I know she has left the game in good hands. Its our jobs to continue carrying her flag and making the game better.

"We will all continue to make you proud Betty."

Northwestern women's basketball coach Joe McKeown: "Really saddened by the passing of Betty Jaynes. She was a great friend and a pioneer in women's basketball.

"Nobody worked harder on behalf of coaches and our student-athletes. Our sport lost a great advocate. She will be in our prayers."

Illinois women's basketball coach Matt Bollant: "Betty was great to me. She believed in me and made me feel like I could do anything. I love who she was so much."

University of South Florida women's basketball coach Jose Fernandez: "Guru,

I had the distinct pleasure to work on the All America Committee the last 4 years which Betty has been a part of since it's inception.

The passion, integrity and love she had for our game was unparalleled.

She was someone when she called, you couldn't say no to. Her work with the 'So you want to be a coach' program has given so many coaches an opportunity to enter our profession.

She had her hand in so many projects, whether it was the Yes clinics, conference captain work, she was just amazing."

The Guru thinks he got everything in here that was sent other than the JMU memories, which are in the blog below this.

More to come and thank you everyone. You make the Guru's heavy lifting so much lighter.

-- Mel




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