When Janeliss Laboy first stepped foot on the court freshman year, her coach gave her some lofty goals.
“I recruited her to play for us when she was in eighth grade,” said Frankford coach Jonathon Michels “She came to school, and right away I told her my expectations. I said she could be a four-time All-Public, our leading scorer every year, a 1,000-point scorer and you’re not on pace for that after the season, you should transfer.
“Two weeks in, she said I have to leave. She said I’m not good enough to play here. I said let’s give it a month. Then, middle of freshman year, she’s averaging 18 (points) and 6 (rebounds) and 6 (steals). But defensively, she was a nightmare. She made no effort. I stopped and (told her to work harder). She ruined practice for the next five minutes. She stole every ball. She didn’t let anyone do anything. And since then, that’s the kind of kid she’s been. She does everything right.”
Laboy has given the Pioneers every bit of energy she’s had, and she’s now the hardest worker on both sides of the court. As she rolls, so do the Pioneers.
Last year she led them to a division championship and a spot in the Public League playoffs.
She has done everything she can to make the Pioneers one of the teams to beat in Public League play.
For her, it’s always about the Pioneers.
But last week, at least for one day, one moment, it was all about Laboy.
Laboy scored her 13 points, including her 1,000th career point, during a win over Franklin Towne Charter.
Even after hitting the milestone, one that she really wanted to reach, she did nothing but pass out praise to those who helped her hit it.
“It means the world, but you’d think me being scoring 1,000 isn’t about me, I didn’t do it by myself,” said Laboy, who has been the team’s top scorer since arriving as a freshman. “Basketball is a team sport, not a single-player sport. It’s not solely on me, it’s on the nine All-Publics I played with.
“I think the 1,000 points, it’s a great accomplishment for myself, but it’s always more to look forward to. I have team goals, I’m a team player. It was just one of those things where people reminded me and it was nice. Everyone was excited, but we kept our composure. It was very nice, but I want team goals.”
That’s how Laboy has been throughout her time at Frankford.
And as her days start to tick by, it’s the only thing she wants.
Some of it is for her. Laboy has put in all the work. She plays basketball all year long and everything is in preparation to win with the Pioneers.
It’s also why she worked so hard to improve other parts of her game.
Laboy always had the talent. She had it since she enrolled in Frankford, and thanks to her speed and agility, she can be a game changer at both ends of the floor.
But one thing she did have to improve on was being a better teammate and leader. It’s not that she wasn’t always loved by all, she was. But she needed to find a way to channel her personality into becoming the face of the Frankford franchise. She was able to do that, and in the process, became the unquestioned leader of the Pioneers.
“I struggled with leadership because I was too myself,” Laboy admitted. “That’s something that coach taught me. Communication was the most important thing. I was more vocal during games and practice and also teaching moments. Teaching them the right way to do things. It’s pretty easy, they’re all great. I just had to be the one to do it.
“I think now I (lead by example and through words). I think my skills show that I am a great player, but when it comes to leadership, you have to work on it and grow. I feel great about being that. I feel respected and my teammates understand why I want them to do well. I’m looking at the big picture. I’m going for something bigger for them and the team. And they trust me, so it works.”
Now that her milestone is behind her, she can fully focus on helping the Pioneers, and there’s a good chance Frankford could make some noise in the Public League.
But she also has dreams beyond her days in high school.
She continues to practice and work hard in hopes she’ll get a chance to continue her career in college. As a straight-A student, she offers a lot to prospective schools interested.
“A lot of my family are in the medical field, nurses and doctors,” Laboy said. “I want to go a different route and do teeth. I think it’s something I’d be interested in. I hope to become a dental hygienist. And I definitely want to play basketball. That’s very important to me.”
She won’t go alone.
On top of having her teammates at Frankford behind her, she has a close relationship with her mom, her biggest supporter.
“My mom doesn’t know I scored my 1m000th point yet, she had to work, she’ll be so excited and probably cry,” Laboy said with a laugh. “My coaches were here, they’re my biggest supporters. Not just (Michels) but my AAU coach (Frank Adams). He’s an assistant with Imhotep, but he was here today. I’m blessed to be around a lot of great people.”
