SEQUIM — Always on the move, Julmist family members say it’s hard to get themselves all in one place.
“A crazy schedule is normal,” the Sequim family agreed, as it’s not uncommon for three or four events to overlap.
The family of seven is either at school, competing with school sports, on the go with a travel team, at the family’s SportsFit Training Center and/or simply doing something active.
“I just prefer to be doing something,” said 12-year-old Jericho.
“A lot of the time, we’re flying by the seat of our pants because it’s too hard to keep track of everything,” mom Nikki Hover Julmist said from her SportsFit Training Center surrounded by her family, including husband Joclin and five children — Jayla 17, Jelissa, 15, Jericho, Jordyn, 10, and Jaylen, 4.
This summer, Jayla will make the move to her parents’ collegiate footsteps as she’s committed to play basketball for The Master’s University in Santa Clarita, Calif. Her major is biology.
“I like the sunshine and that my parents went there,” she said.
Joclin and Nikki met running through the same basketball circles when they both played for the school. They dated for five years, including when Nikki transferred to Northwest University, before marrying in 2002.
Joclin was voted to the school’s Hall of Fame for his record-setting basketball career. He was a three-time NAIA All-American, led the nation one year with 14.2 rebounds per game and finished his college career leading the school in career steals (295) and third-most in rebounds (1,565).
Joclin was recruited from Grand Bahama Island, where he was born and raised, developing his love for basketball at about age 10.
He said during his senior year, his team played in a lot of tournaments across the U.S., which led him to be recruited along with a long list of players from the Bahamas to play for colleges across the nation.
Next generation
Joclin said Jayla has been scouted by his former school since her sophomore year and received nearly a full-ride scholarship with local scholarship awards likely helping to cover the rest of her costs.
Since her sophomore year, Jayla holds a double-double average at Sequim High with 10.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game along with 2.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game. During her senior year, her averages went up to 13.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per contest.
Paired with sister Jelissa on the court, they made quite the match-up nightmare as Jelissa nearly averaged a double-double this season as well, with 12.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest.
With some future teammates taller than Jayla at 5 feet, 11 inches and receiving National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics accolades, she said she anticipates playing small forward or a guard position on a regular basis for the first time.
“I’m excited to do something new,” she said. “I like the competition.”
Competing in larger areas with travel teams, including playing alongside Port Angeles standout Millie Long with 90-TEN in Tumwater, helped her experience a higher level of play in various tournaments, including in Arizona and Indiana.
“It was a whole new level,” Jayla said.
Joclin feels Jayla is ready for college hoops.
“She puts in a lot of work and time on her own that people don’t see,” he said.
Jayla said she anticipates she’ll need to improve her all-around game in college but will focus most on her offense.
“She can shoot; she just doesn’t live to shoot,” Joclin said.
Jayla and Jelissa are complete opposites; as Joclin notes, Jelissa “hasn’t seen a shot she doesn’t like.”
In one-on-one competition, Jayla admits her younger sister does come out on top.
“I am more offensive [minded] than her,” Jelissa said.
But Jayla said she loves playing with her sister, adding, “I can feed her on the inside.”
College choices
Having their daughters go to their former school wasn’t a priority for Joclin and Nikki, they said, as they preferred her to be closer to home while still finding a good team to connect with and grow as a player and person.
Jayla said she looked at a few colleges, such as Peninsula College and Western Washington University, but opted for The Master’s.
“What they want to do is up to them [for college],” Joclin said. “If they want to do it, then we’ll push.”
All of the Julmist children say their parents are supportive, with mom one of their loudest supporters at games.
“It’s embarrassing,” the Julmist youths agreed.
As for future Julmists at Master’s University, Jelissa said she has no clue what she wants to do after high school. For her junior year, she anticipates moving to center on the court to follow her sister.
As for her best memory with Sequim basketball, Jayla feels the Wolves’ Feb. 27, 2019, come-from-behind win over Foster in districts to advance to state stands out.
Jayla had nine points and 19 rebounds in the game to help shut out the Bulldogs over the last 12 minutes as the Wolves rallied via a 28-0 run to win 54-44.
