Chargerettes' Jacobi Lynn driving for state supremacy

McMinn Central senior guard Jacobi Lynn, center, hopes to lead the Chargerettes back to the Class AA state tournament, and she has the goal of earning a Miss Basketball award along the way.
McMinn Central senior guard Jacobi Lynn, center, hopes to lead the Chargerettes back to the Class AA state tournament, and she has the goal of earning a Miss Basketball award along the way.
photo Jacobi Lynn (10) has the chance to become the all-time scoring leader at McMinn Central, one of the most tradition-rich girls' basketball programs in the Chattanooga area.

It wasn't until fifth grade that Jacobi Lynn began putting all of her athletic focus on basketball.

She tried soccer and softball. She even participated in football as a child. And she was a cheerleader for one year.

But since she was a pre-schooler and first took shots on the miniature goal at nearby uncle Carroll Lee's house, it was as though fate was making a decision for her.

"I was good at the other sports," Lynn said, "but I was told I was a natural at basketball."

Now the 5-foot-7 left-handed sharpshooter is two-thirds of the way through her senior season at McMinn Central. Chargerettes coach Johnny Morgan recalled when she was in elementary school and he first saw her play.

"She was special," Morgan said. "Definitely special. You could see it then. Her fundamentals were just so good. She's just so smart. She was a guard but could score against a 6-footer inside. She's just been a complete player since about seventh grade."

Unfortunately for Lynn she tore the ACL and meniscus in her left knee when she was in eighth grade. She had to have a second surgery the next year to remove scar tissue and repair the meniscus. But the injury and subsequent operations didn't discourage Lynn from wanting to keep playing the game she loves.

Perhaps her mental toughness began developing at an early age when she had to learn how to move on after a family tragedy. She was 7 when her 10-year-old brother, Jake, was killed in all-terrain-vehicle accident on their property.

He's the reason she wears jersey No. 10.

"He's still my inspiration," she said.

Lynn's prowess as a basketball player led her to receive several college scholarship offers. She chose University of Tennessee at Chattanooga coach Jim Foster's offer and signed with the Mocs in November. Her career goal is to become a pediatric oncology nurse.

"First off, I loved the girls," Lynn said after visiting UTC and meeting with the team. "Everything felt great. I felt like I belonged there. They've got a Hall of Fame coach. He's a great coach. I feel like he'll help me improve my play. The girls coming in with me are very talented. It just made me excited for the future. I would love to play in the NCAA tournament."

Before that possibility come about, Lynn has a few things she'd like to check off her high school goals' list.

She was a Class AA Miss Basketball finalist last year. She'd like to win the award this year.

Lynn also has the chance to become McMinn Central's all-time scoring leader. If she continues averaging in the low 20s in points per game, she could surpass the 2,599 points compiled by Elizabeth Masengil, a two-time Miss Basketball winner who graduated in 2013.

"They're all different," Morgan said of the many standouts who have come through the Chargerettes program. "The teams they played on were different. She's been fortunate enough to play on a good team each year. She didn't see a lot of the box-and-one defenses some of the others saw when they were the best players. She's got other players around her who can score.

"People ask me if she's the best. When I'm asked that, I say she's one of the best, but all of them had something about them. She's got a chance to be the all-time leading scorer. That's pretty good for the people we've had."

Lynn's chances of getting to 2,600 points would be greatly increased should No. 6-ranked McMinn Central (16-3) make a repeat trip to the state tournament. As much as the Miss Basketball trophy is important to her, so is the trophy that goes to the state-tournament winner.

"We've got good depth," Lynn said. "We've got people off the bench that can score. I would like to see us play defense better. We've been working on it. If we can improve our defense and our commumication on the court, I think we'll have a perfect shot at state."

Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him on Twitter @KelleySmiddie.

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