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C Jantel Lavender - 4-time Big Ten Player of the Year (LA Sparks)

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CPD

Getting to know twins Jantel and Jazmine Lavender

Thursday, November 23, 2006

School: Cleveland Central Catholic.
Sports: Jantel plays volleyball and basketball; Jazmine plays basketball, track and bowling.
Year: Seniors.
Age: 17.
Height: Jantel is 6-4; Jazmine is 5-8.
Family: They live in Euclid with their mother, Robin.
Clubs: Both are in Spanish and Student Ambassadors clubs, Peer Mediators and Senior Council.
Hobbies: Jantel loves to style hair; Jazmine loves to shop.
Favorite subjects: Both like math and science.
Future aspirations: Jantel wants to be a pediatrician; Jazmine wants to be an architect.
What would they do if they won the lottery? "I'd buy my mom a house and donate money to Reality Sports Inc. and Make-A-Wish," Jantel said. "I'd donate money to various chari ties and go on a shopping spree with my mom and sister," Jaz mine said.
Favorite athletes: Jantel favors Cavaliers star LeBron James; Jazmine likes sprinter Marion Jones.
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CPD

GIRLS BASKETBALL PLAYERS TO WATCH


Thursday, November 23, 2006

Jantel Lavender, Cleveland Central Catholic, C, 6-5, Sr.: The Ohio State University recruit averaged 20.7 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks last year.
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GIRLS BASKETBALL PREVIEW
Purple haze clears

An agonizing choice has the Lavender sisters more committed to the Ironmen

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Bob Fortuna
Plain Dealer Reporter

Jantel and Jazmine Lavender were torn between two loves during the basketball off-season: Melvin Burke and Cleveland Central Catho lic.
When well-liked Burke announced he was leaving his position as Central Catholic's girls basketball coach on June 2 to continue pursuing a college degree, it left a void for the twins. But they understood his departure.
However, when Burke an nounced he was going to coach Lutheran East's girls basketball team 17 days later, the Lavender twins were forced to make a dif ficult decision.
Do they stay at Central Catholic, a coed parochial school on Cleveland's near east side, for their senior year? Or do they follow Burke to Lutheran East, the private, coed school in Cleveland Heights?
It was a tough call because Burke is more than a coach - he's a friend and mentor.
He discovered Jantel and Jazmine when they were playing seventh-grade basketball at Gar rett Morgan School of Science in Cleveland. He nursed them along, watching Jantel sprout to 6-4 and become the third-best girls basketball player in the nation for the Class of 2007, according to Scout.com. Jazmine, older than Jantel by 46 minutes, is a 5-8 forward/guard who has matured into a dependable role player.
"At first, we said we were going to leave [Central Catholic], but that was out of anger," said Jazmine, also a sprinter on the track team. "But as time passed, we realized we have a lot of good things going for us at Central."
Jazmine carries a 4.13 grade-point average and is in conten tion to graduate as class valedictorian. The twins have formed friendships, they like their teach ers and classes, and they partici pate in many of the same extra curricular activities.
Their closeness and loyalty was instilled by their mom, Robin Lavender.
Robin would dress them alike when they were young. At mom's insistence, they worked Meals On Wheels while they were in el ementary school. And mom has done an outstanding job keeping things equal. What Jazmine gets, so does Jantel. When Jantel washes the dishes, Jazmine is there to dry.
"Our plan was always to go to the same college," Jantel said.
That plan was completed Nov. 15 when Jantel and Jaz mine signed national letters of intent with Ohio State. Both re ceived basketball scholarships, Jantel as a player and Jazmine as part of the support staff.
"From my understanding, Jazmine will be incorporated into a managerial position with the basketball program at OSU," Robin said.
Jantel, who boasts a 3.85 grade-point average, made college visits with Jazmine to Ohio State, North Carolina, Texas and Tennessee. They canceled a visit to defending NCAA champion Maryland after their decision was made.
"Picking a college was tough," Jantel said, "but deciding if we were going to stay at Central or transfer [to Lutheran East] was tougher."
Brian Arth, Burke's successor at Central Catholic, didn't want any part of it.
"They had a lot of people giv ing their opinions on what they should do," Arth said, "so I just laid low."
To avoid a hasty decision, the twins and mom approached the situation like they did when de ciding on a college. They sat down and took time as Burke suggested, and made a pro-con list for each school.
When all was evaluated and re-evaluated, the family came up with only two reasons to leave Central Catholic: Burke and bas ketball.
That wasn't good enough, and after many restless nights, tears, and chewed-down fingernails, their mid-July decision to stay put ended up being a no-brainer.
Next came the hardest part. Who would tell Burke? That's when mom stepped in, volun teering as mediator.
"First of all, I told coach Burke how much we loved him," Robin said. "I even called his wife [Vo nita] to tell her how much we loved him. When I told him the girls weren't leaving, we all cried."
Burke initially felt there was a 50-50 chance the twins would transfer, but as time passed, he knew those odds were slipping out of his favor.
"I was shocked at first when Robin gave me the news, but as she explained how they came to their decision, I understood," Burke said. "I guess I always knew the answer, but I had to hear it from them. It was final that way."
Their reasons for staying were numerous, but two were the most telling. They love Central Catholic and they didn't want their reputations to take a hit.
"We would have been looked at as jocks," said Jantel, the out spoken twin. "If basketball was the only reason we transferred, then we hadn't learned a thing.
"Getting an education, keep ing the friends you've made and making good memories with those friends is why you go to school. We want to finish what we've started as student-athletes because that's what we are.
"We want to go to our class re union someday with clear minds. We'll be able to do that with the decision we've made."
Everyone in the Lavender home is resting better now, al though their minds race every once in a while, knowing what the upcoming months hold.
Down time will be at a pre mium.
"We have to figure a way to make sure we're at the Lutheran East games when we're not play ing," Jazmine said.
They will figure out a way. Time is always made for people and places you love.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: [email protected], 216-999-4665
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McDonald's picks Lavender

Thursday, February 22, 2007 Bob Fortuna

Plain Dealer Reporter
Before earning Ohio's Ms. Basketball award and leading the East Tech girls to the 2002 Division II state basketball championship, then-senior Barbara Turner was named to the McDonald's All-American Team.
Can Cleveland Central Catholic senior Jantel Lavender be far behind?
Lavender, a 6-4 senior center and three-time Plain Dealer Best of the Best all-star, has been informed she's been chosen for the 2007 McDonald's All-American Team.

Continued....
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CPD

Vote for the top girls basketball performer from Friday and Saturday regional finals on cleveland.com/tlr. Voting is open until noon Tuesday. Check the Web site for a Friday boys basketball Game Balls contest. See who won both polls each Thursday in The Locker Room.
The contenders:

Jantel Lavender,
Cleveland Central Catholic
Senior post dominated with 30 points, 25 rebounds and seven blocks in Saturday's 66-63 overtime victory over Regina.
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CPD

ALL-OHIO GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAMS



Three players share top honor



Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Three days after they played for a girls basketball regional championship, Cleveland Central Catholic senior center Chantel Lavender and Regina junior guard Shay Selby shared a top honor Tuesday. They were named Ohio Division III co-Players of the Year along with Lauren Prochaska of defending state champion Jonathan Alder on the 2006-07 Associated Press All-Ohio team.
Lavender, a 6-4 Ohio State recruit, averaged 21 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots. The four-year starter takes 1,940 career points and 1,251 career rebounds into a state semifinal Thursday after beating Regina last week. Selby, a 5-9 junior who has orally committed to Duke, averaged 23 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.5 assists.

Cont'd...
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Canton

Cleveland Central Catholic star named Ms. Basketball
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
By RUSTY MILLER
AP Sports Writer

COLUMBUS ? She?s a big girl who likes to run the court, a post-up center who can shoot outside, a fearsome shot-blocker who is a gentle giant, has staggering statistics but only cares about winning, and she?s a basketball junkie who?s an honor student.

Meet Jantel Lavender, The Associated Press Ms. Basketball for 2007.

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Lavender plays it cool



Friday, March 16, 2007 Bob Fortuna and Tim Rogers

Plain Dealer Reporters
Columbus- After being named the 2007 Ms. Basketball winner Wednesday, Cleveland Central Catholic senior Jantel Lavender didn't feel added pressure to perform well less than 24 hours later in her team's Division III state tournament semifinal game at Value City Arena.
"I really didn't feel pressure," said Lavender, who collected a game-high 14 points and 14 rebounds during Central's 51-39 victory over Versailles. "I just had to continue to do what I've been doing in previous games.

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Dispatch

DIVISION III: CLEVELAND CENTRAL CATHOLIC 51 VERSAILLES 39
Lavender lives up to Ms. Basketball honor
OSU recruit has 14 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks
Friday, March 16, 2007
Mark Znidar
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Jantel Lavender could have walked into Value City Arena yesterday feeling she had to play 10 feet tall instead of her listed 6 feet 4.
She was getting the once-over from future Ohio State teammates, who were standing near a portal ready to leave for their NCAA Tournament game. Less than 24 hours earlier, she had been named Ms. Basketball, the best player in Ohio.


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GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL



Transfer of power in Division III



Monday, March 19, 2007 Bob Fortuna

Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus- As the Cleveland Central Catholic girls basketball team closed in on school history early Saturday afternoon during the final seconds of a 51-45 victory over Delphos St. John's, a sense of relief fell into the eyes of the players and coaches.
The Ironmen had just won the Division III state championship in noisy Value City Arena to become their school's first team to ever accomplish that feat.
With goals accomplished and expectations met, they could now breathe a little easier.

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HIGH SCHOOL NEWSWATCH



Gatorade calls Lavender best in Ohio



Wednesday, March 28, 2007
From staff reports
Cleveland Central Catholic senior Jantel Lavender has been named the Gatorade Ohio Girls Basketball Player of the Year, following in the footsteps of former Regina standout Carla Jacobs, who won last year.
Lavender now becomes eligible to win the Gatorade National Player of the Year, which will be announced in early April.
The Euclid resident already has been named Ohio's Ms. Basketball and an All-American by McDonald's and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.

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GIRLS BASKETBALL



Lavender scores 12 in all-star win



Thursday, March 29, 2007

Cleveland Central Catholic senior Jantel Lavender scored 12 points for the East in a 105-76 victory over the West in the McDonalds All-American game in Louisville, Ky., on Wednesday.
"It was fun, I really enjoyed it, especially playing in front of my mom and my aunt," the Ohio State recruit and Euclid resident said. "We led all the way. I hope my friends were watching."
The game was televised live on ESPNU.

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