Freshman Celeste James makes history as the first TJ volleyball player to be named as an All-American.
Freshman Celeste James brought her a-game and played well to be named All American. Photos provided by Henry Jackson and Jerry Esparza.
As of December 18, 2012, Freshman Celeste James was confirmed by MaxPreps- an online hub for high school sports- to be one of the top freshman volleyball players in the country. “James had excellent numbers for the 20-4 Spartans with 311 kills, 239 digs, 49 blocks and 39 aces,” states the blurb written by Tom Mauldin of MaxPreps.
After the Spartans’ season ended with a heartbreaking loss, they thought their history-making was over for the year after they were named as one of the top ten teams in 4A, won the DPS league, hosted the regional tournament, and went soaring beyond everyone’s expectations before falling in a 5-set loss (that went into extra points) to Mountain View one step short of the State tournament; but on December 18, James was selected as one of the top players in the country by MaxPreps, a site specifically designed for high school sports.
“I was at volleyball practice when I found out about it,” said James. “We were getting all our stuff off and my coach said, ‘Celeste, come here,’ so I walked over there expecting something about practice. Then she said, ‘You’re an All-American,’ and I freaked out a little bit.” This prestigious award is only given to twenty freshmen throughout the United States each year.
The whole volleyball program at TJ showed support and excitement for James upon hearing about the award. “She’s helped me grow as a player and as a person,” says Sophomore Sabrina Kohrt, who played on the Varsity team with James. “She made me more competitive, and she challenged me. I had to work up to her level, and be able to compete.”
Sophomore Essence Reece, also a Varsity player, adds, “I think it’s very good that Celeste was able to get All-American. She deserves it– she works really hard.”
Sophomore Jessica Jackson, TJ Varsity player and one of James’s teammates from her club team, Colorado Volleyball Association, (a competitive volleyball team whose season starts as the high school season ends) says, “It’s a really good opportunity for her. She worked really hard to get it, and she deserves it.”
Only two players in the entire state of Colorado were named to an All-American team: James, who is on the Freshman team, and Haleigh Washington, a Junior from Doherty High School, who was named to the Junior team, and helped Doherty win the 5A State Volleyball Championships. Athletic Director Andrew Skari says, “She (Washington) was at Middle Park when I was at Bruce Randolph, so I’ve seen her play since she was a freshman. She’s great, but I think Celeste has the chance to be every bit as good.”
Of course, Varsity Volleyball Coach Kathleen Nickless was bursting with excitement, saying, “To have the privilege of coaching an athlete that is the first Thomas Jefferson volleyball player to earn All-American honors is almost surreal. It’s an incredible feeling, and is huge for our program.”
James’ honor will have both immediate and future impacts on the whole TJ Volleyball program. In the wake of their record-setting year, the team seemed excited for its next season, but also ready to have a break. James’ achievement seemed to reignite their excitement and boost confidence throughout the program. “I feel like next year will be an amazing year again,” says Reece. “We’ll have an even better opportunity to go to the State tournament. It should be a good year—I’m really excited!”
Jackson adds, “I think it (James’ award) is really going to have a good impact on us, because we have really strong hitters, and I know that everybody’s stats are going to go up because they’re working really hard now, and next year we’ll keep working hard… It’s going to be a good year!”
After coming into the spotlight in the beginning of the school year as a volleyball star and now receiving this honor, James has stayed humble. “It was overwhelming for me, because it’s such a high honor… It was really nice to see my mom and my grandma so proud of me, and to know that no matter what we’ve been through, good things can come out of it.” She says that she won’t let the award affect her playing, either. “If anything, it makes me want to play harder, so I think I’ll come out twice as strong, just knowing that when people see me, there’ll be a big target on my back. People will want to block me even more, and things like that. So I’ll play harder and stronger, and it’ll make me become a better volleyball player. I just want to become better at what I do.” Above all, she says that she wouldn’t have been able to achieve what she has without the help of her teams, both for school and for club, her coaches, and her family. “My school team gave me a lot of support. They pushed me to do better, and I don’t know where I’d be without their support and the support of my family,” said James.
James has also done some planning for the future, and has one big goal set for herself, one about which nearly every young athlete has dreamed. The only difference with Celeste is that she’s already focused on making it her reality. “My big goal is really the Olympic team. I’m really working toward that. Finishing school is a big part of it, and going on to a Division One college. To be known worldwide would be amazing.” So far, James says she doesn’t know what college she’ll attend, but she has had offers from several schools. She says she’d love to play for the University of Texas, because that’s where she’s from and they won the Division One Championship last year, but she hasn’t made any decisions yet.
Celeste James has stormed onto the volleyball scene, capturing the attention of people nationwide. After an enormously successful freshman season and being named to the Freshman All-American team by MaxPreps, James has a bright future set up for her, and a long career ahead. She has amazed the volleyball team and the whole TJ community, and she has made the team determined to succeed in its upcoming season. As Coach Nickless said, “This is a tremendous honor for Celeste, the volleyball program, the Spartan community and for Denver Public Schools! Way to go Celeste!”
