By John “Woods” Armwood III
The Lower Marion native is among the country's most unique freshmen and the No.15 player in the country—the 5’10 scoring phenom from Pennsylvania, whom many recognize as Jessie Buckets or Jessie Moses. Her story isn’t only unique, fascinating, and polarizing to the masses. Many haven’t seen the level of talent Moses possesses at such a young age, let alone proving to be extremely effective at an unprecedented level.
Joining Philly Rise EYBL has put her in great company with former Sh3GotGame features Zoe Brooks and Hannah Hidalgo. Despite following in their shoes, Moses admits that she admires their game and takes every opportunity to learn from them as role models.
“I took it as an opportunity to learn from them and look at them as role models, also Philly Rise has never put pressure on me to be like them,” Moses emphasizes. “I feel like we’re all successful in our ways.”
Jessie Moses Unprecedented Success
Last season, Moses was honored as a player on the high school team, Westtown School, but was recognized as an eighth-grader academically. Meaning, as an eighth grader she was competing against high school girls and finding immense success. In fact, she was accompanied by another eighth grader and star player, Jordyn Palmer, who helped her conquer a championship.
“I feel like everyone is a great player, and it takes a team to win a championship,” Moses states. “Winning back to back, our chemistry has led our team to play with each other in high school and AAU.”
Despite their chemistry, Moses was thrust into a situation where she’d be asked to lead a group of older girls to the promised land. Ultimately, this was an intense learning experience for inexperienced Moses, however she managed to answer the call. One of the biggest things she learned about herself was patience and building an even stronger self-confidence.
“I feel like as an eighth grader, I took this entire experience as a learning experience playing with Division I players,” Moses explains. “Although I played a lot of minutes and we won the championship, becoming a better leader and learning how to lead was important for me. Now, I believe I can lead others effectively.”
Jessie Moses: ‘Big Paws on a Puppy’
Moses began playing sports since a child, she played: soccer, softball, track, cross country, and basketball. Ironically, she took each of them equally as seriously meaning she prepared and trained intensely to be exceptional at these sports. Until the fifth grade, when she knew that basketball was her true calling. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic played a factor in her decision-making. Naturally, due to the lockdown, many were forced to be indoors and the majority of the other activities were predominately taken outside, therefore she was able to hone in and truly find her passion and love for the game. She’s yet to look back and it’s safe to say it’s all worked out in her favor.
“I played them all pretty seriously up until fifth grade,” Moses claims. “That’s when I knew I wanted to take basketball seriously. Unfortunately, the pandemic hit and that’s when I was in the gym because that’s all I could do. Who knows, if it wasn’t for COVID-19, I’m not sure if I would focused on basketball.”
Despite her being an elite talent now, it wasn’t always this way. One of the aspects of the game Moses had to develop over time was her footwork and coordination. She admits growing into her own body and developing her muscles was a process. However, it was prioritized, and naturally, as she began to get stronger and more athletic it translated on the court.
“ … I was tall for my age so I had to grow into my body,” she continues. “I was doing agility strength and condition. Naturally, I began getting stronger and growing into myself.”
Jessie Moses “Sh3GotGame Moment”
Although Moses is extremely young, she has a ton of moments in her career to choose from as her Sh3GotGame Moment. Yet, one of the most meaningful and pivotal moments in her career was when she made the Philly Rise 15u EYBL team while only in seventh grade. Despite playing up her entire life, she enjoys playing for Philly Rise and believes playing against great talent will naturally elevate her game. Therefore, she welcomes the healthy competition and believes it’ll only increase her “Dog” as a player.
“My Sh3GotGame Moment was when I made my first ever 15u EYBL Philly Rise team,” Moses elaborates. “I was only in seventh grade, but I’ve been playing up my entire life so it wasn’t different. The ability to play with new people, and make new friends forces me to mature to play with older kids. Also, I enjoy playing with older because it turns my inner ‘Dog’ up a ton.”
In conclusion, when asked if was there any advice she’d like to leave with any younger girls and boys that may resonate with her journey or who may look up to her, Moses responded:
“I feel like just working hard will get you to where you want to go, but It’s never about competing with others. The only way you get better every day is by competing with yourself and being consistent every day. Always remember to make friends, not enemies!”