Basketball was just a small part of Lola Lesmond’s adjustment to high school.
Less than two years ago, Lesmond had to adapt to a new country, school and language. Her family moved from France to Evanston before the start of last school year.
But the Evanston sophomore guard proved to be a fast learner in the classroom and on the court. She’s making a clear impact for the talented Wildkits by averaging 10 points per game and connecting on 43 of her first 98 3-point attempts.
Just as Lesmond has grown as a basketball player, she also has adapted to the culture of American hoops. She’s quickly become accustomed to the slang and nuances of basketball on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Lesmond has become comfortably immersed into her new culture — on and off the court.
“After a year and a half, my English is much better,” Lesmond said. “There is a shot clock in France and basketball is more team-oriented, but there are better athletes over here.”
Evanston coach Brittany Johnson said Lesmond has become a focal part of the program.
“Last year, her English was pretty bad,” Johnson said. “We had a meeting with her to talk about her goals, and we couldn’t even get her goals for this season. We couldn’t understand what she was saying. Her English is so much better now. She now tries to get me to speak French.”
Lesmond is now on the same page with her coaches. She drilled a couple of key shots in Evanston’s victory against Lake Forest in the Montini Christmas Tournament title game.
Lesmond’s ability to stretch the floor with her perimeter shooting opens up the middle for center Ambrea Gentle to operate, and it also creates driving lanes for Jayla Turchin and Kayla Henning.
The 6-foot Lesmond is often an overlooked player on Evanston’s talented team, but her size, strength and shooting are starting to attract attention from colleges. She’s following in her older brother’s footsteps and making her own mark on the local hoops scene.
Her brother, Louis Lesmond, played one season for Evanston before transferring to Notre Dame. Louis Lesmond, a junior forward, has offers from Illinois, Nebraska, Dayton, Oklahoma, Xavier, Loyola of Chicago and Santa Clara.
“After my freshman year, I feel more comfortable,” Lola Lesmond said. “I believe I have a better understanding of the expectation of Coach and high school basketball in the United States.”
Johnson said Lesmond dedicated her offseason to improving her game and building up her body, which led to a dramatic difference on the court.
“Lola played on a really good AAU team, so when she came back this fall, she was almost unrecognizable because she was more confident, taller and her English was so much better,” Johnson said. “She took advantage of our brand new weight room and got bigger, stronger and quicker over the course of the year.
“I feel for an underclassman to stick out and shine with all of the seniors we have shows she’s going to be a special player. She makes us harder to guard and limits double-teams on our posts.”
Evanston junior guard Rashele Olatunbosun said Lesmond has adapted to a different brand of basketball and a new culture.
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“Lola’s development has helped the team a lot,” she said. “She’s always been one of our shooters that we depend on. She’s gaining more confidence in handling the ball. On the defensive side, in our game against Bolingbrook, she showed that she could play great defense. Her communication skills have really improved.”
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press