Basketball time is family time for Lakes senior guard Jessica Oman.
In seventh grade, Oman found an ideal way to spend quality time with her father, Mickey.
“Basketball is my bonding time with my dad,” Oman said. “We’re always together, whether training or watching basketball. He’s my best friend.”
So early Thanksgiving morning, less than two days after she hit four 3-pointers and scored 16 points in Lakes’ 57-41 comeback win against Zion-Benton in the Maine East Thanksgiving Tournament, Jessica Oman and her father drove 25 minutes to the Rec Plex in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.
“I wanted to get in some extra work to get better, so I asked my dad to go with me,” she said. “He said, ‘Yes, but we should go early because (Rec Plex) closes early on Thanksgiving.'”
They went at 5:30 a.m. and got down to business.
“I worked on finishing with contact because I’ve been having trouble with that and worked on dribbling and shooting,” Jessica Oman said.
Mickey Oman said they are regulars at the facility, and he spends most of their sessions rebounding. A former junior college basketball referee, he said he taps into his background to provide tips to help his daughter avoid fouls during games.
“She has a really strong dedication to the sport,” he said. “Not a lot of kids would do what she does and go shooting in the early morning. Most kids want to sleep in. She wants to shoot and shoot. The gym (workers) all know who we are.”
Jessica Oman, a second-year starter for the Eagles (2-2), said she sometimes gets frustrated with him.
“We’ve definitely butted heads, but we get over it,” she said. “He’s helped push me to reach one of my goals of playing in college. He knows what I need to do to get there.”
Mickey Oman said sports, in particular basketball, helped them forge a strong relationship.
“She’s my princess, but also my sports buddy,” he said. “We try to go to every sports event together, even football. It’s nice to have her with me. My son is 15 years old, but he has no interest in sports or going to basketball games. Jessica loved sports from the beginning. We would sit down and watch basketball, football and soccer games.”
Jessica Oman, who also plays field hockey, splits time at point guard with junior Inclarity Turney and is part of a solid three-guard starting lineup that includes junior Janae Pullen.
Oman, who averaged 6.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists last season, wants to finish her Lakes career on a high note.
“I want to win conference, get all-conference and average over 10 points per game,” she said.
Her strong game against Zion-Benton came on her mother Tracy’s birthday.
“I walked up to my mom and gave her a hug,” Oman said. “She said, ‘This is my birthday gift. Thanks.'”
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Lakes coach Brian Phelan said he has watched Oman develop her game and her leadership traits. His daughter, senior guard/forward Kendall Phelan, has played with Oman for a number of years.
“Jessica lives and breathes basketball,” Brian Phelan said. “Players like her don’t come around very often. She’s a leader who talks at practice and gets everybody on the same page. It’s been fun to watch her maturation since fifth or sixth grade.
“She’s not afraid to shoot when open and hustles on defense. She has active hands with a high IQ and loves to play basketball. She’s fast and has a nice corner game. She’s played well, so it’s exciting. She’s a great kid from a great family.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.