By Jeff Appelblatt
Each coach in the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) had to select one player to play in the the Senior All-Star Game March 28 in Woodbridge.
Woodbridge High School’s girls’ basketball team had four seniors this year that meant a lot to the Barrons: Najyah Adams, Emily Kolpuc, Joyce Loda and Jordan Vazquez.
While Vazquez missed last season due to injury, that wasn’t the only factor for Woodbridge’s coach to consider because she made it back on the court this year, and it was as if she had never been gone.
“She worked so hard to get back,” Bobby Timinski said. “I’m so proud of the season she had.”
After a year away from the game — as well as a year away from the sport she loves most: softball — Vazquez played in every basketball game for the Barrons. She scored 18 points in the season opener and followed it up with 23.
There was no wear down and no reminder of last year’s injury. Vazquez looked like an all-star all year — a campaign in which she led the Barrons with more than 14 points per game.
“It’s been great,” Vazquez said of her comeback year, thinking about overcoming her injury and returning to the soccer field in the fall and then the basketball court in the winter.
“I look forward to representing my team in the all-star game.”
After the basketball all-star game, it’ll be back to the softball field for Vazquez. Woodbridge’s first game is set for Apr. 1 at 11:30 a.m. in Woodbridge against South Amboy High School.
The senior last put on her Woodbridge softball uniform to play in a GMC Tournament game May 20, 2015, at John P. Stevens High School. A sophomore then, Vazquez batted 1-for-3.
Eventually, the upcoming softball season with Woodbridge will come to an end, but Vazquez has already made plans to continue on in the sport. In October, she decided she will play after high school at the York College of Pennsylvania.
