Her mom, Kristin Poole-Barnes had been a prep track star in Fort Wayne and went to Alabama A&M on an athletic scholarship.
Her stepdad, Jason Barnes, a high school football standout in Fort Wayne, played at Ball State, got a look from the Baltimore Ravens, and now is the assistant director of college scouting for the Seattle Seahawks, his 20-year tenure earning him a Super Bowl XLVIII championship ring in 2014.
That freshman season at Snider, Jordyn led her team to an upset of mighty Homestead High which was led by Ayanna Patterson, a McDonald’s All-American and Indiana’s Miss Basketball who would go on to win a national title with UConn.
Jordyn made six three-pointers that game and finished with 30 points.
Soon after she had a scholarship offer from Purdue. Before the season ended, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, West Virginia, Marquette, Xavier and Ball State were some of the schools who also had reached out to her.
As she moved into her fourth season as Snider’s point guard – and would finish her career as a 1,000-point scorer and Miss Basketball runner-up – there was debate over where she’d go to college and a poster was developed, showing her wearing several different college jerseys beneath the headline: “Where Will Jordyn Poole Go?”
Tamika Williams-Jeter, who initially recruited her when she was an Ohio State assistant, was starting her second season at UD and trying desperately to upgrade the talent in the program after a 7-21 debut season.
She made some overtures to Jordyn again, but figured she was bound for a Power 4 conference … and she was right.
Jordyn chose Purdue. She wanted to stay close to home and her family did have some ties to the Boilermakers.
Jason’s uncle, Roosevelt Barnes, had been a three-sport athlete at Purdue and went on to play for the Detroit Lions before becoming an agent for NFL players like Ray Lewis, Ndamukong Suh, Walter Jones and Laveranues Coles.
Roosevelt’s son Juvan Witherspoon was on the New York Jets practice squad and played in the Canadian Football League and NFL Europe.
His adoptive son, Caleb Swanigan was an All-American basketball player at Purdue and a first-round draft pick of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Now, a year after suiting up for Purdue, Jordyn – Jordy to her mom, JP to her new teammates – is a Dayton Flyer, one of three transfer portal additions after the Flyers’ 18-13 effort last season.
Williams-Jeter spoke about Jordyn after practice Thursday morning, referring to her as “our Little Razzle Dazzle.”
“It’s funny how things work out,” said Jordyn’s mom, Kristin, who is a fourth-grade teacher and is about to open her own cosmetology school.
Jordyn’s dad, Jason, sees UD as the perfect fit:
“When Jordy was in the portal, we started to have conversations with Tamika and I said, ‘We tried to call a few times (a year ago,)’ and she was like, ‘Well, I thought she was probably going to a Power 4.’
“And I was like ‘Tamika, I understand, but I’ve been around a while and we were looking for the best situation, the best fit.’
“So now it’s a year removed, but we’ve ended up in the right place.
“Tamika and her staff are just pouring into her and helping her develop, not just as a basketball player, but as a person. They understand her. She feels a real bond with the whole staff and the team.
“It’s just a breath of fresh air for her.”
A fresh start
Jordyn was born in Huntsville, Alabama and came to Fort Wayne when her mom moved back home and married Jason.
He had a young son, Chase, who now is a freshman guard for the University of Indianapolis.
Soon Jordyn started accompanying Chase to the gym and it wasn’t long until everyone saw her talent, grit and competitiveness.
Like at Purdue, UD lists her as 5-foot-7, but when pressed, she admitted she’s 5-foot-5 at best.
“People have always underestimated me because of my size, but I’ve used that to my advantage,” she said after Thursday’s early morning practice.
“I was faster than them and I had a chip on my shoulder and wanted to prove them wrong.
“I try not to play my size. I don’t think of myself as the smallest on the court. I try to play like I’m 6-foot-5.”
Her basketball especially developed when she joined “Always 100,” the AAU program run by Vernard Hollins, the former Fort Wayne North standout who went on to become one of Wright State’s most memorable players.
In four seasons with the Raiders – 2000 to 2004 – he scored 1,700 points, eighth best all-time at WSU. He followed that with a 12-year pro career that took him to Macedonia, Mexico, Germany, Hungary, France, Austria and three different teams in Switzerland.
“Vernard was a real close friend of mine and when I was at Ball State I came over a few times to visit him,” Jason said.
The other trip here came early in Jordyn’s prep career when she joined a camp at UD run by former Flyers’ coach, Shauna Green, and she got to tour the team’s Donoher Center facilities.
Jordyn’s freshman season at Purdue was derailed by injuries.
“I had a stress fracture on my shin,” she said. “It really happened during high school, but I could still play on it.
“It grew over time and when I got to Purdue, they looked at it and told me if I kept playing I could snap the bone in half. So, it was smart for me not to play.”
When she finally was cleared, the struggling Boilermakers had already begun Big Ten play.
Although not fully back in shape, she pushed herself to return to the court and played in eight games – averaging 10.5 minutes and 2.8 points – before a high ankle strain suffered against Green’s Illinois team ended her season.
Purdue finished the year a disappointing 10-19 and soon afterward six players entered the transfer portal.
“I just wanted to get a fresh start somewhere,” Jordyn said. “I wanted to find a new environment and be around some new people. I wanted to find a place where I could grow and thrive and be the best I could be.”
‘The place for me’
At UD this season, she joins three other new players: Maliyah Johnson, a 6-foot-1 grad transfer from Houston who previously played at Pitt; Fatima Ibrahim, a 6-foot 3 forward from North Dakota who was the Summit League’s Defensive Player of the Year; and M.G. Talle, a 6-foot-2 freshman forward from Quebec.
Williams-Jeter said Jordyn is learning the system and has showcased some of her skills in practice:
“She leads us in steals.”
Williams-Jeter foresees her playing at least 20 minutes a game.
Late Thursday afternoon – after her classes – Jordyn sat down in the foyer of the otherwise-empty UD basketball offices and again talked about her career.
Her mom had stressed how she wanted to find a new school that was also close enough to home that her family – including younger brother Christopher and younger sisters Jayah and Jenae - could watch her and Dayton fit the bill.
“It takes almost the exact same time to go to Dayton for us as it did Purdue,” Kristin said.
Jordyn’s strong ties to family were evident as she sat there. She had her mom’s Valentine’s Day birth date tattooed in Roman numerals down her right arm.
Around her neck she wore a locket on a chain that held a picture of her late, great grandmother, Sarah Chavis.
“She died a year ago, but she got to see Jordy graduate from high school and move into Purdue,” Kristin said. “They were close.”
Jordyn again brought up the family feel she has with the Flyers.
When she entered the portal, her first visit was to UD, and she said she cancelled the rest after that:
“I knew as soon as I stepped on campus that this was the place for me.
“Watching practice, being around the coaches, everything just felt natural. It felt like I was supposed to be here.
“It feels like a real healthy environment for me. I think I can grow here in every area of my life.
“The campuses are different. Purdue is really big. It’s more spread out, and we got around riding scooters. Here, I can walk anywhere on campus in 10 to 15 minutes.”
As for the difference in hoops programs, she said:
“People talk about the power conferences, but at the end of the day, you have to roll the ball out and just play.”
And that’s just what the Flyers and Purdue will do this season in West Lafayette.
“December 14, I can’t wait,” Jordyn said with a grin. “It’s going to be crazy. I’m sure I’ll have butterflies and memories and everything. It’s a really good environment to play in. Their fans are serious!
“Even though I’m on the other side now, it’ll be fun.
“After last year, I’m just grateful for anything that happens. I just want to make sure I always hustle and play hard and be a team player.
“I just want to give this team something it needs.”
That’s why Tamika gave her that tag.
She gives the Flyers a “little razzle dazzle.”
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