There’s this woman-child residing in the San Gabriel Valley, plays for Jackie Robinson’s alma mater John Muir. She put up an obscene 55 points in a CIF contest just mere weeks ago.
So me, your humble writer E-Woods, strolled down to Burbank High on May 18 to spy with my own eyes Jyah LoVett, and watch her do wet work like Suge Knight from Death Row Records.
All game she was splash from 3, cut to rack, wham at yo neck, wind taken from all larynxes for a whoppin’ 61 by points that night in a victory.
I could hear 2 Pac in my ear all game rapping to me Hail Mary,
“I ain't a killer, but don't push me
Revenge is like the sweetest joy...”
I’ll give Jyah the ultimate compliment, she plays like Tupac sang, passionately. She is, as I called Jordin Canada, a “Lady Killa.” I walked away amazed, me a simple writer. Those that know me feel I live this way, “I got a head with no screws in it, what can I do?”
Jyah LoVett is the Truth as much as my guy Paul Pierce, legendary NBA Celtic who I wrote on in 04, peep it folks:
nba-celtic-paul-pierce-heart-and-soul-of-inglewood
Prove she’s the Truth you say? A girl scoring 55 or 61 points should be really celebrated. If a boy in prep hoops scored 80 or 90 points, it would make national headlines. It would be a slaughterhouse, beyond murder, an 187 fosho! Let’s have equality!
How good is Jyah really E-Woods? I’ve seen them all, she’ll be legend I predict, this woman-child. She’s cat quick, a defensive demon, and is a good teammate to boot.
She was freaking offered by a Pac-12, Washington, as a freshman and some Big West programs too. She’s talking to Texas Tech, Colorado, Hawaii, UC Irvine, and Long Beach St now as well.
But let’s not focus just on her recruitment. This kid is such a bubbly, savvy person that even I look up to. She doesn’t take ish from anyone. So physically built yet carries herself like a model. If she hit a Mac-truck, the truck world fall over and melt, no lie.
Jyah has these ham hawks, she’s so cut. She jets down the court so fast, left lay-ups, right lays ups, jumpers so nice, E-Woods be tripping, thinking he could ever try to guard J-LoVett on the basketball court. Lol.
Let’s touch on her brother Marcus LoVett. Jyah is in her own lane, her game is very different but she might end up being even better than Marcus. I never try to compare siblings but Marcus was a top 50 PG player out of Providence High and has handles so nasty like those of Rafer Alston or Kyrie Irving, of NBA fame.
Check out Californiapreps Publisher Dave Keefer's very first video attempt in January 2012 of freshman Marcus LoVett in his home gym at Providence HS:
Marcus moved on to a storied career at St Johns. But wait, I think Jyah could do just as well, maybe even be better than him. Her pops Marcus LoVett Sr., who had a try-out for Sac-Kings out of college, trained both of them. He’s a great great guy and we will have a whole story just on him.
The best the trainers in the country I know are Olin Simplis, Marcus LoVett, and Keion Kindred. Keion trains James Harden. Olin also has pro clients.
LoVett has his secret sauce that the other two don’t have but they’re all amazing in their own way, we all fam.
But this is Jyah’s story, she is this 5-9 cold piece of work point guard that can get to anywhere on the court and score at will. She’s so unselfish and has this off-the-charts IQ, and these pinpoint passes, drops these crazy dimes.
Jyah says this, “I want to be the first woman in the NBA. I appreciate our Sparks coach Elbert Kinnebrew, he’s so similar to my dad. Both are a player’s coach in that they both let you play and don’t sugar-coat anything. They tell you what has to be heard. Both are unbiased and fair, that’s what I like in a team and coach.”
Dang, there you have it people, Jyah’s driven!
Cal Sparks is the AAU team that Jyah currently plays for. It’s a loaded team that has Londynn Jones, a junior headed to UCLA, and junior Ice Brady who is going to UCONN. But that one unsigned player that’s is an absolute MUST SEE is Jyah.
I saw her at a Nike powerhouse event in Bakersfield and she annihilated all that stood before her, so much so that I broke her off a SLAM jersey like I did DeMar DeRozan who played for me a lil in 8th grade.
See our feature on DeMar:
https://californiapreps.rivals.com/news/14u-star-gravity-and-limits-forgot-about-him
All 3 of these Cal Sparks’ players are breathtaking but if you only get to see 1 player this summer, let it be J-LoVett. If you don’t, you’ll kick yourself in the butt later.
I’ve talked to J-LoVett much these past few months because she has an adult level mind. But she is also this happy go lucky person. What people like about her is that she shows this razor sharp sense of purpose, oh she knows what she wants.
This is what she told me when I asked her who’s her favorite NBA player, “I love Allen Iverson. He was never scared, he was shifty, he gave MJ the business.”
I went on to ask her about her hobbies, “I like to hang out with my friends. I like go to the mall, I play Fortnite, go to Six Flags, just have fun in between training at practices and workouts.”
Me, E-Woods, I’ve noticed the most incredible mentors to Jyah, like Tamara McDonald, former University Washington coach, West Coast Premier AAU coach. She’s probably a person I look up to most to in basketball.
Coach Tam has been helping Jyah learn to find herself, to be the best version of herself she can be. How dope is that, I respect Tam like my friend Noelle Quinn of UCLA and WNBA fame no doubt!
What will Jyah’s major be in college? Business of course, she handles “her biz” on the court. What is her list of schools that she hopes to play for? Let Jyah speak on it, “I’d like to play for Arizona, South Carolina, Texas A & M, Baylor, or USC.”
There you have it. I know Jyah very well and she will bring mad energy to whichever program that signs her. This is her wish list and I know her to be a realistic person, but every kid should shoot for the stars.
I have a ton of D1 programs that call or text me for advice on which prospects are elite. I don’t run a recruitment service or charge for my assessments. I’m just a free knowledgeable consultant, a principal to assist.
I advise 25-30 D1 programs at any given time. If any D1 coaches call me about Jyah, I’d tell them to invest in her because she’s beyond special, because she got offered by the best conference, the PAC-12, as a freshman.
In conclusion, what does the future hold for this special young lady? Jyah told me she just wants to have a good life, be able to provide for her family when she has one. She hopes to start investing in real estate.
Her business degree maybe could have something to do with basketball because she likes to invest in people. It’s easy to see that she cares about people, she lets people care about her.
She, J-LoVett, maybe more than anyone reminds me of my friend Jamal Boykin out of Fairfax 05’. He was always being counted out but had a stellar career in the Pac-12 and is now a trainer with the Lakers.
Jamal is the best kind of person you could ever meet, and that’s Jyah LoVett. She’s such a sweet person yet so tough, such a killa’ on the court, that kind of person you’ll never forget.
Hear her dad, Marcus LoVett from the state of Indiana, that incredible man, her prep coach, her trainer, in his detailed quote on her, “Jyah came into our family with much excitement because she was the first of our three girls.
“Me being her father, her feet didn't touch the ground very much in her first 2 yrs of life. I gave her Snickers candy whenever. Thanks to her mother she has developed into a determined and very hard-working young lady who is improving herself as a person just as much as she is improving herself as a student-athlete.
“In a short Covid season that I was allowed to coach her, she was more than advertised. She poured in 55, 49, 38, 28, 61 points. We barely won games so it definitely was a team effort.
“I would like to send a special thanks to the parents and other players who allowed her to have these record-breaking performances. Because nowadays it's hard to watch a teammate be so successful as a player and everyone be happy. especially in a girls sport.
“Not bad for a freshman player of the year who had a serious concussion that affected her studies. Sophomore year she was an online student recovering. not bad for a student that's online coming off the couch to play basketball after a year off. If I were a college coach who wants to win, she would be the #1 choice of ALL the young female student athletes in the USA.”
Why did I title this story “Grabbing Smoke?” Because on the court you can’t catch J-LoVett. She’s way too fast and strong, she’ll shrug you off, zip right by you. Just ask Burbank High who took the 61 ball that night, they still might be having nightmares.
Jyah? She wants all that that freaking smoke, every bit of it. She bathes in musty smoke that others fear, she breathes it in her nostrils all day where others run away from a burning house. Jyah is now fixing to burn that EYBL AAU house down in 21’, and really people, just how dope is that?
