'I call her the Tim Duncan of JUCO.' Amelia Hassett's JUCO coach praises her former star

Kenny Brooks has reeled in some exceptional talent in his first offseason at Kentucky women’s basketball. From All-American Georgia Amoore to First-Team All-AAC selection Dazia Lawrence, Brooks has brought in some of the best transfers on the market.

But let’s turn the clock all the way back to his first commitment in Lexington — Eastern Florida State College (JUCO) transfer forward Amelia Hassett.

It would feel odd to call her unproven given her resume and her track record — clearly, she can hoop. However, making the jump from the junior college ranks to the Southeastern Conference is a dramatic transition, to say the least.

KSR talked with MJ Baker, Hassett’s coach at Eastern Florida State College, about how her skillset and personality will help in her move to Kentucky.

Versatility goes a long way

In baseball or softball, you have what they call a “five-tool player” — someone who excels at every aspect of the game. Amelia Hassett is somewhat of a “five-tool player” on the hardwood.

“Amelia is very versatile, and she has a quiet strength to her,” Baker explained. “When she came to Eastern Florida, we recruited her because of her versatility. She can do a little bit of everything. I like to call her the Tim Duncan of JUCO.”

Baker added, “You don’t even realize that she’s done everything she’s done because it’s so quiet a lot of times. When she first came to Eastern Florida, she was incredible because Amelia would get through practice and it would be like, ‘Oh, man.’ We’ll look at our stat sheet and be like, ‘Man, Amelia was doing everything.’ She fills up a stat sheet and you don’t even know it. It’s not attractive in any way. She’s very humble and just gets done.”

The jump from Year 1 to Year 2

In her first year at Eastern Florida, Hassett averaged 8.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Those are good numbers, but they’re nothing compared to what she put up last season.

As a sophomore, Hassett averaged 19.0 points on 54.5% shooting from the field, including 40.4% from three-point range. Along with that, she grabbed 12.7 rebounds per game, finishing with 20 double-doubles.

Perhaps the most notable sign of progression was her three-point shooting. As a freshman, she shot just 24.3% from deep. However, Baker credits Hassett’s work ethic and determination for her improvement.

“She’s a student of the game,” Baker noted. “Amelia, obviously, coming from Australia, it’s very different over there, and I think in year one, she learned a lot.” Baker also mentioned that Hassett was competing for minutes against other players who would eventually also commit to power conference schools.

“She was with some great players the first year, and so she was learning a lot,” Baker added. “She struggled a little bit — had some growing pains. Then she turned around that summer between her freshman and sophomore year, and she just put her head down and worked. She studied the game, saw where she had some efficiencies in sense of just being more consistent and being tougher.”

How Hassett’s game will translate to the SEC

Of course, as we mentioned before, making the jump from JUCO to the SEC will be a big change for Hassett. Baker thinks that her former star is fully equipped to succeed at Kentucky, however.

“I call Amelia my unicorn because she really is magical,” Baker said. “She gets stuff done. Like I said, without you even knowing, she’s doing it. She’s a glue person. It’s like, ‘Hey, I have to reverse the ball and make the right decisions.’ She’s going to make [the right decisions] and she’s not going to be about herself.“

Baker also explained, “But she also knows when it’s time to take over. For Amelia, I feel like she’s going to be very successful because she’s so versatile and she can stretch the floor. She can shoot the ball and she was shooting 40% from the three. She can stretch the floor, she’s versatile, she has footwork and she’s smart. She’s an IQ kid who can make everyone else around her better.”

Kenny Brooks has always been a very system-oriented coach, always looking to find the players that fit to his liking. Baker believes Hassett is the perfect Kenny Brooks player.

“One, in the SEC under Coach Brooks, he knows he’s going to know how I wanted to continue to develop her strengths, but two, he’s a genius at putting people in their strengths. And then three, I think that she’s going to be able to stretch the floor for him and help them out.”

In the end, Hassett is going to be a dynamic weapon that will prove to be very useful for Brooks at Kentucky. As Baker put it, “she’s going to bring joy, happiness and she’s gonna make everyone else better.”