William P. Scott is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Central High School for AZPreps365.com

Jayshawn James is inspired by his late mother JaQuosha Thues, who balanced being a single parent with working to pay the bills. He models his own leadership style after her, and wants to achieve excellence in her memory. 

“I still want to finish and be successful because that’s what my mom wanted for me,” James said. 

Jayshawn has been starting point guard for the varsity team since he was a sophomore, and is one of the best players that his coach Darren Bustos has worked with. 

“He’s probably been one of my better athletes to come out of here since I’ve been here for 20 years now,” Bustos said. 

He supports his talent on the court with hard work off the court. He never skips practice. He is always the first player into the gym and the last one out. 

This is not at the expense of academics either. He maintains a 3.4 GPA and is a regular participant in his classes. He also enjoys music engineering and creating beats in his spare time. 

Rather than going out a lot and having fun like most other kids his age, James instead helps out at home and focuses on his future. His friend Lamont Johnson sees this first hand.

“He doesn’t go out as much. He focuses more on the important things,” Johnson said. 

Jayshawn uses basketball as a way to funnel his emotions and to express himself. His younger sister JhaNyla James noticed that it was the first thing he ever took seriously when he started playing in middle school.

“Basketball is his outlet,” JhaNyla said. “If he’s mad he plays basketball. If he’s upset he plays basketball.”

It allows him to forget about his worries and focus on what he loves.

“Basketball clears my head,” Jayshawn said. “I’m not thinking about other things when I’m playing basketball.”

His love for the game is apparent. When he’s not playing for the Central Bobcats, he plays at gyms, practicing his dunks and playing pick-up basketball with his friends. 

His commitment to the game stands out to his teammates, and he has adopted a leadership role on the court.

““He leads by example,” Bustos said. “Kids respect him. When kids respect someone, they tend to follow.”

He has been able to dunk since he was 15 years old but he doesn’t just rely on his natural talent. His teammates and his coach both marvel at his basketball IQ and his ability to control the rhythm of the game. He could easily coast by on his athletic ability and his understanding for the game, however he still puts in the work in the gym. 

“He doesn’t let his athletic ability, his basketball ability go to his head,” Bustos said. “He comes

and he works, he’s the hardest worker on the team.”

He is not a loud person. He is a quiet leader, who sets the example and lets his basketball do the talking. 

His leadership abilities are invaluable to his coach. He commands the respect of everyone on the team, and he constantly is encouraging people to improve at practice and work on their game. 

“He’s been probably the biggest leader that I’ve ever had here in twenty years at Central,” Bustos said.

His leadership qualities also manifest academically. He is reserved in class but has been nominated for student of the month by his old Spanish teacher Jennifer Ferrer.

“He’ll ask questions, he’s thoughtful, he’s kind to others, he excels academically and on the basketball court,” Ferrer said.

His ability to motivate himself despite his struggles and extra responsibilities is a quality that stands out the most to his peers and coaches. However, Jayshawn never sees this as a special trait.

“A lot of people ask me questions like that, like is it stressful or anything like that,” Jayshawn said. “I learned so much from my family that I use that as motivation to just get it done. I don’t really sit and think that this is a lot or anything like that. There’s never going to be a lack of motivation for me because I know I’ve got a lot to work for.”

He is a naturally reserved person, who rarely expresses emotions or asks for anything from his teammates or teachers. He has a small circle of people who he is close to, and he rarely confides in anyone how he is feeling. 

The one thing that does inspire emotion in him however, is his mother, who died when he was a freshman. 

“When we lost our mom, that was the first time I’ve ever seen him break down and have a moment,” JhaNyla said.

He moved in with his aunt, and then his grandma, and the loss and the change of scenery took a toll on him. 

Jayshawn’s quiet nature meant that he didn’t tell many of his teachers about his situation. Ferrer recalls him missing assignments and generally looking distracted in class, which was a contrast to his previous focused self. 

The basketball team was able to support him, and he was able to return to his usual standards after a few months. 

Nearly three years on from her passing, Jayshawn uses his mom and the strength she showed in raising him as motivation to achieve his goals. He remembers her sacrifice every time he walks on the basketball court by having her birthday written on his shoes. He also has her name tattooed on his left arm. 

He uses his loss as a reason to keep going. He doesn’t want it to define him, but he wants to make his mom proud. 

His leadership style and basketball ability has already made him invaluable to the Bobcats, and he plans to continue his career in college. 

“I hope someone else takes his role when he leaves here,” Bustos said.