Since the first time she set foot on the wooden floor of the O’Connell Center, freshman Jaterra Bonds has shown she is capable of being a big-time player.
Bonds racked up 15 points, four rebounds and two assists against Central Florida during her debut in a Gators uniform, but she also had a freshman-like seven giveaways.
Bonds always believed in herself, and Florida women’s basketball coach Amanda Butler said she saw a certain edge in the 5-foot-7 point guard when she recruited Bonds from UF’s own backyard.
“She’s fiery,” Butler said. “She wants the biggest defensive challenge. She wants to hit the big shot. That is an approach that you cannot put into a player.”
Now, after a standout rookie campaign highlighted by stellar play down the stretch, others are recognizing that talent as well.
For the second time this year, Bonds was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week on Monday. Then, a day later, the SEC announced that she had been selected as a member of the All-Freshman Team, chosen by the conference’s head coaches.
Bonds made the team alongside future SEC stalwarts like Tennessee’s Meighan Simmons (fourth in the SEC with 13.9 points per game) and Ole Miss’ Valencia Mcfarland (13.2 ppg).
Bonds is the Gators’ second-leading scorer this season, averaging 8.9 per game, trailing only team captain Jordan Jones’ 10 points per game.
But it’s been her development at the point that is earning awards.
After posting multiple five-plus turnover games, and with an average near four through her first 22 games, Bonds turned it around. She hasn’t had more than five in the Gators’ last six games and has dropped her average down to 3.0.
She went off in Sunday’s game against rival No. 22 Georgia, leading Florida with 22 points, three assists and just one turnover. Butler said the edge she saw when recruiting Bonds was never more visible than in the win over the Bulldogs.
“The thing that I love about coaching Jaterra is … just how she competes,” Butler said. “She just really wants to compete and win. … If that seed of who they are is not there, it’s really, really hard to draw it out of someone. But she has it, she just really has that.”
The Gators have had a player selected to the All-Freshman team each of the past three seasons. Jennifer George received the honor last year, and Trumae Lucas was named to the team after the 2008-09 season.
