‘She’s paying her debt’: How Jenna Staiti became dominant presence for Lady Bulldogs
Remember Feb. 6 as a benchmark for how Jenna Staiti’s career could be remembered at Georgia.
The Lady Bulldogs’ dominant inside presence scored 24 points on that eerily quiet night inside Stegeman Coliseum to set a career-high mark. She paced Georgia, but the result didn’t match it. A loss to Missouri, the conference’s bottom-dwellers, had Staiti frustrated. She couldn’t endure such a frustrating feeling anymore.
Staiti (pronounced STATE-ee) stood in the stadium’s underbelly and voiced her displeasure of losing — a string of four-consecutive defeats — with a team staffer. The UGA junior then walked into a postgame media gathering in a professional manner, but the emotions became evident. Her cheeks turned bright red. The stare at the game’s stat sheet remained blank in disbelief.
“I was very upset and had a lot of self-talk,” Staiti said. “It was not OK, and I knew we needed wins. That fired me up.”
That night began the rebirth of Staiti’s “true self,” as she put it, a version of the 6-foot-6, intimidating size mismatch that has been missing for four years. Over a stretch of six SEC games, Staiti has again validated those touted monikers of Gatorade Player of the Year, Miss Georgia Basketball and a five-star prospect out of West Forsyth High School.
Staiti has posted double-digit scoring numbers in each of those games, and in seven of her past eight. She has averaged 20.3 points and 8.8 rebounds over that stretch. Georgia has won three games since that Feb. 6 night when Staiti’s resurgence began while the Lady Bulldogs set themselves up for an SEC tournament run.
Georgia (15-13, 6-9 SEC) couldn’t record a victory in Staiti’s latest appearance, but she scored 22 in a closely contested 88-77 loss at No. 15 Kentucky. That defeat, according to ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme, eliminates Georgia’s chances of an at-large NCAA tournament bid.
Staiti has been frustrated throughout the course of SEC play. She has seen her teammates build consistency, and she felt some of the burden as to why those showings haven’t resulted in wins. Staiti said, quite bluntly, that she “wasn’t doing anything” when she was on the floor. She averaged three points during one four-game stretch before finding her stride.
“I should’ve taken over a long time ago,” Staiti said. “I’ve been telling people that I’ve been pissed off about how I’ve gotten into this role so late in SEC (play). It should’ve been snapping off earlier in the season. I don’t know why it took so long.”
Said coach Joni Taylor: “She told me she wanted to do more. I said, ‘Do more.’ She has been.”
Staiti waited on her moment
Three weeks after setting a career-best scoring mark, Staiti matched it in a 73-56 win at LSU. She’s now in a vastly different spot with more confidence.
Staiti through her strong play has essentially become Georgia’s player spokesperson (although a taller backdrop might be needed as she nearly towers over it). Her legs are heavily bruised from an increased level of physicality in the post. She recalled a painful massage session prior to a recent meeting with media — her body has needed extra care.
Her stretch of play nearly speaks for itself. Everything within Staiti’s game looks smoother and easier. She’s shooting 56 percent over the stretch of double-digit games and has added consistent physicality to contribute in other areas. As a result, Georgia has begun to jell into its best form — even without the services of Que Morrison, who suffered a season-ending labrum tear.
“I don’t think we would be in the position we’re in (without Staiti’s play),” Taylor said. “She’s always been capable of this.”
Staiti has waited on her moment to become the Lady Bulldogs’ focal point. She erupted onto the recruiting scene, then found herself in an unfavorable situation at Maryland. Staiti had few opportunities for playing time. She sat filled with doubt in College Park — both on the basketball court and being over 630 miles away from her family.
Once deciding to transfer to Georgia, the transition wasn’t the easiest after having to take a redshirt season then learn a new system and environment.
“I think she had a lot to prove to herself,” said her mother, Sandi Staiti. “She was so beaten down and demoralized. (Her previous coaches) had her believing that she couldn’t play basketball.”
Now, there’s a difference in emotion. Sandi is always giving comparisons of her daughter to a poker player. She wouldn’t be a good one, because you always know what the Lady Bulldog is thinking. Anger is evident by Staiti staying quiet. Sadness shows after a frustrating loss, which can even bring full-on tears.
Suddenly, Staiti beams with happiness and calmness. Those desirable qualities are seen by joking around with teammates and frequently showing a big smile. Or asking her parents to see her beloved dogs, Auto and Suzie, on the in-home camera.
“She feels a responsibility to Georgia’s program and Joni,” Sandi said. “It was time to show it. She came to the realization of knowing what she needs to do. She’s done it. She’s paying her debt.”
Trust is a two-way street
Two factors have led to the ascent — self-confidence and trust from the coaching staff. Taylor and her staff entrusted Staiti with a heavier workload after the win at Arkansas. Staiti needed to feel comfortable even after making one mistake. Her overall performance would be affected if she looked toward the bench and immediately saw a substitution for a single blunder.
After a conversation with coaches, Staiti has gone from a 15- to 20-minute-per-game starter to averaging 34.4 minutes per contest.
“It changes my whole perspective on how I play,” Staiti said. “It’s not the worst thing in the world if I do something wrong.”
Staiti’s elite-level play makes Georgia a different team. She showed the impact of it on two first-quarter possessions in the win over LSU. She converted a 3-point jumper for her first points, then followed it with a mid-range jumper to show a variety of scoring abilities to the Tigers. She can do it at all three levels, in fact, and complements it with her strongest suit — posting up and scoring around the basket.
Georgia’s “backs are against the wall,” Taylor said, and Staiti might be the piece to get the Lady Bulldogs through the lofty task of making a postseason run. Staiti is enjoying a strong run, but doesn’t want it to stop yet.
She’s hoping the true benchmark of her season comes sometime while “dancing” in mid-March, not just by the dreaded loss on Feb. 6.
“My thing is I’m not done until I’m happy. I want to make the tournament,” Staiti said. “I want to get in the tournament. I’m trying to do everything in my power to get us there. I won’t be accomplished with anything until I get back in the tournament.”
This story was originally published February 28, 2020 at 5:00 AM.