Hononegah grad and NIC-10 leading scorer is rising to challenge at Marquette

Jordan King scored more points than any basketball player in NIC-10 history.

That meant nothing in the Big East.

“Girls are stronger, faster and more athletic,” King said. “You have to find how your game fits. All great college players, their game doesn’t look the same as it did in high school. You still have the same fundamentals, but you have to find a new way to produce at the college level.”

King scored 2,505 points for Hononegah and shot her high school team to a third-place finish at state her senior year.

In college, King’s evolving game means she has more assists at Marquette (429 and counting) than all but one Division I women’s player in NIC-10 history, trailing only the 462 Harlem grad McKaela Schmelzer had at UW-Milwaukee, where she got to play five years and 148 games because of the COVID rules.

She could also soon pass Levens, Jefferson’s Carrie Coffman (Bradley), Auburn’s Tierney Austin (SIUE) and Belvidere’s Leslie Pottinger (NIU) for most Division I points by a NIC-10 grad.

And she is fifth in career rebounds.

Hononegah’s greatest scorer has become Marquette’s leader in scoring (16.0 points), assists (4.5), steals (2.2) and 3-point shooting (42 percent) and is a close second in free throws and 3-pointers made.

“Jordan has risen to every challenge in her senior year,” Marquette coach Megan Duffy said. “She knew coming into this season she was going to have to take more of a scoring role. The greatest thing about her is finding that great balance of being a playmaker and a scorer on all three levels. She has been successful for us in different games doing different things, whether that’s getting to the free throw line, getting to her mid-range game or shooting her 3 ball, which is much improved. She is just very difficult to guard.”

For King, it's meant taking on different roles depending on the team's needs and evolving to be the player she is today.

“To grow through the years and have to produce in so many ways. that’s what’s been so fun. To see how I can impact the game, not just scoring, not just defense, but with a different way every night," King said. "I can have a high scoring game one game then the next game have high steals. Part of being a leader is making an impact on the game in multiple ways.”

More:Rockford’s greatest girls basketball players No. 6: Jordan King has more greatness to come

King has produced at the highest college level for Marquette (13-7, 6-5 Big East). Not just NCAA Division I, but in a Power 5 conference. The only Rockford-area women’s basketball players who have ever made all-conference in the Big Ten, ACC, Big East, Pac-12 or Big 12 are Levens and Freeport Aquin’s Sophie Brunner, both at Arizona State.

“Those were two names that were talked about a lot when I was growing up,” King said. “I didn’t have the chance to watch them, but they were great role models for younger kids. Even kids today, their parents know about those two."

King is now joining their ranks.

She has been a marked player all year, after being named to the preseason All-Big East team.

“To be selected to that team is amazing,” King said. “To see my name with those great players in the conference is a great reward. But my goal was never to get onto that list. It’s to continue to strive and make that my end goal. You want to walk away and say you had your name on that all-conference list when it’s all said and done.”

More:Jordan King: The making of NIC-10's all-time leading scorer

Contact: mtrowbridge@rrstar.com, @matttrowbridge or 815-987-1383. Matt Trowbridge has covered sports for the Rockford Register Star for over 30 years, after previous stints in North Dakota, Delaware, Vermont and Iowa City.

All-time Rockford-area NCAA Division I women's basketball leaders

SCORING

REBOUNDS

ASSISTS

Note: Jordan King's stats are as of Jan. 27, 2023

Source: Rockford Register Star records and Alex Gary's NIC-10 History Book

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: NIC-10's No. 1 scorer becomes a college leader in many stats