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St. Joseph’s Katie Jekot is providing the Hawks’ tournament hopes with quite the assist

The junior playmaker is now top 10 all-time in assists in program history, but more importantly has helped the Hawks to their best start since the 2013-14 season.

St. Joseph's guard Katie Jekot has become one of the premier playmakers in college basketball. Earlier this season, she surpassed Erin Shields ‘14 to make the program’s top 10 for career assists.
St. Joseph's guard Katie Jekot has become one of the premier playmakers in college basketball. Earlier this season, she surpassed Erin Shields ‘14 to make the program’s top 10 for career assists.Read moreEmily Cohen
    by Melanie Heller
    Published 

WASHINGTON — Meet Katie Jekot, the latest assist queen for St. Joseph’s women’s basketball.

She collected eight points and two assists in the Hawks’ 77-61 win against George Washington on Wednesday, and every game helps Jekot move higher in the program’s record books. After an impressive nine-point, 11-assist performance at La Salle on Saturday, Jekot passed Erin Shields, a 2014 graduate, to make the program’s top 10 in career assists.

Jekot has 371 career assists, 14 behind Mary Kate McDade (2009) for ninth all-time. Angela Zampella (2000) tops the Hawks’ career leaderboard with 788.

“It’s awesome just to be up there with all those other great basketball players,” Jekot said. “And then on the court with my teammates, they know where to be. They know when I’m going to pass and they are finishing shots.”

Jekot is learning from the best. Head coach Cindy Griffin (510 assists as a ‘92 grad) and assistant coach Ashley Prim (417 assists, 2013) are also on the all-time list.

“It’s funny because now in practice they’re like, ‘Oh, you’re catching up’ and I say, ‘I’m coming for you,’” Jekot joked. “It’s really cool to be coached underneath them.”

Basketball is a family affair in the Jekot household. Katie’s older sister Kelly played three seasons at Villanova between 2016 and 2019 before heading to Happy Valley through the 2021-22 season as a graduate transfer to Penn State. Julie Jekot, a sophomore at La Salle, is the youngest of the bunch.

With Jekot at the point, St. Joe’s (12-2) has been on fire this season. This is the Hawks’ best start since 2013-14, with the team going 10-2 in nonconference play and remaining undefeated until December. That year, GW handed St. Joe’s its first conference loss and later eliminated the Hawks from the Atlantic 10 tournament in the quarterfinals.

“I think the league is so tough right now — this is only our second game,” Griffin said. “We’re just taking one game at a time, but certainly very impressed with shooting percentage. It’s been remarkable.”

Next up, St. Joe’s hosts St. Louis (5-12, 1-1) in its A-10 home opener on Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN+).