'Great basketball players and even better people': Stinson sisters help each other thrive

THORNVILLE — From the time they were old enough to remember, Faith Stinson and kid sister Jamisyn have been tied at the hip.

They spent their childhood days in Reynoldsburg playing basketball in the Upward program and also in the streets against the neighbors. They later added volleyball to their repertoires.

At home, they were typical sisters — loving and bickering with equal volition. Jamisyn admitted she was often the instigator.

"Whenever we got in trouble or were fighting, our mom (Traci) would make us sit right across from each other cross-legged until we were done," Jamisyn Stinson recalled. "We always laugh about it, because we will argue about stuff and be over it. It's just funny we had to do that because we used to fight all the time."

Traci remembers it well.

"I was at my wit's end with them, and you can only yell at your kids so much," Traci recalled, adding that other disciplinary methods weren't working. "I was like, 'You're going to sit here (cross-legged), look at each other and hold hands until you say you love each other.'"

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The girls have come a long way since those formative years.

The family moved to the Thornville area before Faith reached high school, and she enjoyed one of the best careers of any athlete in Sheridan High School history — on the court and in the classroom.

She earned All-Ohio honors in volleyball and basketball, while playing in eight regionals and two state basketball tournaments.

After signing with Akron during her senior year, she played a year there before a coaching change. She entered the Division I transfer portal and is now on a basketball scholarship at IUPUI.

Jamisyn played two years with Faith in both sports, and she just wrapped up a four-year varsity career in volleyball. She was named second-team All-Ohio as a hitter.

She is now in her fourth year as a varsity basketball player, where she twice has earned All-Ohio and recently signed with North Florida, a Division I program in Jacksonville. She is the all-time leading 3-point shooter in Sheridan history.

The two are first and second, respectively, in career scoring at Sheridan. In Faith's case, her interior defense and rebounding were equally vital.

Generals coach J.D. Walters called Faith "an excellent mentor" for her sister, adding her calm demeanor helped calm Jamisyn's raw emotion when needed.

Now Jamisyn is one of the leaders on a team with five returning starters and huge expectations. Faith was one of the players who helped lay that foundation.

"You can tell Jamisyn has a ton of respect for her older sister, because a lot of sisters don't want to hear anything from their sibling," Walters said "But J would actually listen to Faith. As Faith has moved on, Jamisyn has continued to develop as a player and leader."

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The sisters described their relationship as a tight one, even if they had their share of on-court skirmishes during Jamisyn's early days as a player.

"It's a little different now since I am in college, because we don't get to ride to and from school, to and from practice. We still FaceTime, and she gets to my games when she can. We talk every day. I really don't think that will change when she goes to college."

Faith's recruiting process was a learning experience for the entire family. They learned a lot about the trustworthiness — or lack thereof — of college coaches willing to use less-than-savory tactics to sway players from a rival program.

Faith, after three consecutive All-Ohio seasons, settled on Akron over a host of other mid-major programs during her senior season.

A year later, she dealt with a new coach in the program after Melissa Jackson's contract wasn't renewed after five seasons. Ryan Gensler replaced her, and essentially, left Faith looking for a new home.

She settled on IUPUI, located in Indianapolis, mainly because it offered occupational therapy. She plans to attend grad school there once her bachelor's is completed.

"It was really hard — I loved it there," Faith said of leaving Akron. "If it wasn't for the change I would still be there. Coach Jackson is why I chose Akron. I made friends I still talk to a lot. I just knew it was in my best interest (to leave) and see what other options were out there."

Jamisyn made sure to take plenty of notes along the way. Faith's best friend, former General point guard Bailey Beckstedt, was being recruited at the Division II level at the same time as Faith. She signed with West Liberty (West Virginia).

Jamisyn was never far away.

"(Faith) has definitely helped me through it all," Jamisyn said. "I will call coaches and then tell her how it went, and she will give me the rundown of what she knows. Her having gone through the recruitment process, teams that she would play against, they would give me the inside scoop. She has been a lot of help."

Faith told her to "trust her gut," don't stress too much and to make sure and utilize her campus visits.

"College coaches treat it like a business and they move on to the next person," Faith said. "A lot say one thing, and then you hear (the opposite) through the loopholes. Going on visits are big. If you're not comfortable, you're not going to be happy there."

Comfort is what Jamisyn found at North Florida. She was already familiar with the area, since her father James' parents live there. The family visits a few times a year.

"I always joked that if I got an offer in Florida I was going to take it," Jamisyn said. "But as I got further in, I thought I would stay closer to home so I could come home on weekends and hang out with friends.

"Once I got to North Florida it changed my perspective on things," Jamisyn added. "I told myself that I would regret it if I didn't go there, because not many people can go to school in Florida."

Traci said Faith "is like another motherly figure" in Jamisyn's life. The recruiting process is another example.

"Jamisyn has looked up to Faith ever since she was tiny," Traci said. "Faith is encouraging to Jamisyn, kind of gives her the business when she needs it. She kind of keeps her in check and brings her back down to reality at times. And Faith is Jamisyn's biggest cheerleader."

Faith was concerned that Jamisyn felt pressure to follow her to IUPUI, which also offered. It turned out otherwise.

"I actually think it's going to be great for her to get away," Faith said. "She has a lot of growing up to do, but when she got back (from her visit), I could just tell she was going to commit."

This, of course, creates a quandary for James and Traci. This time next year, they'll picking between flights to the south or drives across the Horizon League.

The balancing act is nothing new, however.

"I am obviously super proud of them," Traci said. "They have worked really through the years, and I think they have developed into great basketball players and even better people."

Jamisyn is eager to see what this group of Generals can accomplish. Five starters return from a district final squad in 2021-22, and Walters said Jamisyn and the team can add to an already impressive legacy.

It won't be long before she is on to the next phase.

"It feels weird knowing that I am going to moving into college, but I am ready for it," Jamisyn said. "It’s like a reset to your life. I am excited to start a new journey."

sblackbu@gannett.com; X: @SamBlackburnTR

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Sheridan's Stinson sisters have helped each other succeed on hardwood