By Laura Lydic
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
When Kionna Jeter came to Towson University in 2018 to play basketball, she had her sights set on playing in the WNBA.
That dream became a reality in the last round of last week’s draft when Jeter was chosen by the Las Vegas Aces as the 36th overall pick, making her the first player drafted in program history for Towson women’s basketball.
“When we first recruited her and she committed to Towson she said she wanted to be a pro player in the league,” Head Coach Diane Richardson said during a press conference on April 16. “I said, ‘You can do that,’ knowing her work ethic and knowing the skill set we have as a staff to push her to those goals.”
Jeter started her basketball career at Spartanburg High School in South Carolina before going to Gulf Coast State College in Panama City, Florida, and then Towson. She flew to Las Vegas on Saturday and started a new chapter in her basketball career.
“I’m just excited,” Jeter said during the same April 16 press conference as Richardson. “Blessed to be in this position. It is something I’ve been working towards all my life and it’s finally a dream come true.”
Jeter, who plays guard, has been named to the All-CAA First Team and CAA All-Defensive Team multiple times, as well as being a John Randolph Inspiration Award recipient.
Though this path has been filled with awards and acknowledgements, it didn’t start out as smoothly as planned.
At just 2 years old Jeter was chasing after a basketball into the street when she was struck by a vehicle, resulting in her being in a full-body cast for nearly a year.
More tragedy struck when she was hit in the back by two stray bullets in a drive-by shooting on Feb. 3, 2018 while home in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She was an innocent bystander in that incident.
“No matter what I’ve gone through I’ve always overcome,” Jeter told reporters after the draft announcement. “I’ve told myself always whatever you go through you have to overcome, because God has blessed me with the strength and the tools to survive. It’s survival of the fittest, so I always thought that with the goals I’ve wanted to accomplish.”
Jeter broke a few program records while she was on the Towson Tigers Women’s Basketball team.
In her first season in 2018-19, Jeter made major contributions to Towson’s first CAA championship win, including a midrange jumper that gave TU a 49-46 lead with 24 seconds left to play and sealed the victory against Drexel. In her last season she was the first player at Towson to drop 30-plus points in three consecutive contests since Towson joined the CAA in 2001-02.
“She’s an exceptional athlete and much different than some of the other athletes I’ve coached,” Richardson said. “She does things so effortlessly. I knew she had it going for her. She’s like an old school player, just instinctual.”
Jeter is a strong competitor and has made lasting impressions on many involved with Towson athletics.
TU alum Rashad Christian had been the color analyst for women’s basketball for three seasons, including the team’s CAA championship season.
“She’s such a natural scorer,” Christian said in an interview. “It looks effortless. Some of those moments are when she pulls up early in the possession and hits a three in a defender’s grill.”
Jeter not only led her team in scoring over the years, she also was a motivator and a team captain. Her teammates call her Melo.
Center LaKaitlin Wright, a senior, recalled a game in Puerto Rico when Jeter inspired the team to victory.
“The team that we were playing told their coach before that when they beat us they would go get ice cream and basically Melo came up with a song ‘no ice cream, no water,’” Wright said in an interview. “She was motivating us at the end of the day that we can’t get beat because they don’t get to have ice cream. In the middle of the game she would yell, ‘No ice cream, no water’ and the whole bench would yell it. I think that’s my best memory of Melo, and it goes to that motivating spirit she always has.”
Although Jeter meant business on the court, sophomore teammate Aleah Nelson said she is a friend off the court. Her favorite memory with Jeter was a dance battle while waiting for COVID-19 test results. Even though she lost the informal dance competition to Jeter, Nelson said, it was fun.
“She’s from the South and she definitely carries that with her,” Nelson said. “Just an overall positive person and she is fun energy.”
When it came down to the day of the WNBA draft, nerves and emotions were high for Richardson and Jeter.
“I was following the whole draft and I knew how many players and who had what draft picks,” Richardson said. “So, I was hanging on and having some conversations with some coaches. I knew some of them wanted her and then that 36th pick came in and I said, “Yes, let’s go.’”
Jeter was nervous when some players dropped to the second round in the draft, specifically Dana Evans from the University of Louisville and Didi Richards from Baylor University. All she could do was wait it out and pray.
“I was nervous and a little anxious,” Jeter said. “I know a lot of people drop in the draft. Didi didn’t go in the first round. Dana Evans didn’t go first round. It kind of got tight there for a second. But [I] just waited it out praying that I get picked.”
After the pick was announced, Jeter said her emotions were “everywhere.” There were celebrations and a FaceTime call with Richardson.
“I was talking to my agent and we were talking before the pick came in and at that point I still didn’t have any type of emotion,” Jeter said. “It was like I was just watching TV, but when the pick came in my family celebrated, everyone celebrated. I couldn’t sit down. I was walking in and outside the house for like two hours.”
There is a lot for Jeter to look forward to, as well as a lot of work ahead of her.
“It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be challenging, but it’s going to be fun,” Jeter said. “I’m ready to work and prove I belong in the league.”