Before August, Jaleesa Molina had never played basketball in the United States. Now, the promising freshman forward is expected to be an anchor in the paint this season for Temple Women’s Basketball.
Although she’s adapting to a new culture and style of play, she has seamlessly integrated into the roster.
“When I came here, it just felt like a family,” Molina said. “The coaches were super happy to have me here, and everyone was so kind. I just had a good feeling.”
Last season Temple struggled with depth, as four players had departed from the team. Injuries and foul troubles forced the Owls to play their starters nearly 40 minutes a night, and as few as six players rotated the lineup throughout the year.
When the season ended, Temple head coach Diane Richardson hit the recruiting trail in need of backcourt players. Her search led to the FIBA 3X3 World Cup and, of course, Molina.
Molina, from The Hauge in the Netherlands, played for the Netherlands’ 2022 FIBA 3×3 World Cup team, an event that sees countries all-around the world battle in a 3v3 basketball tournament. She was a forceful presence on the interior, which contributed to her team’s respectable sixth-place finish, and caught Richardson’s attention.
“We liked the way she played,” Richardson said. “She played on the 3v3 national team. I knew we needed somebody of her talent level, who was long and can rebound. She’s also pretty quick and can defend.”
In the U18 Women’s European Championship after the World Cup, Molina led her team averaging 6.3 rebounds. During the professional season, she played in the Dutch Basketball League for the Landslake Lions, where she averaged nearly seven points and four rebounds.
Richardson invited Molina to Philadelphia last September, and the visit sealed the deal for both parties.
“We weren’t very deep in the post last year,” Richardson said. “So our main goal was to go out and get post players that rebound and wouldn’t be afraid to go inside. When we had the opportunity to recruit Jaleesa, it was on.”
Now, Molina’s rebounding potential will fill a gap on Temple’s roster, as the Owls finished 10th last season in the rebounding margin, allowing their opponents 40 grabs per game. Temple also finished last in the AAC with scoring defense allowing 66 points per game.
“I just want to make the team a little better,” Molina said. “Whether it’s the rebounding stuff but also defense, running the floor, getting the minutes and just doing what the coaches ask me to do.”
Despite her undeniable talent, Molina has faced difficulties adapting to American culture both on and off the court.
In the U.S., Molina has been exposed to a faster play style compared to European basketball’s more technical rules as well as a drastic increase in the courtside fanbase. She’s preparing to perform in front of a much larger audience.
The ICL Sports Center, home of the Landslake Lions, has a capacity much smaller than The Liacouras Center, which holds more than 10,000 people, and Molina admitted that was a scary adjustment.
“I’m missing my family, and being so far away from them was difficult in the beginning,” Molina said. “Just starting in America, where I’ve never been to, is a really big change.”
To cope with the distance, Molina has relied on close relationships with her teammates, particularly fellow international student and senior forward Ines Piper.
Piper, from Paris, France, and Molina immediately formed a sister-like bond, and they constantly spend time together outside of practice.
“I instantly knew I was going to get along with Jaleesa,” Piper said. “We’re kinda living the same life. We both left our country to come play here, and I know what she may go through because I went through the same things. She’s like a little sister.”
With less than a month left until the tipoff of Temple’s first game, her relationships and athletic resources have helped Molina find routine in her daily life as a student-athlete.
Basketball is a more celebrated sport in Philadelphia than in The Hauge, so Temple offers more access to on-court training than Molina is used to. The training facilities and staff have developed specific conditioning drills to help her get comfortable on the team.
“When I’m home just going to school and practicing, I’m just a regular person doing everything myself,” Molina said. “[In America], I have people to rebound for me, and I don’t have that at home. Me and my teammates just had to go and chase after the ball.”
Despite the pressure Molina feels in her role on the team, Richardson believes Molina has lived up to her expectations so far.
Molina impresses her coaches during practice, receiving 10 out of 10 performance ratings, and brings a positive energy her teammates and coaches rave about.
It’s clear Molina is just the presence Richardson wanted in the backcourt.
“Freshmen get their names called a lot because they’re getting a higher level of basketball,” Richardson said. “She probably is feeling that freshman pressure, and we are going to keep training her to do things at the speed at which we do it in the U.S., but we believe in her.”
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