Sitting in the stands at Curry Hicks Cage Wednesday night, Jessica Provost admits it’s not easy to remain calm at Greenfield High School girls basketball games.
Much of that fire comes from watching her daughter, Racquel, who is a starting guard in the Green Wave backcourt. The freshman is averaging 5.5 points per game this winter, helping her team to the program’s first WMass title game appearance in 29 years.
Twenty-nine years is a long time. Of course, Jessica Provost remembers that better than most. That’s where the rest of that fire deviates from.
When Greenfield took to the floor at the Springfield Civic Center on March 10, 1990 to play Southwick in the WMass Division 2 championship, senior forward Jessica Grader was in awe. Just a few days removed from a sizable upset of top-seeded Monument Mountain in the semifinals, Grader and the Wave stared across the floor in Springfield at future Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Rebecca Lobo. To be on the big stage, the first-ever championship game appearance in GHS history; that was something special.
“It was showstopping,” recalled Provost, née Grader, of the trip to the Civic Center. “To be in that environment coming from a little town like Greenfield … it was quite an experience. One we’ll never forget. You don’t realize it going through school but you look back at those times so fondly.”
Greenfield’s finals appearance from 1990 didn’t go according to plan. Lobo dominated the game, the 6-foot-4 junior pouring in 36 points and 16 rebounds, outscoring the Wave herself as Southwick cruised to a 65-34 win. Provost pulled down a team-high seven rebounds in the loss. She scored 2 points, shooting 1-for-11 from the floor.
“We knew going into that game that playing against Rebecca Lobo was something that was going to be very tough,” Provost said. “It was even tougher than we had imagined. We gave it our all, but we came up pretty short. I will say, though, getting to that point was an impressive feat. We made it to the (finals). We were proud of that. We played as a team and did the best that we could.”
Provost was certainly aware of Lobo before they met head-to-head on the floor. The two battled in the Elks Hoop Shoot as youngsters.
“She kind of had nerves of steel,” Provost said with a laugh. “I lost to her. We went to a playoff and I made 4-of-5 shots. She made all five, of course.”
Fast forward nearly three decades, and Provost is back in the finals — this time as a parent.
Daughter Racquel has saved her best play for the stretch run, averaging 8.2 points per game in the team’s last five games. That included 16 points in a win over Hopkins Academy a few weeks ago.
“It’s crazy, so surreal, so amazingly special to see her out on the court,” said Jessica Provost of Racquel. “We’re very sports-minded in our family. I grew up that way and remained that way. I’ve tried to guide (Racquel) to be the best player and teammate that she can be.”
Provost’s contributions extend beyond the scoresheet. As a player, she provides toughness and grit on the floor, and is often matched up on one of the opposing team’s best players defensively. It’s a role not unlike the one her mother played 29 years earlier.
“It’s pretty cool to be kind of following in her footsteps,” offered Racquel during a break at Greenfield’s practice earlier this week. “It’s amazing that I get to play in a championship game just like she did.”
Jessica said the commonality in their games comes from a specific understanding of the task at hand.
“I wasn’t a big point-scorer but I knew I had a job out there and I tell the same to Racquel, you have a job to do so just go out there and find your niche,” she offered.
What kind of tales has Racquel heard from her mother about the ’90 title game?
“She told me that Rebecca Lobo was huge,” Racquel said with a laugh. “She was a handful.”
Jessica Provost’s history as a player gives her a unique perspective in watching this Greenfield postseason run. As a parent with no eligibility remaining, however, sitting and watching isn’t the easiest thing in the world.
“You definitely wouldn’t want to videotape me,” she chuckled. “Because I’ve done it, lived it and still have passion for it. We try and keep it in check, though. Sometimes things get crazy, but we try not to get in the car and go too crazy about it afterward. The one thing with Racquel, and I hear it from a lot of people, she wants to do well, but she’s also a team player.”
That much is evident from their post-game conversations on the ride home.
“One game I told her she did a great job,” recalled Jessica. “So I asked her, ‘How many points did you have?’ Her answer was, ‘I don’t know.’”
Prior to Wednesday’s semifinal win over South Hadley, Jessica sent Racquel one final message on the bus ride to the game.
“I texted her, ‘Hustle and heart. Give 110-percent. Just give it all you’ve got,” she revealed. “It’s such an exciting time for all of us. Our girls have a chance to make history. It’s kind of inconceivable. But I’m proud of her no matter what.”
Racquel isn’t taking a trip to the title game during her freshman season for granted. After all, it’s been 29 years since the last time the program played on this very stage.
“It’s a once in a lifetime experience and I’m treating it like that,” she admitted. “To be able to do this with such a great group of girls makes it even better. It’s an awesome opportunity.”