Jaime Capra '08 led her high school basketball team, the Old Bridge High School Knights, to the Middlesex County Championship twice in her career, and both times left defeated. The third time must be the charm. Capra helped the Judges take home their second consecutive ECAC Championship last Saturday, a feat she was unable to accomplish while in high school, but definitely a good omen for the rest of the rookie's career.

Luckily for the Judges, head coach Carol Simon is a smooth talker on and off the court. Capra was leaning toward Fairleigh-Dickinson University in her home state of New Jersey, but changed her mind after a summer visit with Simon.

"Carol does a really good job of recruiting," Capra said. "She makes the whole thing seem so appealing. She definitely played a big part in my decision to come to Brandeis."

Averaging 12.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game this season, Capra has proven herself to be one of the most talented rookies ever to come through the Brandeis basketball program and was the named UAA Rookie of the Year.

In addition to basketball, Capra played softball and volleyball in high school, and was captain of all three teams her senior year. Despite never winning a championship, she helped her team win plenty of games, accumulating a program-record 1,525 points in her career.

One of the biggest fears of any coach is that a high school standout will be unable to handle the athletic and academic pressure that comes along with the transition to college. This fear looms especially large in the travel-heavy conference schedule and the demanding academics at Brandeis.

Capra is thinking about majoring in American Studies in order to prepare herself for law school and says that late nights and following her teammates' guidance is the formula for staying grounded.

"In the beginning, it was hard to balance basketball and academics," Capra said. "I was a little overwhelmed during the first week or two, but you just learn to adjust."

"Jaime's a goofy kid," Simon said with a smirk. "She's a really special kid because she knows how to play hard, but she likes to have fun, too. She's the first to be joking around, but then she'll turn around and be ready to push someone around on the court. She keeps me on my toes, that's for sure."

On a team lacking players that can fill multiple positions, Capra stands out as a jack of all trades.

"Her versatility has really just been exceptional," Simon said. "At the beginning of the year she was able to play a post when all our forwards were hurt, even though she's naturally a guard.