Ramapo doesn’t get much attention, and for good reason. The Gryphons are very young and haven’t done much winning.
You may, however, have seen the name Yolanda Juste. She’s one of the highest scorers in Section 1 at 19.3 ppg. A natural post player, Juste is one of the tougher inside scorers and rebounders.
Incredibly, she does it at only 5-foot-7. Even more incredibly, she’s the tallest girl on her team.
I profiled Juste in the latest girls basketball notebook.
I also looked at Brittany Horne’s historic week. Horne scored her 1,000th point and grabbed her 1,000th rebound in back to back games.
46 Comments
WOW!! Jake I guess you didn’t do your history check..Juste does have basketball skills,and is tough but ask any coach in Rockland(or parents) for the last 3 years and you will find one of the dirtiest,most malicous players around-just go back and see how many games she has played each of the last 3 years and you will see many games missed-not due to injuries,or grades but after being thrown out of a game w/a T-she has to sit a game..I see my share of Rockland ball and have personally seen her tossed out of 4 games.(and have witnessed her bad behavoir on numerous other occasions ie:fighting with teamates on the court,cursing out players parents on her own team,walking off the court-while not listening to her coach putting sweat pants on and sitting in the crowd and at a AM tournament game after picking up 4 1st Q foul go and try and change her jersey to a differnt # till her coach caught her).heard about many others-not a good choice to pick to highlight-would have been better doing on DeCruz at AM,Richards from AM and her comeback from a devasting acl tear,Argenzio-one true point guard@TZ,the hard working Destaso at Cl North or someone from the pearl river team
Well said Parent! As for Richards at AM I have watched her every game and she is getting stronger and better each game she makes the whole team better with her sight of the floor and her passing, her inside play has been outstanding, is not very intrested in her stats as much as some of the others she puts the team first.
Sorry to say but believe it or not it is even worse than ” A Concerned Parent ” noted. I personally have observed Ms. Juste on numerous occasions elbowing 6th grade girls in the ribs, head and face when she played ball with St. Joes CYO in Spring Valley as well as AAU ball with the Rockland Rockets. Sorry to say that ” Her mad at the world ” attitude has not gotten any better as observed as in her game against Albertus this year. The sad part is her coaches to a great degree have put up and accepted this type of behavior from her for years rather than helping her as her adult coaches, mentors and role models and keeping her on the bench until she demonstrated appropriate attitude and sportsmanship. If she did not change she should have been given the boot !! Jake I do not know who your girls hoops ” sources ” are but there is a ton of girls who are excellent players in Sec. 1 who are maintaining a 90 or above academic average. ( Student Athletes, Honor students ! ) Maybe you should profile one of them next time. They are the one who are deserving of such recognition !
A concerned parent,AM alum,and JK hit it square on the head ! I just hope Miss Juste can make it thru a season without seriuosly hurting anyone-she seems a bit reckless,and nasty to other players(as well as what A C P said above about fighting with her teamates parents-if i am not mistaken that was against Suffern last year-unless it happened at other games also)
One other thing and this was the best part of Jakes Profile on Ms. Juste : The implication of her being a positive role model for her ” younger ” teammates on Ramapo H.S. That was definitely the most enjoyable part of the article for me !! ” Earth to Jake, Earth to Jake ” What girls H.S basketball planet are you on ??
I would say it’s a good choice if the kid changed her tune, but she has not. It’s the same old story talking smack, questionable tactics, technical fouls, arguing with opposing coaches. I would bet not one coach in Rockland supports this mention. I wonder how the girls who played against her feel, I think we know the answer to that. At least the title of the Blog post is accurate. I think more research is in order. It’s really not all about points, is it?
http://girlsbasketball.lohudblogs.com/2009/02/12/outbracket-scores/
I have to agree with the gallery on this one jake… i’ve known juste for several yrs and her attitude hasn’t gotten better… yeah she can ball, but that can’t be the end all be all of high school sports… she is easily taken out of her game with some pressure or aggressive play and in turn she acts without thought or control… as a senior and a team leader, she doesn’t reflect leadership, integrity or the other characteristics that numerous other players reflect on and off the court in this county… i wish her the best, and hope that she matures and recognizes the potential she possess, on and off the court…
Wow who is this girl? LOL!!! She sounds like a show to see…I hav never heard of her and hope she can change her attitude to go the next level.. If not good luck and don’t get thrown out of any other games LOL!!!
Coach luck looking for a new player?LOL. (it’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood)
Coach Luck (I guess they call everyone “coach” these days),
Are you really King Friday from the Mr Rogers Show? You sound like him.
And JK NY Fever, what?
Must be another want-to-be from Planet Know-It-All.
Jake needs someone to carry his bags and drive him from game to game.
Maybe one of you should apply for the job
I totally agree with everyone above. I too have seen Yolanda since CYO days. She had a poor attitude then and it hasn’t improved over the years. A big question is out there. Why is she playing this year? It is a known fact that she had to sit out after assaulting several players 2 years ago. One incident is on video. She knocked Danielle DeStaso from Clarkstown North onto the ground and jumped on her punching her in the face. Her big punishment was to sit out one game. Only two days later she attacked Julie Jefferson from Suffern with no punishment. Last year she chased 2 refs into a locker room and was supposed to be finished with Ramapo basketball after that. Also, it is known that she was supposed to be ineligible this year for failing a course at School. Her mother somehow fought the system. My concern is for the other players that come against her. She shows NO sportsmanship and should no way be someone to have been praised. My hope is that she grows into a caring young adult and learns from her past mistakes. What a shame!
One more thing…
“Yolanda Juste can Bang Despite Her Size”. She sure can! At least the title of the article was correct. She has been known to BANG several opponents. Roll back the tapes!
I wish this story was a case of a kid who deserves it becoming something, but it’s not. Almost everyone has heard she is ineligible but continues to play. I have also seen her on court antics for years and she has gotten numerous second chances, always coming back angrier and more outrageous. One writer said her mother fought the system. That’s not quite right. It’s called playing the system. Shame on the administration at Ramapo for allowing her to continue to play. It’s an insult to the hard-working student athletes. Maybe those of you who have daughters who play in Rockland should drop the principal and AD (is it still Malden?) an email and let them know that they’ll be part of the lawsuit when Juste hurts your kid.
Cartman is my favorite South Park Character and I grew up on Mr. Rogers so thanks for the love guys!!! LMAO..
Jake, your LK buddies let you down. Suggest you widen your net of informants so you don’t get caught with your journalistic pants down again. Maybe Edward R. Murrow is a better role model than John Starks for a budding journalist?? A lot more seasoning, and maturing, is in order without reference to your following here, sadly lacking in these attributes.
If you all saw games this year… Yolanda has made a 180 turn around. Assaulting is a big word “another concerned parent” you should watch what you say and get your facts correct. If you see a video of Yolanda playing you will see all the girls who push her, hold her jersey, and foul her on a consistent basis. It is true Yolanda probably has made mistakes previously but the games I have seen she is trying hard to change her ways and it is showing. The coach at Ramapo does have his hands fill this year but ask any coach that have played Ramapo and they will tell you the difference between previous years and this year is night and day with how the girls on the team act.
where is the AD and principal during all of this
Let me start by saying that East Ramapo has my heart… i too believe that Juste has matured and devloped over the course of her four years, and that this year she is beginning to look like a leader, but I don’t believe that this warrents her to be given accolades… like I said in my earlier post, there are numerous players in Rockland that should be profiled, because of their larger than their size play, both on and off the court… not sure where some of the acussations against Juste came from “blaming Ramapo admin”, she is eligible to play period, but personally and that’s my opinion, she doesn’t deserve the spotlight…
Fan from a far – “has made a 180 turn around”
I guess telling the opposing coach to shut up as he talks to the refs qualifies for a turn around? I think the coach should have stepped up and told Jake about the past / recent issues. He dropped the ball more than anyone.
If you saw the AM vs RHS game, you would have seen the big girl punch Juste and the REF gave her and Juste the T. Another season Juste would have squashed her.
Bball, if you have ever seen YJuste play you would know this year has been a 1-8-0 turn around.
.
KJ,
Let me take a guess at this
Your daughter’s team was beaten badly by Yolanda about 7 years ago in a CYO game.
Grow up
I don’t know how far “Fan from afar” is, but get a grip. Hand checks and occasional jersey holding are part of the game and called, although inconsistently, by the officials. Trying to paint the “new” Yolanda as a victim will not get sympathy from many. I was at the NR game when she chased the referees into the lockers. I suppose she wanted to share post-game tea? I’ve seen her push players faces into the court and put a knee in a player on the floors back instead of getting the loose ball. In the real world these are assaults. As far as the chatter of her ineligibility, I would think people are referring to the “student” part of student-athlete, where you get good grades and are a good citizen. There’s more to being eligible than playing an administration that has no backbone.
First, of all every sport associated with East Ramapo many of the refs don’t play fair. I might even say some of them play the race card (Albertus Game hint hint). I believe if you guys were so concerned about how this young lady played you would have taken it up with the people in charge of creating the games and bring out the regulations. You have to understand yes this is high school basketball but if your girls can’t handle a hit now then I hope they don’t plan on playing in college. I’ve watched Yolanda too play and yes she is agressive and at times a loud mouth but you have to understand she is still a great player. Instead of bashing her and bringing up issues that have nothing to deal with her high school career keep it out. Truthfully I believe you guys have no lives. For you to be adults bashing a high school senior you need to take a look at yourself. You guys can think what you want, but truthfully every team in Rockland County Plays DIRTY!!! It’s just a shame you guys had to take out your fustration on one child.
Not every team in Rockland plays dirty, so you lose credibiltity with that statement. I dont know the player from a whole in the wall but not everyone who has blogged can be wrong. If one iota of the above is true the player has some issues and the school administrators should at the very least keep a close eye on it. Mayble the attention which was brought to light here may now be addressed and she will be a better competitor for it. If not then there need to be some ramifications. Ultimately the coach is responsible for the players and how they act on the court
To fan from afar-
Yes assaulted! Since it took 2 security guards, a coach and the athletic trainer to escort her out of the gym it was definitely an assault. They were unable to contain her in the office. Her foul mouth was running and at the end of the game she even tried 2 go after DeStaso running her mouth saying It’s not over. There is definitely a video out there and if you would like, it can be put onto you-tube.
And yes, I agree with the comment above. Although we are being tough on a 17 year old maybe she will learn from this negative press. Could save another athlete an unnecessary injury.
Nice job, Jake. Can we at least blame these early fumbles on Josh? Did he spend any time transitioning the coverage to you, or did he just drop it like a hot potato for you to figure out through trial and error? Human interest/underdog stories are great, but you have to define the angle better. And in this case it seems like there was a whole larger story and context that was completely missed. I hope the girl has made the progress in maturing that some have suggested she has.
PUT THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE I WANNA SEE LOL!!!!
PUT THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE I WANNA SEE LOL!!!!!
Will do as soon as I learn how. You can always get it from Ramapo. They taped the game.
@ Hoops, if I truly lose my credibility find me the team. This is gonna be my last reponse to this blog, this is just sad and pathetic. Your opinons on this matter have gone too far. It seems that many of you have grudges against her. Also if I can remeber many of the people must be parents of teams that have beaten Ramapo. I guess you are just upset you won with Ramapo putting up at fight. Most of you will take that statement out of context and turn it around but you know what go ahead cause it won’t make a difference to this article being printed. To the writer pay no mind to these people harassing you. This was a well thought article and kudos to you. Unlike you despite that fact that people are bashing Yolanda, you saw that she was a good player during the game. If she was truly a monster, and a thug…(yes people I said thug because that’s what I’m getting from these comments) you wouldn’t have written this article . TO Yolanda don’t worry about what people think, because no matter how much you mature, or make a turn around people like this will still down play situtations in the past. Just play the game and don’t worry about the FANS, because they don’t play it for you!!!!
AS SOON AS YOU LEARN HOW ?!! YOUR THE ONE TALKING LIKE YOU HAVE THE PROOF SITTING WITH YOU ! HOW BOUT YOU POST THE VIDEO YOURSELF!!! YOU NEED TO GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT I’M PRETTY SURE THAT LAST STATEMENT WAS FALSE ON ACCOUNT I TOO WAS AT THE GAME AND DID NOT WITNESS ANY OF THIS ! STOP ADDING FALSE INFORMATION TO SOME OF THESE SITUATIONS.
@Another Concerned Fan, what are you talking about?!?
35 responses!?!? how interesting, most of these comments are just negative personal opinions that dont even relate to the title”Yolanda Juste can bang despite her size” how can you guys criticize Jake for choosing to give Y.Juste this supposed spotlight but was only stating facts in the blog. None of you guys can disagree with the simple fact that yes Y.Juste is one of the highest scores in section 1 and a natural post player. “She’s been thrown out games, attacks other players, has a bad attitude,” sum up most of these comments yet at 5’7 shes competing and scoring against 5’10 or 5’11 players on other teams. thats all Jake was trying to say but you guys turn this into an opportunity to belittle and make negative comments about the talented girl. Give the girl some credit she’s a huge offensive threat that needs more recognition. I’ve seen Y.Juste play myself and i dont know too many girls out their who can defend her. She’s simply an AGGRESSIVE player
How come none of your comments refer to the statements made by Jake !
“You may, however, have seen the name Yolanda Juste. She’s one of the highest scorers in Section 1 at 19.3 ppg. A natural post player, Juste is one of the tougher inside scorers and rebounders.
Incredibly, she does it at only 5-foot-7. Even more incredibly, she’s the tallest girl on her team.”
your guys comments have nothing to do with blog, take your personal negative opinions up with the ramapo adminstration or else where.
@BballFan finally finally someone that sees my point!!!!!
“How come none of your comments refer to the statements made by Jake !
You may, however, have seen the name Yolanda Juste. She’s one of the highest scorers in Section 1 at 19.3 ppg. A natural post player, Juste is one of the tougher inside scorers and rebounders.
Incredibly, she does it at only 5-foot-7. Even more incredibly, she’s the tallest girl on her team.?
Nice stats certianly for the height mismatch, but to get a true picture you must see % numbers (for all players would be helpful), we know we won?t. Plus time on the floor as the top 5 RC teams / players are putting in maybe 16 / 20 min. Ramapo is in catch up mode against 2nd 3rd stringers a lot. Nuff said
Bballfan, it is easy to explain why you are so confused. This is HS basketball, not the WNBA, NBA, NFL etc. At this level there is much more to life than putting up numbers. You can argue forever that character is important at any level but our society has made it very clear an elite professional athlete needs none to succeed. So we hope when we are talking about HS players (i wont even bring in the fact that they are girls, who don’t have near the testosterone level of boys their age) should be held accountable to their behavior. It is very clear that Jake is not very good, or basically just doesn’t care about his job and here is why…. As a reporter it is very easy to just go down the stat list and see who has the best #’s and write a little thing about them. That is easy and “LAZY”!!!!! and that is exactly what he did in this situation. It took no effort at all, no WORK on his part. Anybody with an 7th grade education could have written what he did. I would be very surprised if his boss didn’t realize this obvious point. Jake, next time you plan on writing (that is your job right?) do a little work. Check out the person, story you are writing about before you put your name on it for the world to see. Lets just pretend that 1/2 of what has been written about this girl is true (and I feel bad for her in an way, especially if she is turning her life around, and I blame you Jake) there is not any reason for anyone to write a glowing article or short piece about her. You really screwed up here jake, you just set this poor girl back a whole lot if she is working on making better choices, because now even the people who didn’t know her past, know it now.. GOOD JOB!!!
So we are fighting over a young girls coverage good or bad. Blow up this blog that is just not fair to have parents bash kids. Sorry but I think this has become a bad forum get rid of it now!
And it a parents way to vent about coaches and kids not a good thing!
So much to say by basically the same people. Amazing to read the comments by AAU coaches who for some reason think because they coach AAU they have insight to the game the rest of us don’t. So much preaching going on about what constitutes a good player, good administrator, even a good sportswriter. Frankly, I find it amusing. Let’s be honest, did any of your daughters complain about the small article that appeared, or, did they read it, maybe shake their head, make a comment or two and then move on?
Father’s take note of mature behavior. Relax and keep in mind that of all the girls that played high school basketball in this little county of ours one player has gone onto play Division One basketball in the last two years..Enjoy the high school ride, it goes quick.
It is appalling the behavior of the parents on these blogs. You guys are worse than the young ladies that put the time, effort into every game. The nerve of all of you to sit there time after time and smile, shake hands and be cordial to the parents, coaches, and girls themselves, and then hide behind these alias to crush these girls is just unforgiving. I myself have sat at many games, and heard parents bicker about the girl who turned over the ball, missed foul shots, talk about the girls’ social lives outside school-
who the heck do you think you guys are adding a spark to a fire. For one, be a spectator and watch the game. Stop coaching from the sidelinesthe girls are not there to listen to youthey have their coaches. Whether you like them or notthey are the coach not you. Leave the negativity and comments out. Yolanda is not the only player that plays rough or toughthere are quite a few-yet their parents WOULD NEVER WANT their daughter to be a topic of conversation!! Lets just be nice, appreciate the article for what it was meant to say, and praise the many girls who have good games at different times. Lets stop the bashing!! Also, can anyone tell me how many games Section 1 is supposed to have? Are tournaments included in that count?Each team is supposed to have 18 games(this includes tournaments but not sectional playoffs).
There are certainly a whole lot of particulars like that to take into consideration. That may be a nice level to carry up. I provide the ideas above as normal inspiration however clearly there are questions just like the one you convey up where an important thing can be working in trustworthy good faith. I don?t know if greatest practices have emerged around issues like that, however I’m sure that your job is clearly recognized as a good game. Both boys and girls feel the affect of only a moment’s pleasure, for the remainder of their lives.