Hardcourt heritage: Julmist sisters’ hoops skills run in the family

Always on the move, Julmist family members say it’s hard to get themselves all in one place.

“A crazy schedule is normal,” the family agreed, as it’s not uncommon for three or four events to overlap.

The family of seven is either at school, competing with school sports, on the go with a travel team, at the family’s SportsFit Training Center and/or simply doing something active.

“I just prefer to be doing something,” said 12-year-old Jericho.

“A lot of the time we’re flying by the seat of our pants because it’s too hard to keep track of everything,” mom Nikki Hover Julmist said from her SportsFit Training Center surrounded by her family including husband Joclin, and five children, Jayla 17, Jelissa, 15, Jericho, Jordyn, 10, and Jaylen, 4.

This summer, Jayla will make the move to her parent’s collegiate footsteps as she’s committed to play basketball for The Master’s University in Santa Clarita, Calif. Her major is biology.

“I like the sunshine and that my parents went there,” she said.

Joclin and Nikki met running through the same basketball circles when they both played for the school. They dated for five years, including when Nikki transferred to Northwest University, before marrying in 2002.

According to The Master’s University’s sports website, Joclin was voted to the school’s Hall of Fame for his record-setting basketball career. He was nameda three-time All-American, led the nation one year with 14.2 rebounds per game, and finished his college career leading the school in career steals (295) and third-most in rebounds (1,565).

Joclin was recruited from Grand Bahama Island where he was born and raised, developing his love for basketball at about age 10.

He said during his senior year, his team played in a lot of tournaments across the U.S., which led him to be recruited along with a now a long history of players from the Bahamas to play for colleges across the nation.

An exhausted Jayla Julmist celebrates with teammates after a West Central District win over Foster in 2019 that saw the Wolves turn a 44-26 deficit into a 54-44 win and earn a spot at the state tournament. Sequim Gazette file photo by Michael Dashiell

Next gen

Joclin said Jayla has been scouted by his former school since her sophomore year and received nearly a full-ride scholarship with local scholarship awards likely helping to cover the rest of her costs.

Since her sophomore year, Jayla holds a double-double average at Sequim High with 10.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game along with 2.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game. During senior year, her averages went up to 13.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per contest.

Paired with sister Jelissa on the court, they made quite the match-up nightmare as Jelissa nearly averaged a double-double this season as well, with 12.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest.

With some future teammates taller than Jayla at 5 feet 11 inches and receiving National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics accolades, she said she anticipates playing small forward or a guard position on a regular basis for the first time.

“I’m excited to do something new,” she said. “I like the competition.”

Competing in larger areas with travel teams, such as last year’s 90-TEN in Tumwater helped her experience a higher level of play in various tournaments, including in Arizona and Indiana.

“It was a whole new level,” Jayla said.

Joclin feels Jayla is ready for the next level.

“She puts in a lot of work and time on her own that people don’t see,” he said.

For college, Jayla said she anticipates she’ll need to improve her all-around game, but focus most on her offense.

“She can shoot; she just doesn’t live to shoot,” Joclin said.

Jayla and Jelissa are complete opposites; as Joclin notes, Jelissa “hasn’t seen a shot she doesn’t like.”

In one-on-one competition, Jayla admits her younger sister does come out on top.

“I am more offensive than her,” Jelissa said.

Sequim High sophomore Jelissa Julmist looks to score in Sequim’s 68-8 rout of Klahowya on May 25. She had 16 points and 12 rebounds in the game, and averaged 12.2 points, 8.2 rebounds nearly two assists in the Wolves’ 2020-2021 season. Sequim Gazette file photo by Michael Dashiell

But Jayla said she loves playing with her sister, adding, “I can feed her on the inside.”

College choices

Having their daughters go to their former school wasn’t a priority for Joclin and Nikki, they said, as they preferred her to be closer to home while still finding a good team to connect with and grow as a player and person.

Jayla said she looked at a few colleges, such as Peninsula College and Western Washington University, but opted for The Master’s.

“What they want to do is up to them (for college),” Joclin said. “If they want to do it, then we’ll push.”

All of the Julmist children say their parents are supportive, with mom one of their loudest supporters at games.

“It’s embarrassing,” the Julmist youths agreed.

As for future Julmists at Master’s University, Jelissa said she has no clue what she wants to do after high school. For her junior year, she anticipates moving to center on the court to follow her sister.

Jericho said he wants to go to a really big, good college but didn’t know which one.

As for her best memory with Sequim basketball, Jayla feels the Wolves’ Feb. 27, 2019, come-from-behind-win over Foster in districts to advance to state stands out.

Jayla had nine points and 19 rebounds in the game to help shut out the Bulldogs the last 12 minutes and go on a 28-0 run to win 54-44.

Supporters of youth athletics through their SportsFit Training Facility and in various Sequim sports, the Julmist family will see oldest daughter Jayla, 17, fourth from left, go to her parents’ former college The Master’s University this fall and play for the basketball team. Other Julmist children are unsure which colleges they’d like to pursue but all anticipate continuing to play multiple Sequim sports, they said. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash

Future activities

With more Julmists likely to bring their athletic prowess to Sequim sports teams, Nikki said they continue to advocate for more youth athletic opportunities here that bring in more competition and experiences while requiring less travel.

“We need a place where kids can play without restrictions,” Joclin said.

Nikki said there isn’t a time in the year when at least one of her children isn’t on a team.

“We try to keep them going with sports for as long as we can to help them develop as athletes,” she said. “All sports help each other out and helps them from being burned out.”

Helping youths train is a passion of hers at SportsFit, which opened in 2013 and moved to 10155 Old Olympic Highway prior to when the pandemic hit.

She feels Sequim is behind in helping elevate and nurture young athletes and hopes she can be a part of supporting that effort.

Sequim High girls basketball assistants Joclin Julmist and Sven Wiker confer during a 2020 Olympic League game. Sequim Gazette file photo by Michael Dashiell

SportsFit is the family’s side business, with Joclin teaching physical education at Helen Haller Elementary for the last three years after years of commuting to the Hood Canal School District. He taught multiple subjects and coached high school basketball, volleyball and track.

SportsFit is open Monday-Friday with yoga offered at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Call 360-504-2835, stop by or visit Sportsfittc.weebly.com.