Central Michigan University Athletics
Jess Lawson traveled a long and sometimes difficult road from Las Vegas to Mount Pleasant where she has become a standout with the Chippewa women's basketball team.
Photo by: Madison Davidson '25 - @_mld.jpeg
Long and Winding Road: Jess Lawson Finds a Home With CMU Women's Basketball
2/11/2025 11:08:00 AM | Women's Basketball, Our Stories
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Jess Lawson, a 5-foot-7 point guard for the Central Michigan women's basketball, leaves an impression on every team she touches.
Throughout turmoil and success, she continues to create her own way on and off the court using the gift she has: skill and compassion.
She also has increasingly made an impact on the court, scoring a season-high 22 points last week in a 73-68 win over Marshall, her ninth consecutive game in double figures.
She ranks second on the team in scoring at 11.9 points per game and is the Chippewas' leading rebounder (9.1 per game) and tops the team in assists per game (3.4). She ranks third in the Mid-American Conference in rebounds, 10th in assists and 18th in scoring.
The Chippewas are 10-13 and have already won more games in 2024-25 than they have in each of the past three years. They are 5-6 in the MAC heading into Saturday's road game (2 p.m.) at Bowling Green, a key matchup as the Chippewas seek to earn a league tournament berth for the first time since 2021.
Certainly, it's been an uphill climb in rebuilding for the Chippewas under second-year coach Kristin Haynie. The program's road is not unlike that which Lawson has traveled.
Lawson, a Las Vegas native, made it clear she was not raised with a silver spoon. She grew up fast, and the struggles of managing foster care with a limited amount of support from her adopted family forced her to make a life-altering decision in high school.
"My background story is crazy," Lawson said. "I didn't play my last two years of high school basketball, my parents took me off the team and in retaliation, I ended up running away from home, just to be on my own. At the age of 17, I was just trying to find a way of living out of a bad situation."
Lawson ended up staying with the families of former high school teammates, drawing support from a variety of sources. That helped provide a framework for her to keep pursuing her dream of college basketball even when some around her thought it a fool's errand.
"It just gave me the motivation to know that I could do it," Lawson said. "Being able to put my mind to something and do it while leaving my family behind was hard. I knew what I wanted to do with my life and being in Nevada wasn't the best option."
She found her way to Cochise College in Sierra Vista, Ariz., one of the few schools that showed an interest. In two years at Cochise, she averaged 9-plus points per game and earned an associate's degree in community development and communications.
She then moved on to Illinois Springfield in 2023-24, helping the Prairie Stars to a 10-win improvement over the previous season. Lawson led UIS in scoring and was named the university's Female Athlete of the Year.
And it's about doing the things to help her team win that, ultimately, drives Lawson.
"Being able to have a winning mindset is key, that's just how I am," she said. "I love to win. Transferring that energy (to CMU) was one of the biggest takeaways.
"I'm really sociable. I love having fun and using my voice. As a senior this year, I just always want to pour into my teammates. I am a captain on the team, so I'm able to use my voice when needed and being able to take criticism is a huge part of it."
"It's no secret that Jess can play basketball," CMU assistant coach Chelsie Butler said. "But the biggest thing for us is knowing the type of person she is and she's amazing.
"Her story is incredible and for her to show up every day with a smile on her face and be her teammates' biggest cheerleader -- what really drew us to her is just by being the amazing person she is".
Lawson reflects on how her athletic success mirrors her personal life and how she takes away the biggest lessons from losses.
"It's not always going to be a win," she said. "You have to take what you can from it and build with it."
She continues to thrive while also leaning on her team, or as she may say, her extended family.
"My teammates and I were able to click really quick," Lawson said. "They all welcomed me and treated me like a human before an athlete. So, it was very easy to call this place home."
Throughout turmoil and success, she continues to create her own way on and off the court using the gift she has: skill and compassion.
She also has increasingly made an impact on the court, scoring a season-high 22 points last week in a 73-68 win over Marshall, her ninth consecutive game in double figures.
She ranks second on the team in scoring at 11.9 points per game and is the Chippewas' leading rebounder (9.1 per game) and tops the team in assists per game (3.4). She ranks third in the Mid-American Conference in rebounds, 10th in assists and 18th in scoring.
The Chippewas are 10-13 and have already won more games in 2024-25 than they have in each of the past three years. They are 5-6 in the MAC heading into Saturday's road game (2 p.m.) at Bowling Green, a key matchup as the Chippewas seek to earn a league tournament berth for the first time since 2021.
Certainly, it's been an uphill climb in rebuilding for the Chippewas under second-year coach Kristin Haynie. The program's road is not unlike that which Lawson has traveled.
Lawson, a Las Vegas native, made it clear she was not raised with a silver spoon. She grew up fast, and the struggles of managing foster care with a limited amount of support from her adopted family forced her to make a life-altering decision in high school.
"My background story is crazy," Lawson said. "I didn't play my last two years of high school basketball, my parents took me off the team and in retaliation, I ended up running away from home, just to be on my own. At the age of 17, I was just trying to find a way of living out of a bad situation."
Lawson ended up staying with the families of former high school teammates, drawing support from a variety of sources. That helped provide a framework for her to keep pursuing her dream of college basketball even when some around her thought it a fool's errand.
"It just gave me the motivation to know that I could do it," Lawson said. "Being able to put my mind to something and do it while leaving my family behind was hard. I knew what I wanted to do with my life and being in Nevada wasn't the best option."
She found her way to Cochise College in Sierra Vista, Ariz., one of the few schools that showed an interest. In two years at Cochise, she averaged 9-plus points per game and earned an associate's degree in community development and communications.
She then moved on to Illinois Springfield in 2023-24, helping the Prairie Stars to a 10-win improvement over the previous season. Lawson led UIS in scoring and was named the university's Female Athlete of the Year.
And it's about doing the things to help her team win that, ultimately, drives Lawson.
"Being able to have a winning mindset is key, that's just how I am," she said. "I love to win. Transferring that energy (to CMU) was one of the biggest takeaways.
"I'm really sociable. I love having fun and using my voice. As a senior this year, I just always want to pour into my teammates. I am a captain on the team, so I'm able to use my voice when needed and being able to take criticism is a huge part of it."
"It's no secret that Jess can play basketball," CMU assistant coach Chelsie Butler said. "But the biggest thing for us is knowing the type of person she is and she's amazing.
"Her story is incredible and for her to show up every day with a smile on her face and be her teammates' biggest cheerleader -- what really drew us to her is just by being the amazing person she is".
Lawson reflects on how her athletic success mirrors her personal life and how she takes away the biggest lessons from losses.
"It's not always going to be a win," she said. "You have to take what you can from it and build with it."
She continues to thrive while also leaning on her team, or as she may say, her extended family.
"My teammates and I were able to click really quick," Lawson said. "They all welcomed me and treated me like a human before an athlete. So, it was very easy to call this place home."
Players Mentioned
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