She’s undoubtedly heard all the good-natured “six-shooter” jokes by now. Fact is, newcomer Jordyn Rabbitt has shown deadly accuracy on the basketball court for Calgary’s SAIT Trojans this winter.
Rabbitt, a rookie point guard from Salmon Arm, is affectionately nicknamed “Sixx” by her Trojan teammates for the fact that she was born with six fingers on her right hand. The tiny outer digit, which was interfering with the growth of her pinkie, was surgically removed when she was two years old, and her pinkie ended up somewhat underdeveloped.
The anatomical aberration, however, hasn’t affected her ball-handling – or ball-draining – dexterity.
“To be honest, I’ve never noticed it,” says Rabbitt, 18. “Lots of people have wondered that. I get lots of people asking me about it. I just tell them that I grew up with it, so I just learned to play with it.”
Rabbitt, the Trojans’ reserve point guard, has averaged just under 15 minutes and 4.7 points a game so far during her debut college campaign.
Trojans head coach Donovan Martin first spied Rabbitt in December 2008, when she arrived with her Salmon Arm Secondary Jewels teammates for SAIT’s annual Silver Belle high school tournament.
“She was feisty. Extremely hard-working. Fearless,” recalls Martin. “She has a real edge to her, a real fighting spirit and a no-quit attitude that make her the player that she is.
“She’s got a great handle. Very seldom turns it over. And she’s got a real good knowledge of the game,” adds Martin. “The only thing I’m surprised at is how good a shooter she is. She’s got a tremendous three-point shot.”
Rabbitt won a B.C. high school championship with the Jewels in ’07-08, capturing MVP honours. After leaving the Jewels, the same team her mother and aunt played for, Rabbitt also considered post-secondary basketball options with the University of Regina Cougars and the University of Montana Grizzlies.
An instructor in horsemanship for family friends back in Salmon Arm, Rabbitt eventually chose to climb up into a familiar saddle. Her brother Mitchell, also a guard, played two seasons for the Trojan men’s cage team, averaging 12.7 points through 11 games in ’06-07 and suiting up in 10 more contests during ’07-08.
“I like the team chemistry here. It’s a nice group of girls. And Donovan really cares about his players, so I wanted to play for him,” says Rabbitt. “It’s a really fun group, a competitive group.”