Jaque (Howard) Gohlinghorst- Going in GHS Hall of Fame

Jaque as starting point guard on Elite 8 team.

Jaque (Howard) Gohlinghorst is going into the GHS Athletic Hall of Fame this weekend. Jaque dressed varsity all four years at GHS, and was the starting point guard for the 1998, 1999, and 2000 teams.

During Jaque’s three seasons as the starting point guard, the Streaks enjoyed our best stretch ever. The three teams went 27-6, 33-2, and 34-4 for an overall record of 94-12. The team took second in the WB6 her soph year and then won the conference her last two years.

The lowest ranked any of these teams- 7^th in the State her soph year. As juniors, Galesburg was ranked #1 in Illinois, and as a senior, ranked #2 in Illinois. And it is important to realize that this was when Illinois had only two classes- so this ranking included all of the Chicago suburban schools.

Jaque’s last game each season was played at Redbird Arena. She was on teams that finished 4^th, Elite 8, 2^nd, and 4^th in State. Think about it- the “worst team” she played on finished in the Elite 8!

Jaque averaged 7.7, 8.0, and 8.4 points as a starter. She dished out assists at the pace of 5.3, 6.2, and 4.9. During her career, she shot an amazing 39% on 175 for 444 threes. Jaque still is the all-time assists leader at GHS with 592 assists. When you consider the great point guards we have had- that is impressive!

Many things stand out about Jaque as a player and as a person. Six things which I think make her extraordinary:

Celebrating Sectional win as a junior!!

Turnovers

Jaque handled the ball on 95% of our possessions for three years. And we ran and ran each possession. So she had to make decisions on the fly. Point guards always have more turnovers than other players. But for three years, Jaque averaged only 2.6 turnovers per game. That is unbelievable.

Free Throws

Jaque shot 80% from the line for her career. And most of her free throws were shot at the end of the game when the other team was trying to come back. As a result, when her teams had a lead at the end of the games, they won!!

Running the Team

She set the tone of the offense. She NEVER walked the ball up the floor. Her teammates knew they better be running because Jaque was pushing the ball behind them. But she had a tremendous ability to shift gears- she could push the ball, recognize when we didn’t have a fastbreak and get us into a set play. She was one of the best at decisively calling a play and getting the offense into the right plays.

Jaque, Whitney Snyder, Megan Pacheco, Michelle Flaar
All were on the varsity for four years- with 3 State trophies they were part of!

Humility

Jaque was the leader on the court as the point guard. Her teammates responded to her because they respected her. A big reason for the respect was Jaque’s humility. Despite all she achieved in basketball, she remained the same throughout her four years at GHS.

Coach

An exciting part of Jaque’s resume is that she has now moved onto become a coach for the Streaks at Churchill. She remains as a coach as she was as a player- committed and hard working.

So congratulations to Jaque on a well-deserved honor!!