Boehm Goes the Dynamite

Replacing graduated seniors is never an easy task. Filling the shoes of AnnMarie Healy ’16, a first team All-Ivy selection and the leading scorer for last year’s Harvard women’s basketball team, is even tougher.

Freshman forward Jeannie Boehm understands the enormity of the task ahead of her. But she is more than ready for the challenge.

“I think there definitely is a lot of pressure that I felt going in,” Boehm said. “Soon after I got here, I realized that I really do have to prove myself day in and day out. I think that, a month and half into school now, I’m just working on improving myself in all aspects.”

There’s good reason to believe that Boehm can thrive in her new surroundings. After finishing her high school career with 1,872 points, 1,169 rebounds and 254 assists while shooting 57.1 percent from the floor, Boehm was named a McDonald’s All American this past spring. She becomes the Crimson’s second, and the Ivy League’s third, All-American basketball recruit. If Boehm plays all four years with Harvard, she will be the first All-American to spend her entire career in the Ancient Eight.

The five-star recruit, ranked No. 41 overall in ESPN’s HoopGurlz Rankings, was a highly sought-after prospect in high school. Thus, many were surprised when she decided to commit to the Crimson—in fact, she was the only top 50 recruit ever to commit to an Ivy League program.

So why did she choose Harvard?

“I definitely get that question a lot,” Boehm said. “I would say the biggest reason is that I fit in really well with the team and the coaching staff. And I think another big thing obviously is the academic part. I felt as though I fit in with both the school and the program.”

Boehm’s appearance in the All-American game, in which she logged four points, four rebounds, and two blocks in 14 minutes, was only the beginning of her busy summer. After the game, she went off to practice with the United States U-18 national team in preparation for the FIBA Americas Championship in Valdivia, Chile. The tournament, in which the team took gold, was Boehm’s first exposure to a level of talent beyond what she faced in high school.

“She’s an incredible person and really, really good to coach”, Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said. “We understand the pressure she’s under, but she doubles that. Right now, that’s what an All-American freshman would do. We talked about that when she was at USA basketball—she felt that kind of pressure. We’re working towards relieving her of that kind of pressure.”

Excellence in athletics is a common thread in Boehm’s family. A native of Winnetka, Ill., Boehm grew up with five brothers, the shortest of whom was 6’5”. Boehm’s oldest brothers, twins Jack and Peter, pitched at Bucknell and played basketball at Harvard, respectively. Boehm’s third eldest brother, Connor, who graduated this past May, was a four-year starting forward for the Dartmouth men’s basketball team. Michael, now in his junior year, rowed for one year for Bucknell. The youngest sibling, Spencer, is a high school sophomore playing varsity basketball at Boehm’s alma mater, New Trier High School.

“My brothers definitely didn’t take me seriously basketball-wise for a long time; they now recently have started to,” Boehm said. “I think a big part of what I got from growing up in a household like that is the toughness. It wasn’t easy being the only girl with five athletic boys.”

She hopes that such toughness will help her transition to the college game. Despite the pressure she faces externally and internally, Boehm is incredibly excited for her first season with the Crimson, as she knows what she needs to work on to reach the next level.

“The defense at at the college level is so much different,” Boehm said. “That’s something I’ve been working really hard at, really trying to find my way around the congested double teams in the middle. I definitely want to play a big role defensively. That’s something I’ve been working on.”

With practices starting in earnest over the past few weeks, coaches have noticed that Boehm, traditionally a power player, has been trying to expand her game and stretch the floor, something she hadn’t done in high school. At 6’3”, Boehm has the height to take on bigger forwards and the agility to stretch the defense out of shape. That versatility makes Boehm quite the asset for her team.

“I’m quick, so if we get the ball, I may beat Jeannie down the floor and post up. And she plays the four,” said captain and forward Destiny Nunley. “In the half-court set, it may be different… It’s not like ‘Jeannie is a five.’ she’s a great passer and jack of all trades.”

Boehm’s desire to improve hasn’t gone unnoticed by her teammates and coaches, who note the challenges in transitioning from high school to college.

“There is a transition from the high school game to the college game,” Delaney-Smith said. “She’s already grown in a month’s time. It’s scary how good she’s going to be.”