The Oracle: Where are you from? What high school did you attend?

JJ Hones: I am from Beaverton, Oregon and attended Southridge High School, which is a public school about 5 minutes from my house.

Jillian Harmon: I am from Lake Oswego, Oregon and I went to Lakeridge High School.

TO: How did you get your start in basketball?

Hones: I started basketball in second grade when my parents signed me up for a YMCA team.

Harmon: I have played basketball ever since I can remember. There are pictures of me dribbling a basketball around when I was five years old. Nobody in my family knows how I got into it so young because nobody else in my family has played basketball in the past.

TO: How is college basketball different from high school basketball?

Hones: [C]ollege basketball is so much more intense and everyone on the team was the best player on their high school team, so everyone is very skilled and determined and extremely competitive.

Harmon: It is awesome playing for Stanford. I always wanted to come here and play basketball. It is different because of the time requirement—basketball takes up a lot of almost every day of the week. Also, the competition is much tougher. Everyone is big and strong and [was] usually the best players on their high school teams.

TO: What would you suggest for players who are looking to continue a sport in college?

Hones: If you want to continue to play a sport in college, you need to realize that you are going to have to make sacrifices that your peers may not be making. Instead of hanging out with your friends every night or every weekend, you may need to be getting extra skill work in. [M]ake the sacrifices now in high school so that you can reach the level that you want to get to. Also, make sure to set realistic expectations. If you’ve never played basketball before, don’t assume that you can pick it up and then suddenly play in college.

Harmon: I would suggest that they don’t have to specialize too young. Play a bunch of other sports while you can in high school, because once you get to college you will only have time for one. But also, work hard at that one sport while you are playing it.

TO: What advice would you give high school athletes in general?

Hones: Practice hard, but practice smart. Like I said earlier, you can be in the gym as long as you want, but sometimes that is more counter-productive than productive.

Harmon: To enjoy your time in high school. College is fun but completely different than high school. Enjoy everything now and do as many activities as you can. College is awesome as well, but you want to have a great experience at both.

TO: What has playing basketball taught you?

Hones: Playing basketball has taught me about pushing myself to the max. There is always something extra stored up in you that you can use when things get tough.

Harmon: It has taught me how to deal with adversity. Nobody has ever had the “perfect” basketball game. Not everything is going to go your way in life, so it’s how you deal with those situations and move forward.

TO: What is the best advice you have ever received?

Hones: This is very cliché, but have fun! If you are doing something that you don’t love, it is going to be difficult to push yourself and really improve if you don’t like what you are doing.

Harmon: “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”