BLUFF CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – Sullivan East senior Jenna Hare will officially be a three-sport athlete come this spring. This past fall, she had a blast on the volleyball court.

“It’s probably the most fun,” she said. “It’s the most laid back and relaxed.”

In just a few months, she’ll return to the diamond and play on the Lady Patriots softball team.

“It’s going to be one of those sports that I can go out there and have fun – I don’t have to worry about too much,” she said. “There’s not a whole lot of expectation, there’s not a whole lot of pressure.”

But the Hare’s are a basketball family – through and through.

“Since I was four I think I’ve been coming to the basketball camps here at East,” she explained. “My brother and sister both played basketball, my dad played basketball – my grandparents coached it.”

“Basketball is definitely my favorite.”

Not only is hoops Hare’s favorite, but she’s pretty good at it, too.

She is averaging 18.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game for her basketball career at Sullivan East. As of early December, she was scoring more than 24 points per game and grabbing almost eleven rebounds per contest to start her senior season.

Those numbers have helped her reach a milestone that only one other Sullivan East Patriot has ever reached – 2,000 career points. She sunk a three-pointer against the West Ridge Wolves to complete the feat in a 62-43 loss on December 1.

“You don’t know if you’re going to and then once you finally hit that goal – the weight of the world is lifted off your shoulders,” Hare explained. “I don’t know, it was just a great moment – all my teammates were there, they were giving me hugs. It was indescribable, it was amazing.”

But, Hare doesn’t play the game for the accolades earned.

“I think my favorite part about basketball is the team,” she said. “Just knowing that I have people I can rely on during the game, after the game, whenever during the day is amazing. I love being a part of that team.

“If I can score 20 and we win – that’s amazing, but also, if I score five and we win – that’s just as great.”

She does it all while maintain a GPA better than 4.0.

“My brother and sister have been great role models for that because they both played lots of sports and they also had really good grades,” she said. “Also my parents – they’ve got full-time jobs, but also they come support us every time they can in sports. Watching them juggle all these things really help me to figure out how to do that myself.”

Three sports, a rigorous academic schedule, in addition to being involved with a handful of school clubs – it can get stressful. However, Hare is taking a different approach, particularly on the hardwood.

“I don’t want to stress and not live in the moment and worry about everything that’s going on, all the mistakes I’ve made,” she said. “If I’m just relaxed and having a good time I can really enjoy this last year as much as I can.”