Last season was only the beginning for Jayda Porter, an all-state selection, double-digit scorer, and a starter on a Rock Bridge team that finished second place in the MSHAA Class 6 State Tournament. That was all accomplished as a freshman in high school, which is most of the time uncommon.

For Porter, and like many athletes, there’s another level that she wants to achieve, and that started in the summer by playing for the Missouri Phenom in the EYBL circuit.

“I think for my first time playing EYBL this year, I think I just realized like I just got to step it up, and I want to be able to match everyone else,” Porter said.

So far through the 2023-24 season, Porter has matched everyone else and shown what an elite basketball player looks like on the court. A 6-foot-4, she presents the size to dominate on both ends of the floor inside the arc. While Porter is listed as a center/forward, she brings what modern-day post players have, expanding her game behind the arc and knocking down the 3-point ball.

That was evident this past weekend in the Sophie Cunningham Classic. Against Booker T. Washington, she led the Bruins with a trio of 3-pointers on five attempts in a 68-51 victory over a Hornets team that featured plenty of future collegiate talent. Porter also led all players on the floor with 29 points, eight rebounds, four steals and three blocks. She often possessed a smile on her face and looked smooth and savvy on the court. Does that mean that the game is becoming even slower for her?

“For sure,” Porter said. “I think that it’s easier for me to be more confident and just be able to focus more on the game.”

She credits her teammates for helping her succeed on the court, and the confidence she’s achieved has led to her improving in all facets of the game.

“I think just in my shooting and just being able to facilitate, like talking to my teammates more and helping them out on defense and on offense,” Porter said.

While Porter is a high-IQ player, head coach Jill Nagel sees her growing more and more when it comes to her vision on the offensive end.

“(She’s) seeing more things in the offense than her shot. If I make this pass out, and I go post up, I’m gonna get it back,” Nagel said. Last year, you might not see that as a freshman because you tend to think as a freshman, if I give it up, oh, I’m not going to get it back. She now understands that if I kick it out, the double team leaves me, and now I’m going to have an easier situation where I can get it back.”

That’s something that is encouraging to see in a young player. It’s something that is shown on the hardwood, but for Porter, it is learned and perfected off the court and in the basketball classroom.

“Watching film and being more of a student of the game, I would say more because she always has been,” Nagel said. “She’s not having a sophomore slump and you see that sometimes. She’s taking the film. She’s taking what we’re doing on the boards and really putting it in.”

Porter is a representation of how far this Rock Bridge team has come so far through the 2023-24 season. The Bruins are off to an 11-3 start this season with two one-point losses. The reigning state runner-ups feature a young but talented squad that includes juniors Mari Miller, Malia Chevious, Ellie Porter, and Tylor McCallister. But like Porter, the team's intelligence and success are due to the work off the court.

“The basketball IQ has grown so much in one year with them, and that’s what you want to see. But you don’t always see that. I appreciate their effort in being invested in film,” Nagel said. “We watch a lot of film and you can see each came that we point something out and they take it and they do it the next day and they learn from it…High IQ kids can make you look good.”

There’s a long road to try and get back to the state title game for Porter and the Bruins. While she will be the most feared player on the court any night, there’s always room to get better.”

“I think I want to continue improving ball handling and being able to talk to my teammates,” Porter said. Because if we’re not together, then we’re not going to be able to do anything.”

Rock Bridge returns to the court on Jan. 18, where it will play Battle at home at 7:30 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Inside how Rock Bridge's Jayda Porter is avoiding a sophomore slump