Layton Christian's Jasmine Porter wasn't playing, but she was just as much a part of the team. Porter has been the manager for the LCA boys' basketball team since long before high school and she was sitting on the bench, right next to her father - the boys' basketball head coach - watching her brother, B.J., help the Eagles win its first Class 1A state championship last March.
    Now heading into her sophomore year on the girls' basketball team, Porter's goal is to experience the same thing her brother did last season.
    "My brother has been there for me a lot," Porter said. "And has been telling me, 'That could be you, as long as you do what you need to do.' "
    And Porter has realized what she needs to do is incorporate her team as much as she can and not be a selfish player.
    Coming into the first week of practice, Porter displayed her new approach toward the game, which surprised her coach because it wasn't something he told her specifically to do.
    "Last year, she was a freshman and she played like a freshman. The maturity level wasn't there but this year, she walked in and wasn't talking about 'I' but talking about 'team'," coach Craig Geis said. "I was surprised that she said that and then did what she said she was going to do and that was to get everybody involved in the offense."
    In practice, it's obvious Porter has dramatically changed the way she approaches the game and her team. She knows she's a leader so she is the first one to run to a spot when Geis calls for the team to do a certain drill. She talks to her teammates and cheers them on, even if they don't know where they're going on the court.
    She tells teammates where to go if they're confused, but she doesn't do it in a condescending way.
    "I learned that it's not just about me and I just can't be selfish," Porter said. "Last year, I just felt like I was all about myself and me scoring every time I could. Now, I'm all about my team."
    Porter will keep that in mind as she moves to her more natural position on the court - a shooting point guard/wing. Even though she is 6-foot-2, she has the build of a guard. Still, that didn't keep her from playing center last season. She wasn't as strong as the other players and was pushed around often.
    When she plays a guard this season, she will know how tough it is to get position in the key, so she will be looking to reward her teammates by getting them the ball when she sees them open.
    "It's a lot of work [for my teammates] to play center because they have to go up against body work, elbows, blows to the face," Porter said. "I know what they go through to get open."
    With playing in her natural position, Porter feels more comfortable, therefore allowing her to embrace her leadership role.
    "She's played a guard all her life. She knows what she has to do," her father Bobby said. "She's gotten stronger, she's gotten more comfortable with the game and she wants to make her teammates better."
    Porter knows how important her role is on the team, especially because there are no seniors on this year's roster.
    Her goal is for her team to go undefeated all season and get to the championship game, just like her brother did, but she knows that she won't be able to do it by herself.
    "She can be a very good all-around player and by letting her play her natural position, we're giving her every opportunity to do that," Geis said.
    "We're looking for her leadership because as Jasmine goes, we go."
    mthach@sltrib.com 

Jasmine Porter
(Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune )
    
   Stepping up
    * Sophomore Jasmine Porter will take over the leadership role as there are no seniors on the Layton Christian roster this season.
    * Despite being 6-foot-2, Porter's natural position is guard. Last year she was a center but will return to what she knows best.
    * The Eagles have moved up from Class 1A to 2A.