Sophomore Jamie Armstrong is familiar with competition on the Smith Center court.

As a standout middle blocker on the volleyball team, Armstrong picked up Atlantic 10 defensive honors in the fall while helping GW travel to the A-10 tournament. Now, the sophomore plans to return to competition as a Colonials– but this time, she’ll be suiting up for the women’s basketball team as a forward, walking into the squad as a response to a bench depleted by injury.

“It’s nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time, but I’m just going to take it as it comes. It’s a huge opportunity for me to just learn from it and grow,” Armstrong said. “It feels great. I’ve always missed it. I’ve played since fourth grade, and I played in high school, it was the big sport in my community. As much as I love volleyball, I always missed basketball, so it’s nice to be able to do both.”

The conversation about Armstrong joining the team initially took form in a conversation the sophomore had with women’s basketball senior forward/guard Tara Booker. As the two discussed the challenges that come with competing with a limited roster– GW suiting up just six players for three of its games– Armstrong mentioned that she played basketball in high school, and that she missed the sport.

When that news reached head coach Mike Bozeman, he approached volleyball head coach Amanda Ault about Armstrong joining his team. Armstrong remains on the volleyball team, and will continue to receive a volleyball scholarship, not women’s basketball. Next fall, she will return to the court for the volleyball program, and it remains to be seen whether she will join the basketball team for a second season, Bozeman said.

“My major concern was our volleyball team, and the coaching staff. I wanted to make sure that we didn’t go recruit her, and I really think that would have had some ethics issues with that, to be recruiting off of the teams at the school. We’re very supportive of each other, the volleyball team and the basketball team, and so we checked with the coach and she said it was fine, and [Armstrong] came on board,” Bozeman said. “Very athletic, obviously, she’s a volleyball player. She picks up things very quickly, she got into some drills that we had that are pretty complicated.”

Armstrong played both sports at Monroe High School in Monroe, Wis., leading the Cheesemakers in scoring, rebounding, and blocked shots as a senior while tallying over 1,000 points on her career. The Wisconsin State Journal Girls Basketball Player of the Year in 2010, she averaged 11.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.7 blocked shots her senior season. Madison.com called Armstrong “arguably one of the greatest basketball players in Monroe history.”

Armstrong’s volleyball experience will transform into valuable athletic play for the women’s basketball team. Bozeman envisions her as providing an enhanced presence in the post for the Colonials, utilizing her ability to leap and jump at the volleyball net as an equally imposing force at the basket.

“I’m looking for her athleticism in terms of jumping, her timing is obviously impeccable. That’s going to help us with rebounding. And I just want to see her beat people down the court, get some easy buckets,” Bozeman said. “Nice little jump shot she has, too.”

Armstrong is working to get into basketball shape, conscious of the difference between playing the two different sports, but she said working with the team and its trainers will aid her transformation into a GW basketball player. The forward will be a welcome fresh set of legs for the depth-challenged Colonials, and will help in allowing injured players extra time to rehabilitate while providing some relief for the players who have been playing increased amounts of time, Bozeman said.

The head coach said Armstrong took to the team’s plays and drills quickly in practice today, and though she will likely not compete against Richmond tomorrow, she will travel with the team and enter competition soon. Her learning curve is “very short,” Bozeman said, and the Colonials have been quick to embrace the addition to their roster.

“She’s a volleyball player, she’s just stepping onto the basketball team, helping her school community out,” Bozeman said.

Lauren French contributed to this report.