Hamilton, ON- The Hamilton guard stepped to the free throw line in front of her hometown crowd with the game in her hands. 

Can you hear the noise from those in the Burridge Gym crowd – those cheering for Jayme Foreman to miss? Can you hear the silence from those hoping for her to make them?

Foreman’s team, the Toronto Metropolitan (TMU) Bold, were tied at 68 with the McMaster Marauders on Nov. 22. Foreman was fouled by Marauders guard Deanna Mataseje while attempting a three-pointer with 43 seconds remaining in the game.  

The fate of the match could be in Foreman’s hands. In her mind as well. The guard heard the noise but relaxed. Foreman followed her routine. She took three dribbles and then took a deep breath to calm herself down. “Taking everything else out of my mind,” she described it. 

These are foul shots. Easy, Foreman thought to herself. I practice these every day.

Swish…Swish…Swish. Three deep breaths and three made free-throws later, she had put her team up for good. Soon, after a few defensive stops, the Bold won the game 71-68, with Foreman’s free throws being the deciding points. 

Soon, Foreman was celebrating the victory in her hometown with her teammates, coaches and family members. Foreman felt great after hitting the free throws. Here we go, she thought. We got this.

This moment isn’t just about Foreman making her homecoming in triumphant fashion. This isn’t just about the fact that Foreman had so many family members in the stands. She could hear them and see them. She could feel the excitement of playing back in Hamilton – of winning in her hometown. 

This is about everything Foreman’s been through to even reach that free throw line. Growing up in Hamilton, she was a highly touted player. She was a standout athlete at R.A. Riddell elementary school. She was a OSBA All-Star with the Lincoln Prep Huskies and a key player with the Kia Nurse Elite team and Team Ontario. 

She came to TMU – then known as the Ryerson Rams – right before a cancelled season in 2020. After waiting a whole year to play, she didn’t see the floor much in her first year. Foreman only appeared in four games and no playoff games as the Rams won the OUA and national championship. 

Her playing time jumped drastically in her second year – going through five minutes a game to over 32. So did her production – which continued to rise even this year. 

TMU head coach Carly Clarke saw her game expand. She’s always been a great shooter but the other parts of her game started to emerge as well. 

Clarke sees her get downhill and create opportunities for herself and others. She calls her one of team’s best defenders – guarding, applying ball pressure and playing help defence. “Doing a bit of everything,” Clarke noted. 

Against McMaster, she did just that, scoring inside and outside, finishing with 15 points in 35 minutes. She grabbed four rebounds and had three steals and two assists. She was perfect from the free throw line. 

Foreman’s a more well-rounded player now – which starts in her mind. 

Staying calm and composed. That’s what Foreman thinks about when she’s on the hardwood. The psychology major is calmer and more composed than her early years of university basketball, but it hasn’t been easy. 

Having Clarke as her head coach helps. She can feel the composure Clarke has and the trust she has in Foreman. 

She works with a mental performance coach. They talk about things and the coach tells her: calm down, be relaxed, be composed.  

Last year, when she would miss shots during a game, she would tell herself: Dang. That would take her out of the game. 

This year, when she misses a shot or makes a mistake, she reminds herself: This doesn’t mean I’m a bad player. This shouldn’t hold me back from continuing to shoot or continuing to perform.  

Now, when she misses a shot, she thinks: That’s fine, let me go play defence. I’ll make the next shot.

Foreman remembers being jittery and scatterbrained in the past. She found herself thinking about so many things. After repeating to herself to relax, she now finds herself calmer and less tense about everything. She finds herself more relaxed and level-headed.

Foreman describes herself as not an expressive person. You might not be able to tell if she just missed a shot or made one by looking at her. Like when she hit shots against McMaster. Like when she calmly drained those free throws. 

Don’t confuse that for a lack of joy though. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Foreman enjoys the sport more because of her calmness. She enjoys the fact she’s not frantic anymore about things. 

Foreman is so relaxed and so locked into the game, every time she hits those shots or makes those plays, she feels the boost inside of her. “It doesn’t come out because I’m so ready to just play the next play,” she said. 

What you might not be able to tell from her facial expressions, you can hear from her voice. Being in her fourth year at TMU, she’s become a leader. 

Foreman’s always talking on defence, always telling players where to go. She used to be timid, shying away from speaking up or sharing her thoughts. When she talks now, she knows that’s what Clarke would want her to do. What her team would need from her. 

Quiet. Can you hear her? When Foreman does speak up, she does so quietly at times. So subtle, Clarke notices. She’s not the loudest voice in the room but will be the one to talk to someone one-on-one. 

When Foreman sees a teammate getting riled up, she tells them what she tells herself: “Relax. Calm down.” 

She tells them she’s always there to support them through their highs and lows. She tells them she’s there for them. 

Foreman’s family was there for her as the game ended. She was back where it all began. She’s a different player than when she left her hometown in 2020 to chase her university basketball dreams. She understands the game a lot better. 

She’s a different person as well – a more confident one. Foreman can feel the confidence rise inside her. She felt it against McMaster. Even though she missed five three-pointers in the first three quarters, she kept shooting and kept calm. 

She finally hit one midway through the fourth. With her team trailing by one with under a minute-and-half left, she hit another one from deep to give TMU the lead.  

“Wow, that’s such a deep three,” her teammates exclaimed. Foreman didn’t even realize it. She was so calm and composed inside – so different from a year ago. She knew the confidence she had in herself. 

This is my shot so I’m going to take it, she thought before the ball left her hands. It swished in. 

Featured Image: Kevin Lassel/McMaster Athletics