Carthage women’s basketball coach Tim Bernero wanted Diana Jacklin to play for him all along. This season, he finally got his wish.

After spending two years at NCAA Division I Florida Gulf Coast University — including a redshirt season in 2007-08 — Jacklin transferred to Carthage this fall.

And for Jacklin and the Reds it couldn’t be working out any better.

The 6-footer leads Carthage in scoring (15.0 points per game) and rebounding (7.1 rpg) and is second in minutes played (28.0 mpg) as the Reds are off to an 8-1 start and nationally ranked in two Division III polls. Jacklin has led Carthage in scoring four times, including back-to-back wins over Lake Forest and Calvin in which she tallied 23 and 21 points, respectively. That helped her earn CCIW Player of the Week honors earlier this month.

“After graduating four seniors, we needed somebody that could give us an instant boost there,” said Bernero, who originally recruited Jacklin out of Morton West High School in Berwyn, Ill., where she was an honorable mention all-state player as a senior and named All-West Suburban League Gold and Chicago Sun-Times All-Area three consecutive years.

“It’s great to have a sophomore be able to do the things she can. She’s just such a good athlete and she’s evolving. ... She can score, she can be a good defender, she’s a very good rebounder. The best part is she’s such a good kid that it’s been (a) seamless (transition).”

In her brother’s footsteps

It’s not as if Carthage or Kenosha is totally new to Jacklin, however. Her brother, Billy, played basketball at the school from 2005-08.

“I came and watched him his first couple years here, and he had a great experience,” Jacklin said. “It was a good fit for him so I knew it would be a good fit for me as well.”

In a recent interview, Jacklin didn’t say anything negative about Florida Gulf Coast, a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference that has gone a combined 48-14 over the last two seasons and lost in the second round of the WNIT each year. Jacklin averaged 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds while playing 8.9 minutes a game last season. Ultimately a case of homesickness caused her to leave the Fort Myers-based school.

“After my freshman year, I came back and gave my sophomore year a shot and I just really realized I wanted to be closer to home,” Jacklin said. “(Carthage is) a great school and a great athletic program, a great basketball program. I knew I would be in good hands with coach Bernero, and I knew there were a bunch of great girls here.”

A good teammate

Senior and fellow starter Rosie Dorn echoed Bernero’s compliments of Jacklin’s athletic ability, as well as her unselfish attitude.

“A player coming from (Division I) to (Division III) might feel like they need to be the star of the show, and she’s very much not like that,” Dorn said. “(She’s) very, very team-oriented. ... I think that’s why we’re doing so well this year because we have a very strong foundation with Diana and then we’re building on that.”

Jacklin thanked her teammates for making her feel welcome.

“We all have our roles out there and we play together as a team,” she said. “It makes the game so much more fun.”

Out of position

Bernero’s only regret regarding Jacklin is that he’s had to play her out of position, at center instead of power forward. Jacklin shares the title of tallest Red with Cailee Corcoran and Alex Lowry.

“In a perfect world, we’d have another 6-1 or 6-2 kid (who’s) bigger and she could move around and guard some people on the perimeter and be guarded by someone a little smaller, which would make it easier for her,” Bernero said. “But she’s taken what we’ve given her and done a really good job for us to this point. She’s only going to get better.”

Though Jacklin is still getting used to posting up so much — driving to the hoop is her best skill, she said — she isn’t complaining. The opportunity to play in front of family and friends on a regular basis again is exciting enough.

In fact, when asked if coming to Carthage has been all she had hoped for, Jacklin didn’t hesitate.

“Absolutely. It has been everything. I am so happy here,” she said.