The Panther will become a Panther.

Despite missing over half of her junior season because of injury, Jackie Herman was still able to attract the attention of NCAA Division-1 basketball programs.

Earlier this month, the Wilmot senior-to-be received her first scholarship offer and made a verbal commitment to Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill.

The Panthers, a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, went 24-9 last season, including 15-3 in the OVC.

“I went there for a visit and I really loved it,” Herman said. “I liked the coaches a lot. They said that if I were to call and say that I wanted to go there they would accept me and give me a full ride.”

Needless to say, it didn’t take her very long to pick up the phone.

In the process, the 5-foot-10 guard became the first girls basketball player in school history to receive a Division-1 scholarship.

“We spent a little time looking back to try to find if there were any others,” Wilmot coach Rob Sepnafski said. “Jackie is a basketball player now 365 (days a year). She has given up all her other sports. I would say that she’s a natural shooter, but she has improved all aspects of her game.”

A three-year varsity player with 520 career points, Herman received first-team All-Lakeshore Conference honors as a sophomore. As a junior, she was averaging 17 points per game when her season came to an abrupt end after suffering a torn meniscus in her right knee in her 10th game.

“It was against Waukesha South on January 13 on a Tuesday,” she recalled. “I had a pretty good idea my season was over. I hoped for it not to be, but it was.”

Even though she played in only six of her team’s 12 Southern Lakes Conference games, Herman still received second-team All-SLC honors. She is also a two-time second-team All-County performer.

Calling her knee “100 percent,” Herman is back to full strength with no restrictions. She recently wrapped up a successful AAU season with the Wisconsin Fastbreak Select.

“Jackie is constant motion,” Wisconsin Fastbreak Select coach Paul Biddick said on the WisSports.net Web site. “She is a strong defender with good offensive shooting range. (She is) our purest scorer who is just starting to realize her potential.”

Along with EIU, Herman said she was also drawing interest from Drake, SIU-Edwardsville, Arizona State, Northern Iowa and Ball State.

When Herman signs her National Letter of Intent, Kenosha County will have three female basketball players sign with an NCAA Division-1 program in the last three years.

Recent St. Joseph graduate Erin Higgins signed with Illinois-Chicago, while Tremper graduate Lindsey Sebetic signed with Loyola (Chicago) in 2008.