SOUTH BEND --- The Washington Panthers girls hoops teams are a statewide sensation, drawing record crowds wherever they go. But it wasn't always that way.

"I know there's a lot more people at the games now,” Jacqueline Batteast told WSBT Sports. “When I left we were just at the cusp of what Washington has accomplished."

You see, before there was number four (Skylar Diggins), there was number 22 (Batteast).

"It all started with Jackie and her team,” commented Washington senior Skylar Diggins. “With us as seniors, we are paving the way for the classes to come after us now, but it all started with Jackie."

After an impressive career as a standout forward both at Notre Dame and in the WNBA, Jacqueline Batteast decided to come back to where she first started averaging double-doubles.

"I thought, why not come back to my high school and deal with some nice young people, so I said I would do it!" exclaimed Batteast.

Jackie and her sister Margaret have been coaching Washington's freshmen squad since July.

"I didn't know if I was going to enjoy coaching, but I got a good group my first year and it made a lot of things easier," Batteast said.

"It's interesting because I have never met an actual basketball player in real life that's coaching us now,” says freshman Ayana Thomas. “I was really excited when I heard that Jackie was going to coach us."

"Any time I have a problem with something that I'm doing, I can ask Jackie and she'll fix it,” says Ali Henry. “She doesn't get upset when we lose, she's very inspirational.”

Jackie teaches the freshmen a lot about the game; but they teach her a thing or two as well.

"I know many songs now that I never knew before, many dance moves. Some things that I didn't want to know! But it's fun, I remember when I was a freshman ... they have taught me patience."

And she plans to keep working on that patience for a long time.

"i'll be here for a while, as long as they'll have me," Jackie summed up.