Janani “Storm” Bodhinayake
Janani “Jay” Bodhinayake (a.k.a Storm / a.k.a. DZ) finally fulfilled her longing of playing basketball two years ago after attending her first ever session with M.B.S. Because of her unwavering desire to get better, Jay has since come a long way from that first session (she was so nervous, she took a ball to her face), and she is now undoubtedly considered a great tribute to the Soul Women’s team.
At 3”7’, Jay is a natural fit for a point guard (height remarks aside)- she’s fast, she’s calculated, and she communicates well with her teammates, both on and off the court. Jay will always aim to have every player involved in a game, and as a visionary, she is capable of getting her teammates in positions where they can be most effective on court. She has a strong determination which will allow her to push through even the toughest situations, in order keep the game rolling and lead the team in the right direction. Over time, we’ve seen how Jay has displayed an ever growing knowledge of sound basketball judgement.
Another strength Jay brings to the table is her resilient defense skills. Defense makes up 50% of the game, and Jay has repeatedly demonstrated 100% commitment at being great at it. Yes, “she may be short…” but Jay’s cunningness and wits have allowed her to steal the ball from even the tallest players in both the women’s team and men’s team, and leave the opposing ball-handlers in fits.
Born in Hampstead, Jay has lived in London her whole life. Aside from basketball, her hobbies include cycling and juggling (unusual, but certainly correlated with her funny sense of humour). Her favourite sayings are “Always be Happy” (which also happens to be her favourite choice of dwarfs in Snow White), and “Never be Satisfied” (a clear trait that she will always strive to keep developing in all aspects of her life).
Before her basketball debut, Jay spent four years playing netball, ironically for a team called the “Ballers”. It was later on in October 2013 that fate took over, and brought Jay to a sport that she has a natural talent for, and to a family who genuinely appreciate all the qualities that make her such a great person.