Justice Tramble is ready to win — and she has a plan.
Tramble, a rising junior forward, spent her freshman year with the South Carolina State Bulldogs. In South Carolina, she averaged 3.7 points and four rebounds a game. But after her first season, the six-foot-one Canton, Mich. native entered the transfer ready for a change.
Roughly 900 miles north of South Carolina, in the heart of Boston, head coach Priscilla Edwards-Lloyd gave her that opportunity.
Over the course of her sophomore season, Tramble has worked closely with Northeastern coaches in the film room and on the court, doubling down on her rebounding and scoring. Tramble’s statistics as a Husky show that her efforts have paid off, as she’s more than doubled her scoring from 3.7 to 9.1 this year and increased her rebounds by 1.8 per game.
As the team’s leader in rebounds and third on the team in points, Tramble has proved she is going to be a mainstay for a program in need of change, all while embracing a new chapter in her career.
This past season, despite the team’s underwhelming 7-22 record, Tramble showed she can perform under pressure. In a Feb. 20 game against the North Carolina A&T Aggies Feb. 20, she put up a standout performance in a triple overtime thriller with 18 points and 21 rebounds, tying the program record for most rebounds in a game.
What’s missing for the Huskies — and what motivates Tramble — is winning championships.
“I want to turn this into a winning program, a program that’s respected,” Tramble said. “My long-term goal is to win the CAA championship.”
Ahead of the next season, Tramble said the team is rebuilding, aiming to become a strong contender in the CAA. Edwards-Lloyd said Tramble, who is immersing herself in rigorous offseason training, will play a “huge part” in the program’s turnaround.
“I think she has a lot of what we’ve been looking for and searching for, in terms of work ethic, mentality and talent,” she said. “I think Justice is someone who has the ability to bring others with her, and I truly believe that she’s already begun [doing it] in this offseason, making sure everybody’s doing what they need to and staying on point.”
Reflecting on the team’s past season, Tramble believes there were still some “bright spots.” (The team about doubled its wins from three to seven this year.) Another was the addition of rising junior guard Camryn Collins. As roommates and close friends, their on-court chemistry has been a key factor in the team’s wins.
“Having Cam on the team makes life a lot easier and a lot less stressful,” Tramble said. Collins, like Tramble, transferred to Northeastern after spending her freshman year playing at Rider University. Also like Tramble, she’s ready to help build a winning program.
While next season feels far away, Tramble has already settled on a plan to accomplish a handful of individual goals, including a decrease in the number of fouls and the development of her outside shot, a skill that, if enhanced, would turn her into an offensive weapon.
“I think that everybody knows she’s gonna keep getting better,” Collins said. “I think she’s gonna make a really big stride, and she’s really committed to the game.”
Additionally, she hopes to continue improving her rebounding ability. As a Husky, Tramble captured 5.8 boards per game, tying the program record for most rebounds in a season. Edwards-Lloyd attributes Tramble’s success on the boards to her positioning and willingness to grab the ball.
“Believe it or not, rebounding is one of the few basketball statistics that’s really based off of just desire,” Edwards-Lloyd said. “You have to have a desire to want to be physical. You have to have a desire to want to pursue the ball, and Justice just has a knack for pursuing the ball.”
Off the court, Tramble is known as a lighthearted teammate who enjoys joking and keeping the locker room loose. Collins said that energy carries over to their friendship.
“When it comes to jokes and everything, we really just bounce off on each other,” Collins said.
But once practice or game time arrives, the tone shifts. Their shared competitiveness spreads to everyone around them, Collins said.
Over the summer, Edwards-Lloyd and her assistants will narrow down their list of prospective players to find the best possible additions to the team. That task, though, has toughened over the last few years after the NCAA changed its name, image and likeness rules. With the NCAA allowing athletes to transfer without boundaries from team to team, it’s rare to see emerging players staying at the same school for a second season.
Yet, Tramble confirmed her intention to pursue the rest of her academic and athletic career as a Husky. That decision is important to Edwards-Lloyd, who counts on Tramble to lead the program to another dimension.
“[Tramble] is really important to us, and we’re excited to have her back,” Edwards-Lloyd said. “And knowing that she’s going to improve, believing in what we’re doing. She’s going to be a big part of our future.”
