Jamaica's most outstanding female basketballer at the XVI Pan American Games Simone Jackson is convinced that with long term training the current crop of girls can develop into winners.

Jackson played all 40 minutes during Jamaica's final match, a 87-41 loss to the United States. It meant that for the second consecutive games Jamaica had finished in the eighth and last spot. They had earlier lost 83-26, 116-34 and 96-29 to Colombia, Brazil and Canada, respectively, in the first three games.

For Jackson, who scored a joint game high 19 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, the players here all want to reach an acceptable level.

"Each and every player has the passion to play," Jackson, a graduate of Holy Childhood High, said. "We just need to come in every day and work hard at our skills. We had two weeks of training but if we stay together for many months we will be fine."

The 27-year-old Lady Panthers women's league basketballer has experience in playing in the United States. She played for two years at Southeastern Illinois Junior College and then went on for another two years at Southeast Missouri State College before returning home in 2008. At Eastern Illinois she helped the school to the 2004 Region IV Championships.

Jackson, tough on the court but very mild mannered off it, felt they could have done some things better in Guadalajara.

"The coach stressed it," she said. "Play hard on defence and on offence on each and every possession."

Jackson, who also featured in football while in high school, wants to return to the United States to play professional basketball.

"I just have to keep working hard as the competition is very stiff," she concluded.