Jaramillo’s family experiences, mindset shape walk-on journey
In-state native brings grit, hard work to program
Maddox Durst
11/10/2025
MADISON, Wis. - Trust the process. That’s the simple, yet effective mentality that Reese Jaramillo has lived by in her basketball journey, as she enters her second season as a part of the Wisconsin women’s basketball program.
Jaramillo was born and raised in the Badger State, residing in Racine, where her family had established its roots. Her grandpa had immigrated to Wisconsin from Mexico when he was 13, raising Reese’s dad, Lee, and his three brothers.
Celebrations have always been a big deal throughout the Jaramillo family, as each of the brothers has four children. Birthdays, family events provide large, exciting crowds, filled with pinatas and Reese’s grandma’s authentic Mexican dishes. Those experiences hold weight in Jaramillo’s past experiences, exemplifying her pride in her heritage and who she is as a person.
“It’s a really important part of who I am and I’m very grateful to have experienced that,” Jaramillo said.
Within her family, Lee went on to play professional baseball, rising through the minor league ranks with the Milwaukee Brewers and the New York Mets. Reese’s mom, Abby, was a college basketball player at New Mexico before taking on a professional league in Finland.
Their experiences in athletics played a key role in how Jaramillo was raised before attending UW.
“I always grew up with the importance of discipline and hard work, like you’re never going to get something easier,” Jaramillo said. “You’re always going to have to work really hard for something, no one’s just going to ever give it to you.”
Jaramillo didn’t skip a beat in that process. At The Prairie School in Racine, Jaramillo went on to finish third all-time in scoring with 1,292 points—garnering multiple all-conference and all-state awards during her time in high school as a three-year captain.
After her tenure at The Prairie School, Jaramillo didn’t know if there would be basketball in her future. She wanted to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison for academics as an in-state student, and earned the opportunity to join the women’s basketball program as a walk-on the summer leading up to her freshman year.
It became a learning process right away in an attempt to navigate new waters during a rapidly changing time, going from a high school enrollment of 261 students to a college of nearly 40,000 undergraduates. The game of basketball was taken to different heights as well, which is where Jaramillo’s mindset continued to develop and evolve.
“I’m grateful to be here and grateful to be in the position I am in too, because I think it makes me want to work harder and gives me a different perspective of things. Most people dream of playing college basketball, which inspires me to work even harder”
It all comes back to trusting the process in this journey, as Jaramillo reflected.
I’m grateful to be here and grateful to be in the position I am inReese Jaramillo
Resilience was further tested with a whole staff coaching change at UW at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, where student-athletes tend to hit the transfer portal and take their talents elsewhere in today’s college landscape. For Jaramillo though, staying in her home state has paid off on the basketball court under the lead of first-year Badgers’ head coach Robin Pingeton.
“I’m in love with her coaching style and just the style of play we have cooking up in the Kohl Center. It’s very fast-paced, which is very similar to how I played in high school, which I enjoyed so much,” Jaramillo said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what we can bring this season and I’m very confident in our abilities to bring something great to Madison.”
The goal for the team is to get to March and succeed, enjoying this journey and taking the women’s basketball program to the next level, according to Jaramillo.
It all comes back to how Jaramillo was raised, nothing is given, it has to be earned. That’s how the sophomore and the rest of her teammates are attacking each practice, by working hard every day in hopes of creating a new era of women’s basketball at Wisconsin.
“Just kind of fall in love with the process, know that there’s going to be good days, there’s going to be bad days. You kind of just have to stay balanced, not get super upset, not get super happy, just stay balanced, stay focused and trust the process.”
Fans can catch Jaramillo and the Wisconsin women’s basketball team in action tonight, Nov. 10, as they welcome Milwaukee to the Kohl Center. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT, with live coverage available on B1G+.