November 8, 2011 marked a new era in Hostos Hoops. The doubleheader kicked off a Veteran's Ceremony with a military band from Ft. Totten as well as introductions to many new faces to the basketball programs that look to make an impact this season. Prior to the game, Veterans were introduced and recognized for their valor and service to this country.
In attendance for Hostos Community College were President Felix Matos, Vice President Nathaniel Cruz, and Dean Johanna Gomez to name a few. Also, the Men's Soccer team and Women's Volleyball team came to show their support. In addition, many students were excited to see the new "Welcome to the Swamp" banner for the avid Hostos fan section.
As the season started, the Hostos Lady Caimans, led by new Head Coach
Jessica Vilella, fought back from being down one at the half to capture a 61-56 victory. On the men's side, the energized Caimans played hard collectively on both offense and defense for the easy 86-60 "W."
Women's Basketball
In the first half, the Rockland Hawks came out shooting and swung the ball from side-to-side. Shawan Crooks and Melissa Loughhane both shot 50% from the field in the first half. With the full crowd support from faculty, students, family, and friends, the Lady Caimans came right back on offense. 5'9" freshman
Kayla Rodriguez hit her first two out of three shots to keep the Caimans in the game. Starting sophomore
Yuly Rodriguez and freshman point guard
Keosha Taylor battled on the boards for seven rebounds each. Leading the way with scoring was
Jaeivonnte Wright with 10 of the Lady Caimans 23 first half points.
Out of the locker room, the Hawks could not find a consistent rhythm as the Lady Caimans contested more shots - forcing Rockland into a 25.7% FG shooting on 9-35 shots in the second half. Starter Melissa Loughhane led the way with 18 points (8-13 free throws) and 10 rebounds. For Hostos, point guard
Keosha Taylor hit crucial shots at times and ended up with 6-13 FG shooting and going 2-for-5 from beyond the arc and more importantly grabbed 8 offense rebounds for Hostos. Down the stretch though, it was the
Jaeivonnte Wright show at times with the freshman guard splitting through defenders and going to basket, while getting the foul much to the excitement of the crowd. Her free throw shooting (11-19 free throws) sealed the narrow margin and helped secure the victory for the Lady Caimans.
Men's Basketball
Many players wore orange shirts that read, "Hostos Basketball - New Rules, New Goals, Same Tradition" (referring to its 2005 National Championship and prior success in both the CUNY Athletics Conference and Region XV). Excitement for the 2011-2012 season had been building for awhile and now was the time to showcase everything.
Coach Jody King, Ph.D. made his regular season debut as a Caiman, along with a barrage of new faces in many freshmen. In the first half, Hostos held onto the slim lead, as Bronx returning sophomore
Brandon Stolz (12 points on 4-7 FG shooting and 1-1 3-pointers) and
Jeremiah Brown (14 points on 4-9 FG shooting and 2-3 3-pointers) paced the way.
As with the Lady Caimans, Hostos Men's Basketball stepped up defensive efforts in the second half and came out attacking on offense and denying on defense. Rockland went cold - finishing a mere 9 for 30 from the field with 9 of their 29 second half points coming from much needed 3-pointers from starting guard Jacin Vera. Team chemistry began to build. In the second half,
Charles Jackson stepped up with explosive dunks to electrify the crowd and keep the team ahead. Both Jackson and
Jeremiah Brown finished with 7 of 11 free throw shooting to help certify the win.
Both teams battle Sullivan Community College in a doubleheader this Thursday starting at 6pm with the women's game followed by the men's game at 8pm.
Go Caimans!!
