John Burke has the utmost respect for O’Neil Glenn and his John F. Kennedy girls basketball program.
“He set the bar in The Bronx,” the Truman coach said. “It’s them and everybody else.”
If things keep up, though, the Mustangs will be more than just another team in the borough. Following a victory over the Knights last year, Truman fell to Kennedy, 47-44, in both teams’ PSAL Bronx AA opener Tuesday at home.
The Mustangs (4-2, 0-1 Bronx ‘AA’) used a 13-3 run to get within 43-40 after two free throws by Nijee Scott with 2:44 left. The Knights (1-0, 1-0) had led 35-25 early in the fourth quarter.
Unique Williams played a huge role in the comeback. She had three fourth-quarter 3-pointers (four for the game) and knocked down the final one with 22 seconds left to cut the Kennedy lead to 47-44. Williams (14 points), a senior, had a pair of 3s in the victory against the Knights last season and Burke could tell then that she would really make her mark this season.
“She’s really become the leader and star of the team,” Burke said. … “We were dead and buried there at one stage.”
Williams isn’t the only one who stepped up, either. Senior forward Nijah Townsend had 16 points and was a force on the glass. Scott, a senior guard, had nine points and came alive, using her speed and athleticism in the fourth quarter.
“She’s the most improved player I’ve ever had,” Burke said of Scott.
The Mustangs lost a lot from last year’s team. Kaydine Bent, a 6-foot post player, became the first girls basketball player from Truman to ever earn a scholarship when she signed with Saint Peter’s. Forward Samantha Gillman is playing at Monroe College in The Bronx and could end up at a Division I school. Sajidah Pressly and Terri Ann Nelson were also integral pieces.
But this year’s season certainly won’t go for naught, despite a loss to West 50th Street Campus (formerly Food and Finance), of the ‘A’ league, at a Thanksgiving event over the weekend. If Monday’s performance against Kennedy is any indication, Truman will be fine.
“We should be very competitive again this year,” Burke said. “People expected us to have one of those seasons where we would just win a couple games, because of what we lost. … We believe we’re a very good team, like Kennedy.”