The Super 75 – The Shooting Guards
Last time out I laid out the parameters for the Super 75 but for those who missed it, here is the dope…
I have been blessed to be able to watch/follow/report on this region (and the whole of Division 2) for the better part of more than three and a half decades. My first season covering the region (in the guises of New England, Northeast and now East) was 1984-’85, so my memory banks are full to bursting. Having seen so many great players, the thought crossed my mind – how can I recognize the ones I considered the best? Of course, this is all subjective. Defining the ‘best’ is an impossible task under even ideal circumstances, so I knew right away that I had to create a set of parameters…
- First and foremost is that I actually had to see this player in action, in person. Not video, not reputation – actually see that player as a D2 player in living color.
- The player had to be playing on a team that was part of the D2 region (New England, Northeast or East) during at least a part of their playing days.
- No current active players considered, only players that has exhausted their eligibility.
That out of the way, let’s move on to the second category, the shooting/off/two guards. These players were not quite point guards, although many had notable creative qualities. Most had solid overall skill sets and could fill a variety of roles within the team construct (defending, rebounding, etc.). Yet most of all, these players jump to mind when you think about scorers. The bucket-getters, the players that get to the stripe and can drill the three-pointer, they are the perimeter types that can fill it up in a hurry. They come in different sizes and shapes but all of them fit the description of folks who can get you on the board when your team needs it most. Lots of choices, for sure, and it took time to narrow the candidates but I finally settled on my 15. They are…
Among the more dynamic all-around scorers I can recall was Janea Aiken (C.W. Post, ’11). After playing two seasons at Division I Albany (where she netted nearly 700 points and was an America East All-Rookie team selection), she decamped to Long Island and kept on shining. Aiken didn’t miss a beat, leading the ECC in scoring and collecting league MVP honors in 2010. The next season she was the driving force in leading the Pioneers to the ECC crown, dropping a career-high 35 points against St. Thomas Aquinas in the semifinals and then bagging the last four points of the title game to beat Bridgeport and send C.W. Post into the NCAA tournament. The 5-9 St. Albans, New York product ended her career with 1,683 overall points and helped usher in a memorable age for the program before it was absorbed by LIU in 2019 and stopped playing as a separate entity. Always a fun player to watch live, Aiken had a new move to display every time you saw her in action and never failed to dazzle.
Zulmary Andino enjoyed a terrific three-year career at Dowling (’04), leading the Golden Lions to their first NCAA trip and into regional relevance. The 5-7 native of Puerto Rico joined Dowling as a sophomore and made an instant impact. DC reached the NYCAC final that season and posted a 21-8 mark, setting the stage for further success. The ’03-’04 campaign fulfilled that promise as the Golden Lions went 25-6 and won the NYCAC crown, Andino taking home tourney MVP honors. Although their NCAA stay was short, they had achieved a level they never had before. Andino was a NYCAC All-Star every season she played, a two-time Player of the Year (once a co-POY) and ended her career with a program-best 1,460 points. Add in her defensive skills (another DC record with 401 steals), court savvy and drive, and you have a special player. She went into the Dowling Hall of Fame a few years later, having enjoyed probably the best career in program annals. Andino’s game was a walking textbook for fundamental play, a real pleasure to take in.
The early days of the NE10 (then the NE7/NE8) featured some very good players that have nearly been forgotten due to time and/or the fact that those institutions are no longer a part of Division II. One of those programs was Springfield College, who left the region in the early 90’s for Division III. That does not change the fact that they did leave a few footprints in the sand, one of which was Shelley Antone (’89). A 5-8 guard from Bangor, Maine, Antone was a starter from the get-go for the Chiefs and enjoyed a stellar career. She is still the all-time leading scorer at SC (1,680 points) and maintains the single-game record for the program with 40 points in a clash with AIC in 1989. Antone, who played a physical game at both ends, was a top-notch defender who earned multiple league all-star honors, all despite the Chiefs playing fewer games (just 102 in her four years) than most. I always had the utmost respect for Antone and her all-around prowess, which was ahead of her time. In my book, she’s one to remember.
Amanda Bartlett was a flat-out scorer, doing her work at two different ECC institutions (Queens from ’07-’08 through ’10-’11; and Molloy as a graduate student in ’11-’12) and racking up more than two thousand points in the process. The 5-7 product of Mesa, Arizona, was an ECC 1st team honoree every year she played, which is never an easy task in any loop. As a freshman, she garnered ECC Rookie of the Year accolades at QC and the following season she led the Knights to the ECC crown, their first such title. Bartlett earned tourney MVP honors by strafing Dowling for 27 points in that final, helping Queens to 24 wins and the NCAA’s. After three seasons at QC, Bartlett played her final year at Molloy and kept on pumping in the points, closing her career with 2,042 markers, including 36 against her old school, a Lions single-game record that still stands. There is no doubt Bartlett was as prolific a scorer as anyone in her era as she piled up the points via the drive and the triple, and everywhere in between. A fun player to watch.
Katy Delaney (Stonehill, ’90) filled a number of roles during her career as a Lady Chieftain, from distributor to defender to scorer and sometimes did them all at once. Part of a trio of 20-win outfits and 91 victories over four years, the 5-7 athlete from Marlboro, Massachusetts was akin to a Swiss army-knife, surgically slicing opponents up with little fuss or notice. Delaney won NE8 Rookie of the Year honors in ’87 and enjoyed a moment in the sun that season as she drilled a 15-footer at the horn to win a key game at Bentley by a point, yet her best work was usually done out of the spotlight. Eventually she earned a pair of league all-star nods and capped her time at Stonehill with 1,592 points (#2 at the time on the program list) and 384 assists, so folks had to take notice. Having seen Delaney frequently, I was captivated by her desire to help the team at all times while concurrently being prepared to take over when required. The evidence is that Delaney sparkled more than enough to be a definitive fixture on this list.
The most successful period in the history of New Hampshire College (now Southern New Hampshire University) occurred in the late 80’s/early 90’s with superstar Julie Dabrowski (’90) as the centerpiece. The ultra-competitive Dabrowski (5-5, from Dover, New Hampshire) was a throwback do-it-all type who until recently was the Penmen’s all-time leading scorer (1,713 points) and still holds the single-game mark (45 points). NHC won 74 games in her tenure, including two 20-win seasons - the last occasion being in 1989-’90 (22 wins), the most recent time the program has hit that plateau. Dabrowski played a hard-nosed style and earned NECC Player of the Year honors once and all-league accolades thrice. She also claimed NECC tourney MVP status in ’90, the last time the Penmen won a league and/or played in the NCAA’s. Dabrowski was also adaptable; the three-pointer was not in use for her freshman year but by the time she was a senior she canned 89 of them in a season. Add it all up and you have one of her generation’s best.
It’s really difficult to be a second or third option for virtually your entire career and still be thought of as one of the greats but Courtney Finn (Bentley, ’14) pulled it off. The old school lefty from Winthrop, Massachusetts had to redshirt her first season due to a knee injury yet it worked to her (and Bentley’s) advantage since it allowed her to be a vital component of the ’14 undefeated national championship team. Finn (5-8) did her best work from the corner, where she drove with efficiency and shot the triple with success. She had a penchant for coming up with big games in crunch time, such as dropping 30 points on Drury in the 2014 Elite Eight and notching 21 points (12-12 at the line, many in the second half) in the title game against West Texas A&M a few days later. Finn wrapped up her glorious career (124-11) with All-American honors as a senior and career stats such as 1,597 points, 799 rebounds (both ninth on the all-time Falcon charts) and 199 triples (#5). She may not have been a marquee name but she was a marquee player. (Photo courtesy of Dick Lipe, Director of Athletic Communications, Bentley University)
Relentless is the proper way to describe Keri Flynn (Bentley, ‘04). Sure, she had plenty of all-around skill and was capable of carrying out other basketball tasks but her major talent was to score. On that front, as part of some excellent Falcon teams, she got the job done. The 5-8 Rockland, Massachusetts product ended up netting 1,571 points, a large chunk of which came from her deadly three-point touch (257 treys at over 40%). Flynn also made the most of her forays to the basket by sinking 82% at the line, so she was no one-dimensional scorer. She was part of Bentley teams that went 110-23 in her tenure, including the unit that won 31 games as a rookie but lost to Pace in the regional final and two years later went 33-3 and all the way to the Final Four before losing a heart-breaking overtime game to South Dakota State. Along the way, Flynn was twice an NE10 All-Star and shared the league’s MVP in 2003. Many coaches I spoke to in those days were petrified of the remorseless nature of her scoring outbursts, which only confirms her inclusion.
A quick, strong and powerful guard, Gabrielle Gibson (Assumption, ’13) was the driving force that led the Greyhounds to a pair of NCAA tournaments, including their last victory in 2011. A native of Amityville, New York, the 5-8 Gibson was the personification of a bucket getting 2-guard. While she had the ability to make the long-ball (176 triples, #4 in program history), she was at her best weaving and fighting through traffic on her way to the rim. Her machine-gun like scoring bursts were a nightmare for defenders; she could change a game at the drop of a hat and still stands #2 on the all-time Assumption scoring list (1,627 points). The Greyhounds enjoyed success in her tenure, twice posting a program-best 22 wins. I won’t soon forget her best weekend, when she scored a then-career high 28 points to help AC beat Saint Rose in the ’11 NCAAs and followed it with 27 more markers in a hard-fought loss to Bentley. Gibson was the kind of player I would pay to see, just because you never knew what sort of explosion you might witness.
There are few players that have played at multiple NCAA classifications at the same institution and starred in every one but Binghamton’s standout guard Bess Greenberg (’01) is among them. She was part of an NCAA entrant in Division III as a rookie and Division II as a sophomore. As the Colonials transitioned to Division I thereafter, Greenberg (a 5-8 virtuoso from Vestal, New York), continued to shine and eventually ended her career with 2,024 points (#2 on the all-time BU chart) and a 97-16 record. She was as complete a player as you’ll see, scoring in a variety of manners (216 3FG’s at 41.7%) while also handing out 452 assists (#2 on the BU list) and leading by example. Greenberg had ice water in her veins, coming up clutch constantly (including a career-high 38 points in the ’99 NECC title game win at Franklin Pierce) and with regularity (50 games of at least 20 points in her tenure). I selfishly wish she could’ve had four years in Division II; if so, she might have led BU to regional glory. Even so, she is secure in my mind as a true gem. (Photo courtesy John Hartrick, Associate Athletic Director for Communications, Binghamton University)
Jessica Kaminski (Jefferson, ‘19) is the near-perfect embodiment of the Philadelphia player – smart, tough and just flat out good. She was well-decorated (various CACC and regional honors) and ended her career in the top 10 in numerous Rams categories such as scoring (1,497 points), rebounds (891 boards), steals (227) and assists (437), showcasing her extraordinary versatility. After a redshirt year, she was almost an immediate starter for the Rams and helped her team to the NCAA tournament three times in four seasons, the last of which featured a program-record 29 wins and a CACC championship (where she sank the winning free throw in an overtime classic). She did everything on the floor, did it a high level and was a winner (94 victories), all that any basketball fan (Philly or otherwise) could ask for. In a program well stocked with outstanding players, Kaminski sticks out to me as having that little bit extra that distinguishes her from others and that easily earns her a spot on my list.
Trying to figure out backcourt positions in certain cases can be difficult – point guard or off-guard? There are many players that can make cases for either positional classification, with Katie Kerr (Assumption, ’00) a prime example. At 5-3, most would just assume she was a point and be done with it but Kerr’s skill set was extremely wide-ranging. In the end, I had to put her here since her mentality was primarily as a scorer. The Natick, Massachusetts native changed the direction of AC’s program (along with peer Stacey Mattioli, who will be featured later on), culminating in the Greyhounds first 20-win/NCAA tourney season in 2000. Kerr wrapped up her thrilling career with 1,530 points (#1 upon graduation and still #4 these days) and 227 three-pointers (#1 then, #2 now), so the stats bear out her inclusion here. Stylistically, she was dynamite to watch, laden with quickness, brio and serious range. The ‘smalls’ can be great, too, and Kerr (along with the likes of Charlene Taylor and McKayla Roberts) takes a backseat to nobody.
Last time out I recognized Saint Rose point Colleen Sheridan as one of my hidden gems and her equally overlooked classmate Nicole LaRocque (’00), is in the same boat. A 5-8 power guard from Randolph, Vermont, LaRocque was always a stout defender and bloomed into a devastating option for the Golden Knights attack. More of a scorer than a shooter (only 54 career triples), she shined from mid-range and off the bounce, using her athleticism and timing to wreck foes. LaRocque was finally fully celebrated as a senior, thanks to being named tourney MVP as Saint Rose won their only regional crown to date. She netted 25 points (9-10 FG) in the title game against Bentley, the program’s all-time signature victory. Career totals of 1,416 points and 326 assists (both #5 at Saint Rose at the time), and a record of 125-5 tells the tale, as well. LaRocque used her will and skill to provide the team with whatever was required to win, yet, like Sheridan, didn’t quite get the ink she deserved. Let’s change that right here – she was elite.
A player I only saw a handful of times was Shelby Rance (USP, ’07) but each time I watched her, I was impressed. Rance, a 5-8 bundle of energy and production from Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, stepped right into the starting lineup for the Devils (now known as the University of the Sciences as opposed to USP in those days) like she was born for it and shined right away. She was MVP of the CACC tournament as a rookie (scoring 22 points in the final to oust Holy Family) and duplicated that feat in 2006 as a junior, both times helping the Devils make the NCAA field. She was named a CACC 1st teamer three times and was a well-rounded player, ending her brilliant stint at USP with 1,939 points, 161 three-pointers, 418 free throws and 216 steals, all in the top 5 in program annals. Even more than the numbers it was her knack for coming up big in meaningful circumstances that really propelled Rance into the stratosphere. She stands with anyone I have seen in the region in terms of being a pure scorer and was a lock for my list as a result.
Kristin Sullivan (St. Anselm, ’94) was a classic sniper, capable of scoring in a variety of manners but primarily the perimeter shot. She came into a strong Hawks group in ’90-’91 and made an impression as a freshman on a team that reached the regional final, then blossomed into as dangerous a scorer as the program has ever known. A lithe and athletic 5-9, the Belmont, Massachusetts native helped the Hawks rebuild on the fly and by the time she was a senior, they were back in the NCAA tournament. Sullivan ended her career with 1,567 points (4th on the all-time St. A’s list) and drilled 214 triples, second on the all-time rankings. Add in her accuracy from deep (a school-record 40.5%), a passel of 30+ point games (career high of 37) and the fact that she grew into such a great leader (twice team captain) and you have a player who can hold their own with anyone of any era. Sullivan was a two-time honorable All-American and still sticks out in my mind as one of the killer shooters in regional annals.
Next time out, we move onto the three-spot players, the wings, on the Super 75 list. Until then, questions, comments, ideas, rants? Glad to hear them. Email me at Anfield13@aol.com.