Kean Women’s Basketball Punched Their Ticket Back To The NJAC Playoffs

By Hector Morales | Published February 28, 2022

Kean University Women’s Basketball Team has clinched 1st place in the New Jersey Athletic Conference and has earned the top seed in the NJAC tournament. This will be the team’s fourth straight year to the playoffs and the sixth appearance under Head Coach Mandy King since 2013.

“I’m so proud and honored,” King said. “I had pretty big expectations for our team this season and these guys matched them and surpassed them.”

Senior Guard Shannon McCoy helped lead the team to a successful season. McCoy is from Barnegat; New Jersey and she is going for Interior Design. Before McCoy came to Kean, she had a positive experience playing basketball at Barnegat High School and looked up to her former coach Tammy Nicolini.

“She was definitely one of my biggest role models,” McCoy said. “She was the reason why I chose to pursue basketball over the other sports I played in high school. She really shaped me into the player I am today because she would let me know if I was not working as hard as I could, and she really helped me live up to the potential I could be and it’s part of the reason why I’m successful as I had been.”

The Barnegat native has 379 points this season and 1,412 points in her career, moving 4th in the 1,000-point club.

“It’s a pretty big accomplishment,” McCoy said. “As a young player, many young females have those hopes and dreams of wanting to be a 1,000-point scorer and it just goes all back to the little things of what you do on and off the court. Even though my name will be in those record books, every person on that team was still part of it and they have a part of that accomplishment as well.”

            McCoy’s biggest game was against Rowan University on January 22nd where they were trailing 51-40 in the 3rd quarter and came back to win 68-64 on a 28-point comeback in the 4th quarter. McCoy was a big contributor to the game when she scored 25 points.

            “I love every minute and every second playing with them on and off the court and I think the basketball aspect as a whole is one of my favorite things here,” McCoy said.

Senior Guard and Criminal Justice major Sarah Olivero also contributed with McCoy her final season at Kean. Olivero is from Roxbury, New Jersey and is currently third in the points leader with her best game this season against Ramapo College back on December 11 where she scored 23 points.

The Roxbury native enjoyed playing with McCoy and they have been roommates ever since 2018.

“She is one of my best friends,” Olivero on McCoy. “We have been roommates since freshman year and now I have someone that I’m going to spend the rest of my life calling my best friend.”

The Cougars started the season 1-4 and still managed to finish the season 17-6 and with the best conference record 16-2.

“We are going to take it one game at a time,” King said. “Just try to enjoy all of it because you only get this opportunity once in a lifetime. We want to make sure we enjoy the game we love with the people we care about.”

Coach King will lead McCoy, Olivero and the rest of the team to the NJAC playoffs and hopes to return to the NJAC Championship.

“We are going to finish our loose ends and give it all we have,” McCoy said. “As seniors, every game could be our last game and you don’t know what is going to happen.”

Their first matchup in the NJAC playoffs will be against either The College of New Jersey Lions or Rutgers-Newark Scarlet Raiders at Harwood Arena.

“Our goal is a championship, but keep in mind it’s not going to be easy,” Olivero said. “Everyone is going to give us their best game and it’s something that we really have to fight for. We are going to put our noses down and get to work.”

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