Shannon McCoy Rises to Number Two All-Time Scoring

By Dorian Alerte | Published December 16, 2022

With 9:30 remaining in the second quarter against New Jersey Athletic Conference opponent New Jersey City University, Brittany Graff gets the steal and finds Shannon McCoy beyond the three-point line on the wing on the fast break. 

Swish.

While McCoy has made a name for herself shooting three-point shots in Harwood Arena, this was unlike any other. With that three-pointer made, McCoy overtook Marajiah Bacon to become the Kean Women’s Basketball Program’s Second All-time leading scorer.

“It’s definitely a super big accomplishment,” McCoy said. “There’s not too many people that can say that they are at the point that I am right now and I honestly had no idea until you said it.”

McCoy, a five-year starter for the program, has been a dynamic scorer for the basketball program ever since her freshman year, averaging 16.3 points for her career.

“I’m very excited for her,” Payce Lange, a former teammate and current assistant women’s basketball coach for NJIT, said. “We would always work extra hours together, even before classes sometimes to get extra shots up. I’m very happy that she’s getting some recognition for her hard work.”

Lange, a junior guard during McCoy’s freshman season, was impressed with the work ethic and drive that McCoy displayed. Although she did not start immediately, that never frightened her and that has helped develop her into the player that she is today.

Coming into the 2022-2023 season, McCoy sat at third all-time in points with 1,449, 138 points behind Bacon who ended her career with the Cougars with 1,587 points in the 2017-2018 season. In just eight games McCoy tied the record with a layup on the road in a win against The College of New Jersey.

Head coach Mandy King has coached multiple 1,000-point scorers during her tenure as head coach, including three that are in the top 10 all-time, including McCoy.

“She’s in some special company,” King said. “I’m just so proud of Shannon because there’s so much work that has gone into her becoming the type of teammate and the type of person that can accomplish the type of goal as amazing as that, especially here at Kean because of all of the great players that have come before.”

One of the traits that impresses King the most, is the unselfishness of McCoy, who credits her teammates for her being able to accomplish this feat.

“I can’t do anything without my teammates,” McCoy said. “It’s because of them that I can do what I do. They help me, they push me in practice, they pass me the ball, they pick me up when I’m down and without them, I’m nothing. It’s my name in the record book, but every person on my team that I’ve played with throughout my five years here has a little piece of that because they all helped me along the way.”

McCoy would go on to score 12 points in the loss to NJCU. 

McCoy now only trails Melissa Beyruti (1,974) on the Women’s Basketball all-time points leaderboard.

“I thought that record was untouchable,” King said. “Melissa Beyruti is one-of-one. There is nobody that has done it better in a Kean uniform. To have that opportunity to track down something like that, and someone as special as Melissa, it’s just a credit to the kind of character that Shannon has. It’s great to see great people being rewarded for their hard work and their character.”

With only 16 games left in the regular season and 1,599 points, McCoy trails Beyruti’s record by 375 points. Although McCoy and King know how big of an accomplishment it would be to break the record, their goal is simple: to extend the season as long as they can to compete for a championship.

“It would be a cherry on top,” McCoy said grinning. “But we’ll be right back in the gym on Monday to keep it going.”

---