By E.P-Louis
NJCU’s women’s basketball team is balling in the right direction.
The 2013-14 season was a dynamic season that demonstrated tremendous growth in the team, and unveiled two new star athletes. One of the them is junior point guard Ashley Vazquez, 21, political science major and criminal justice minor from Bayonne, who was awarded All New Jersey Athletic Conference honorable mention, and is the first to receive the honor since 2010.
“I was happy to win this award but this only motivates me to work even harder for next season,” Vazquez said. “NJCU’s women’s basketball has been very competitive. I don’t know how to be me without basketball. With good luck and great people, I have had a successful basketball career.”
“As a transfer, Ashley has grown to become the court leader on and off court. She is a strong captain that always finds and distributes the ball,” head coach Amy Mulligan stated.
On January 25th, Vazquez scored a career high of 23 points, and helped NJCU sweep a season series from rival Rowan University for the first time in 25 years. The NJCU women’s basketball team generated more momentum in the NJAC by sweeping Rutgers University-Camden.
In addition to Vazquez’s honorable performance this season, powerhouse freshman Bria Smith, 18, biology major from Bayonne, was awarded NJAC Rookie of the Year. Smith is the first NJCU player to win Rookie of the Year in 20 seasons. The 5-foot-8 Smith is a raw talent who dominated the forward position all season by averaging 12.5 points and 11.2 rebounds per game.
“Bria has made our team tougher to defend on the open the floor and literally has willed us to victories,” said Mulligan about Smith. “She is a competitor and hard to defend and has only scratched the surface of her career. She’s one of the best players in the NJAC!”
“Growing up with 5 brothers, I expected to do good this season, I work hard at everything.
At the age of 10, I knew I was made to be a ball player,” Smith said.
Vazquez and Smith have been playing together in the Amateur Athletic Union women’s basketball team in New Jersey since the 8th grade. There is no coincidence that this dynamic duo is now making an impact in the NJAC.
“Compared to 2 years ago, we had a great season with tremendous growth,” said Mulligan. “This year our confidence grew and as a program we have merged and pushed each other to become winners. Our team is special and we have high expectations.”
“When I received the news about Bria and Ash honored by the NJAC, I sent them both a text to meet with me ASAP. I didn’t want them to think they were in trouble so I included a smiley face in the text,” said Mulligan about informing her two star student athletes of their respective honors.
NJCU’s women’s basketball has proven themselves to be able to compete next season as a top team in the NJAC. By routing conference foe Kean University 72-49, and sweeping both Rowan University and Rutgers University-Camden, NJCU has become a team to be reckoned with in the NJAC.
Vazquez and Smith are both already preparing for the next season.
“As an all-around player it makes it harder to stop me. If you could stop me in scoring, I would kill you on the boards or with assists and will find another way to beat you,” Smith said.
“This season has proven that we are stepping in the right direction. Our honors have shined the light on the overall success of our program,” Vazquez said.
The NJCU women’s basketball team certainly has a bright future with their budding stars. With hard work and dedication, the women’s basketball team plans to be an even more improved team.
“Next season we will bigger, better, faster, stronger, and working even harder,” Mulligan said.
