BY DANIEL DIDONNA
February 15th 9:00 P.M.
Senior night is one of the most celebrated days on the calendar for any team, and for the Brooklyn College men’s and women’s basketball teams, last night was no different. Tuesday, Feb. 14 was a day full of achievements and reflections as both players and coaches looked ahead to their futures.
The Brooklyn College Bulldogs held their annual senior night as both the men’s and women’s basketball teams concluded their regular seasons in a double header against the York College Cardinals.
The women’s team kicked off the night with a touching tribute to five senior players – Nancy Pham, Dasha Goodman, sisters Ericka and Sarah James, and Gianna Gotti – as head coach and acting athletic director Alex Lang mentioned their accomplishments and their importance to the team over the years. The Bulldogs won the game 85-70 in a dramatic come from behind victory.
After the game, Lang spoke about what senior night means not only to him but to his players.
“Senior night is a great celebration of our team’s seniors. This year we have an awesome group, all five starters. The seniors played awesome Gianna, Dasha and Ericka were our top scorers, but Sarah and Nancy made huge plays as well. It was a great night for that group,” said Lang.
One of the key moments to this win was senior Gianna Gotti putting up 21 points and 7 assists to lead her team and pull away with the win.
“It was high intensity and I think the second half we really showed that we can play as a team,” said Gotti.
But the senior player also gave her thoughts on the night overall and her fellow seniors.
“Senior night I think is an emotional night for all of us. You know you come to a chapter that you’re getting ready to close…I think they did amazing. They always step up and rise to the occasion,” said Gotti.
Lang also shared about the difficulty of replacing these players, many who are graduating.
“Replacing seniors is impossible… we can’t replace these individuals… but we hope to bring in other quality people to help the team continue to be successful,” said Lang
As the electric crowd at Brooklyn College were still celebrating a very triumphant victory, all eyes shifted quickly to the men’s team as it was their turn to take the court and join in on the festivities.
Much like the women’s game, the men’s team also honored senior players before the game. Head coach Jeffery-Jean Baptiste honored Elisha Park and Kaylin Olajide, and shared a list of their accomplishments.
The Bulldogs won in the final seconds of the game 91-89 to pull off the doubleheader sweep.
After the game, associate head coach Albert Barbosa spoke about what senior night means to him and his players.
“It’s great…they went through the trials and tribulations of being a basketball player…and at the end of the day they never quit, they never wavered, they played together, and they lent their leadership to the team.” said Barbosa.
At the end of the night, both teams came away with wins and the seniors were able to have a grand send off by the home crowd.
