Most of the members of the women’s basketball team at Hostos Community College in the Bronx, part of City University of New York, are new this year, but that doesn’t mean they’re freshmen. Talented ballers from around the city gravitate to the school in the hopes of catching the attention of four-year institutions.
“We’re still coming together,” said Caimans head coach Dwight Shaw. “It’s been a short but long, weird season. We were excited to start the season, but as the season began, we had cancellations and postponements. That kind of halted us momentum-wise.”
The results don’t show any lack of momentum. In the team’s first 20 games, Hostos went 17–3 and were undefeated in CUNY AC play. They’re heading into the CUNY AC Tournament, which begins on Tuesday, poised to succeed, having already defeated their closest rival, Kingsborough Community College, in a close game last week.
“I’ve created a positive culture and environment, and I think the kids are receptive to that…We play at a high level and travel, which lets them see [new] places,” said Shaw, who also has a full-time job as a coach and physical education and health teacher at Nazareth Regional High School in Brooklyn. At 37, he’s relatively close in age to the Hostos student-athletes, and that creates a willingness in players to listen to his coaching and advice.
“I’m always active; I coach AAU in the spring and summertime,” said Shaw of what keeps his coaching skills sharp. “I have a daughter [who’s] a ninth-grader, so she keeps me up to date and on my toes. I love sports. Sports can help kids get through school. I try to merge the two and help them thrive and achieve something they didn’t believe would be possible.”
Now in his fourth season as head coach of the Caimans, Shaw is aiming to bring the team back to full glory and add another championship banner to the gymnasium. The Hostos women’s basketball previously won NJCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championships in 2018 and ’19. In addition to helping the players transfer their work ethic on the court to their classes, the team does a lot of bonding exercises.
“I give them books to read to open their minds, and we have a lot of team discussions,” said Shaw, whose goal is to become an NCAA Division I coach. “The players all have the potential to go to the next level.”
