Earlier this month, Hostos Community College women’s basketball reasserted its supremacy in the CUNY Athletic Conference (CUNYAC), winning its 11th championship title. While victory was sweet for the Caimans, the players and coaches left hungry to earn their place in history by winning a NJCAA Division III National Championship as the teams of 2018 and 2019 did.
The women’s basketball program at Hostos has become a family for players searching for a place they belong. Some have tried unsuccessfully to find it elsewhere, but now have a home on the basketball court and in the classroom.
“When I’m here, I have anchors of love, support and humor; everyone has a smile on their face,” said Chyna Bryant, 21, who noted that the team not only welcomed her, but also embraced her daughter, Aviana, 2. Pregnancy and childbirth temporarily upended her plans to play college basketball, but Hostos, which has a childcare center, made everything possible.
“Hostos helped me get back in shape,” said Bryant. “They honestly offered me every resource possible that I needed to succeed this season. … This is a phenomenal group of personalities.”
Jae’oni Davis, a sophomore guard who was MVP of the CUNYAC Tournament, said she’s lived in multiple cities around the U.S., but NYC is home. She also mentions the teamwork of the Caimans—whether it’s helping a teammate with schoolwork or encouraging someone to overcome injury.
“I’ve never been on a necessarily championship team, so it was kind of cool to win a championship and get MVP,” said Davis. “We’ve been working really hard. We always have each other’s backs because we all have the same end goal, and that’s to win the national championship. CUNY was the first little taste of it, and it was a great win, but we went right back to work.”
Davis expects to complete her associate’s degree this spring, and her next step will be playing college hoops at a four-year institution. “I take interest in multiple things,” she said. “I’m looking to go to a four-year school, high level in basketball and academics. I’m looking to major in sports medicine.”
Hostos men’s basketball also won the CUNYAC title and advanced to the NJCAA Region 15 Quarterfinals. The teams played a double header against Suffolk County Community College on Tuesday. The Region 15 Semifinals are on Saturday.