The Caimans women’s basketball team of Hostos Community College is still becoming familiar with each other. They opened the season at 7–0 and are at home in the Bronx tonight to take on the Borough of Manhattan Community College — but the squad is completely different from the 2023–2024 group.
“This is probably the hardest scheduled season I’ve had,” said Dwight Shaw, in his fourth year as head coach of the Caimans women’s basketball team. “On top of that, I have no returnees on this team: Everyone is brand-new. Last year, we had a lot of big personalities. This year, everybody has personality, but there is no real alpha, so this is a different year for me. I’m learning how to coach better and keep the camaraderie and chemistry together.”
Sophomore point guard Kiara Huggins appreciates the team’s chemistry and how they came together. “As soon as we started playing together more, we kind of clicked,” said Huggins, who is from Harlem. “It’s kind of like a sisterhood. We’re close on and off the court.”
Hostos women’s basketball won NJCAA Division III national title in 2018 and 2019, a goal the current Caimans hope to equal. At the same time, Shaw and previous Hostos coaches have always placed an emphasis on the student-athletes also excelling in their studies.
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“I always want them to be better than how they started with me,” said Shaw, who recruits talented NYC players. Some choose to go away for college but find themselves returning back to the city and playing for Hostos.
“They give me an opportunity and a chance in their second year, and I make sure I make it a home environment and conducive to them learning the right way to play basketball,” he said. “I believe that I, my staff, the athletic director, and assistant athletic director put in the work every day, on and off the court, for the best student-athletes we can produce. The kids I recruit respect that. It’s a family environment.”
Furthermore, Shaw asserts the foundation to be competitive is sturdy. “We are Hostos Community College and we have had success in the past, so every night, every team gives us their best,” he said. “I make sure that I put ourselves in the best possible position to be successful continuously.”
