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By Andrew McClure John McEntee jumps from his seat in the top row of the stands at the Coles Sports Center, slowly pumps a fist in the air, and falls back against the wall with a look of awe on his face.
 Seeing his daughter Jessica bury another acrobatic shot, with two defenders hanging on her, is something McEntee is used to seeing, but, nonetheless, he’s amazed by his daughter’s athletic ability. “I just love to watch her play,” McEntee said. “She’s so sweet and calm off the court, but such an intense competitor on the floor. She’s so athletic. I wouldn’t want to play against her.” Most Division III opponents throughout the nation would concur. With an average of 19 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, McEntee, NYU’s senior captain and the three-time UAA conference player of the year, is the only player in the nation to be among the top 25 in both categories. McEntee, who was named to the 2009 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-America Basketball Team, is third in school history with 1,715 career points and second in rebounds with 1,124 after leading the Violets past Stevens Tech 71-57 in the second round of the NCAA Division III women’s basketball tournament. With the win, NYU moves on to its 13th trip to the Sweet 16. The double-double was the 50th of McEntee’s illustrious career. Despite all the accolades, interim head coach Stefano Trompeo, who took over prior to the season when legendary coach Janice Quinn retired due to a medical condition, believes the 5-foot-11 McEntee may be the most unassuming superstar athlete in the metropolitan area. “Jess is a coach’s dream,” Trompeo said. “She’s a great teammate, a leader, and she’s well-liked by opponents, coaches and everyone on campus. I would be surprised if I ever coach someone as good a player and as good a person as Jess.”  McEntee, who grew up in Flushing, Queens, actually had a late start with basketball. A gifted runner, McEntee’s early athletic prowess was on the track. Her first time on the hardwood came in the 6th grade playing for St. Andrew’s CYO. McEntee’s mother Linda remembers her daughter’s reluctance to take the floor. “She didn’t want to go to the first game,” she said. “I had to make a deal with her. I told her to play the first game, and if she didn’t like it, she could leave the team. She caught on pretty quickly.”
After a solid career at Archbishop Molloy High School where she picked up All-City honors, McEntee was recruited heavily by numerous Division I programs throughout the country, but opted for the academic excellence and the proximity to home that NYU offered. “I didn’t want to go too far away,” McEntee said. “I felt very comfortable at NYU. Being close to home and having my parents at every game was a big reason for coming here. It was the best option for me.” She was named the 2008-09 Player of the Year and a First Team All-America by Women's DIII News and played in all 25 contests as a freshman; averaging 6.6 points per game and shooting 82 percent from the free throw line. Quinn knew she had a special kid midway through her freshman year. “We knew we had a player who could perform at an elite level,” Quinn said. “Halfway through her first season, she picked up mono. She played through it. Right then and there, I knew we had a tough, tough kid.” McEntee has started every game since her sophomore season. In 2006-07, she averaged 16.9 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, leading the Violets to their third trip to the NCAA final four. In her junior season, she finished ninth in the nation in scoring and 18th in rebounding on her way to earning D3hoops.com All-America honors.  An economics major in NYU’s College of Arts and Sciences, McEntee is unsure what the future has in store for her, but knows she’ll miss college hoops. “I’m going to miss the preparation, competition and the camaraderie with my teammates,” she said. “Looking back, I’m so thankful for my family. My parents are the biggest reason I’ve done well. I will never forget them driving me to practice and games, and picking up the other kids along the way. I’ll miss this.” |
