Dyckman hasn’t been the most talented team in its home league’s high-school senior division the past two summers. Yet both times the kids from Washington Heights and the surrounding areas walked away with the title at Monsignor Kett Park.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have stud forward Angel Nunez of Notre Dame Prep (Mass.), who is being recruited by many high-major Division I programs. But the rest of the Dyckman squad is made up of tough, hard-nosed team players who have been together for a long time.
“We’ve got a lot of chemistry,” St. Agnes rising senior Emmanuel Mejia said. “We’ve been playing together for three, four years. We all live in the same neighborhood. We play in the parks together. We know how to play together as a team.”
It all starts with Mejia, the team’s undisputed leader and point guard. In a 64-52 win against Team Elite on Thursday night at Dyckman, the 5-foot-7 dynamo knew just when to distribute and when to score. He had seven straight points in the second half as Dyckman pulled away. He finished with just 11 points, but they were all significant.
“No matter how hard a position he’s in, he still manages to get you the ball,” All Hallows rising senior forward Geoff Tolentino said of his close friend.
It wasn’t always that way for Mejia. When he was younger, he was admittedly not a great creator or leader. Dyckman executive director Kenny Stevens, who frequently coaches the program’s high-school players on the road, would get on him constantly.
“Manny, for years, was really, really good, it was just that he lacked a little bit of confidence because of his size,” Stevens said. “But we spoke and I told him that being short is an advantage. Now when a big man brings the ball down, they become your size.”
Mejia plays with a swagger now. Stevens said he had an excellent performance at the Albany Gym Rats Challenge last month and has picked up some Division II interest. Mejia isn’t a superstar, but in many ways he’s the embodiment of what this Dyckman high-school team is about.
“One of the good things about these kids is they all like each other,” Stevens said. “When you like each other, it’s easy for guys to get along on the court and off the court. Not only do they play ball together, most of them hang out together. We do things as a program together. It’s easier when you come out here and you have confidence in your partner – whoever is on the wing, your big men – that they are gonna get the job done. It’s not like it’s any one set person. On any given night, anybody could do whatever.”
On Thursday, Bronx Regional’s Giovanni McLean led Dyckman with 16 points and Nunez chipped in 11 in another balanced scoring attack. Cardozo’s Dwayne Brunson had 18 points for Team Elite.
“It’s like we’re defending our home,” Tolentino said.
Harlem Children’s Zone 67, Kingdome 62: Thurgood Marshall’s Shane Woney had 15 points to lead Harlem Children’s Zone. Bread and Roses transfer Davonne Henry (Woodlands in Westchester) had 25 points, Boys & Girls rising senior Mike Taylor had 14 points and Dartmouth-bound swingman James Herring, formerly of Riverdale Country Day, added 11 points for Kingdome.
