Building on the momentum from last summer’s inaugural tour, The City University of New York Athletic Conference will embark on a 10-day Goodwill Tour of Ecuador in June with an all-star women’s basketball team.
The second annual CUNYAC Goodwill Tour will take place from June 28th to July 7th with 14 female student-athletes making the trip from 14 different CUNY-member campuses. The tour will continue a new tradition, which was started last summer when an All-Star men’s basketball squad traveled to the Dominican Republic. Of the 12 men on last year’s Goodwill Team, seven were named CUNYAC All-Stars, including four of the top five scorers in the league. They had an opportunity to showcase their talents on the court, conduct several clinics for young children, learned another language and found out quite a bit more about a culture other than their own.
This year CUNYAC is looking to have a similar experience with the best women’s basketball players, who will also compete in Quito, Ecuador. Quito is the capital and largest city in the South American country.
It will mark the first time that our women’s program will be strutting their stuff on and off the court outside the United States. Along with competing, once again our student-athletes will host several clinics for the youth of Quito. They will serve as ambassadors of CUNY, learning the difference in cultures and passing along our customs and basketball skills. Each student will be required to keep a daily journal which will be posted on the CUNY website for informational purposes for family and friends in New York.
From a two-day tryout at Hunter College in late March, 27 student-athletes from 14 CUNYAC member colleges were narrowed down to a team of 18 players that includes four alternates. The final squad, which will be comprised of 13 players will include Baruch point guard Diane Ramirez and Medgar Evers guard/forward Rannie Miles. Ramirez was a Second Team CUNYAC All-Star this past season after leading the conference in assists (5.96 pg.) and steals (4.56 pg.). She also averaged 10.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Miles was second in the conference in scoring (18.7 ppg.) and finished ninth in rebounds (9.4 pg.)
The entire squad will be comprised of quality underclassmen in good academic standing, who look to be the cornerstones of their respective teams next season. The team will play four games in Quito against local teams, while using the off-days to visit historical and educational sites in the region.
The 2004 coaching staff will consist of Hunter College head coach Jackee Meadow, CSI head coach Marguerite Gualtieri and Hostos head coach Rene Bostic. Gualtieri and Bostic were named CUNYAC Coaches of the Year for the senior college and community colleges respectively, while Meadow led her Hawks to a third consecutive CUNYAC Championship and 3rd straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2004.
Along with the coaches, CUNYAC Executive Director Zak Ivkovic and CUNYAC President Rob Coleman (Athletics Director, CCNY) are responsible for selecting the team and raising the funds necessary for the tour. Traveling to the equator as well will be CCNY’s Athletic Trainer Diane Torres, Tour Liaison/Sports Information Director Freddy DeJesus and CUNY Sports Jam Producer Adolfo Lee, who will document the event on film and produce a show based on the trip for broadcast on CUNY-TV. “It is an honor and a privilege to coach the CUNYAC Goodwill team. This is a chance of a lifetime for these student-athletes to represent their colleges, CUNYAC, and themselves against international competition. I am also looking forward to coaching with Marguerite Gualtieri and Rene Bostic,” stated coach Meadow.
For everyone involved it will be an opportunity of a lifetime and give members of the trip something to talk about for the rest of their lives. A combination of university sponsors as well as support from private and public sources are being solicited for this global event. Donations are being accepted for the women’s basketball tour this summer as well as future tours.
If you would like to support the CUNY Goodwill Tour in 2004, you may send
donations to Zak Ivkovic’s attention at:
CUNY Athletic Conference
The Apex @ Lehman College
Bronx, New York 10468
Attn: 2004 Goodwill Tour Support
2004 City University of New York Goodwill Tour
Women's Basketball Roster
| FINAL ROSTERa |
| Name |
College |
Cl. |
Ht. |
Pos. |
High
School / Hometown |
| Diane Ramirez |
Baruch |
So | 5-5 |
G |
Francis Lewis/ Sunnyside, NY |
| Jessenia Marrero |
Baruch |
So | 5-7 |
F/C |
Francis Lewis/ Flushing, NY |
| Rebecca Powers |
Brooklyn |
Jr | 6-2 |
C |
Kingsborough/ Bklyn, NY |
| Jessica Proscia |
Hunter |
So | 5-10 |
F |
Notre Dame/ Staten Island, NY |
| Jen Chico Ithier |
Hunter |
So | 5-5 |
G |
Manhattan Center/ New York, NY |
|
Michelle Wallace |
John Jay |
Fr | 5-9 |
F |
Robert F. Kennedy/ Flushing NY |
| Shatasia Little |
Lehman |
Fr |
6-1 | C |
Grand Street Campus/ Bronx, NY |
| Rannie Miles |
Medgar Evers |
Jr | 5-7 |
G/F |
Prospect Heights/ Bklyn, NY |
| Nichola Hall |
City Tech |
Jr | 6-1 |
C/F |
St. Andrew’s Technical/ Bronx, NY |
| Jenny Deida |
York |
So |
5-5 | G |
Louis Brandeis/ Manhattan, NY |
| Morganna Green |
Hostos |
Fr |
5-2 | G |
Brooklyn Outreach/Bklyn, NY |
| Jahlaani Costello |
Kingsborough |
So |
5-8 | F |
Manhattan Center/ Bronx, NY |
| Kandyce Gunning |
Queensborough |
Fr |
5-8 | F |
Bayside/ Queens, NY |
|
 |
