By Joseph Staszewski
Eugeneia McPherson didn’t get to finish her St. John’s University career the way she envisioned. Instead, she will get a chance to script an ending unlike any other player in the history of women’s basketball at the school.
The 5-foot-8 guard played five games last season before tearing her ACL, causing her to miss out on playing her final season alongside fellow program changing players Shenneika Smith and Nadirah McKenith. McPherson, who red shirted, will get a chance to one-up them in a sense by being a member of a fifth straight team to reach the NCAA tournament if the Red Storm does so as expected.
“I feel like I am blessed to have that fifth year,” she said.
St. John’s is thankful to have her back as well. McPherson, who went to high school at North Babylon, is described as a “glue” player by Coach Joe Tartamella. She can score and rebound and is a tenacious defender. McPherson was the team’s third leading scorer as a junior at 11.8 points per game. She was an All-Big East honorable mention selection this season.
“She just has the ability to make a play or be a person who can do something during the game, during the day, during the week that sometimes go unsung,” Tartamella said.
McPherson isn’t 100 percent healthy yet, but getting closer each day. She is participating fully in practice and hopes to be ready for the season opener Nov. 8 against Sacred Heart. Once she was cleared to run she felt good, but practices at first were a different story. Just being back and competing with her teammates is a big step forward.
“I was feeling better mentally then physically,” McPherson said. “That was the hardest part, to get back on the court.”
She is also being thrust into an unfamiliar role as a more prominent leader to a younger group. McPherson will be part of a deep backcourt that includes conference first team selection Aliyyah Handford and senior sharpshooter Briana Brown.
McPherson joked she is the grandma of the team because St. John’s has just three other seniors on the roster. Leading on and off the court is something Tartamella knows isn’t something that comes naturally to the quiet McPherson.
“This is just another challenge for her to be even more of a leader than she’s ever been and probably than he’s even wanted to be,” he said.
What McPherson wants is another NCAA tournament appearance, to end her career injury free and on the same high note her classmates did last year.
“It was a sad season in the sense that I couldn’t play with them as seniors, but it was fun watching them go out with a bang like that.”
Her finish could be just a little bit bigger.
