By Joseph Staszewski
Former Mary Louis star Jasmine Nwajei put on display the reason why there is so much buzz around the Wagner College freshman point guard.
She played just seven minutes in the first half because of foul trouble against St. Francis College, feeling angry she couldn’t help her teammates. The Rockaway Park native was soothed by the fact that her team went into the half with a lead, but a victory couldn’t be secured without her.
“When I got in, I knew it was time to just take over,” Nwajei said.
She proceeded to score 25 of her 27 points in the second half of a 73-62 victory over the host Terriers Jan. 27. Nwajei connected on nine of 15 shots after the break, including two three-pointers and was seven-for-nine from the free throw line. One of those treys she banked in from the top of the key as the shot clock was winding down with 4:23 left to play in the game to give Wagner its largest lead at 57-48.
“That topped it off,” Nwajei said. “I was like, ‘That’s going in? It’s over. They are not coming back.’”
She has turned it on since Northeast Conference play has begun, earning three Rookie of the Week Awards. Nwajei is averaging 15.7 points per game and 5.1 rebounds. She came into the Staten Island school as the face of second-year Coach Lisa Cermignano’s prize recruiting class and has so far delivered.
“Getting into conference [games], she is starting to play like Jasmine with that confidence,” the coach said.
There was a learning curve early. Nwajei, who helped Murry Bergtraum win its 15th straight PSAL city title last season, wasn’t a point guard predominantly in high school. Cermignano loaded up the Seahawks’ non-league schedule with major programs like Kentucky, Seton Hall, VCU, Pittsburgh and Rutgers. It challenged Nwajei and her young team, which is 4-16 overall and 3-6 in conference play.
Nwajei leads the team in assists with 80, but had turnover problems early. That has improved as she’s gained more experience and gotten to know her teammates better.
“It was an adjustment because now you have to know personnel more,” Nwajei said. “The light is more on you to make the decision, not someone else.”
The spotlight and responsibility of being a college team’s go-to player is something she has grown comfortable with. She knows that in close games, like the one against St. Francis, the final minutes are her time to shine.
Cermignano thinks she needs to be even more aggressive than she is because of her ability to attack the basket. It will make Nwajei now and in the future a bigger weapon and advantage for Wagner than the one already living up to the expectations placed on her when she arrived.
“She’s a superstar,” St. Francis Coach John Thurston said. “She just took over the game.”
