Queens athletes sign letters of intent

By Joseph Staszewski

Aryn McClure could have waited for big programs to come along or select one of the ones she already had scholarship offers from. Going to the biggest school wasn’t what the Archbishop Molloy senior wanted. She landed where she believed she and her game best fit by choosing Quinnipiac.

“It felt genuine, like I had a place there,” McClure said. “It was a home for the next four years.”

To make it official, she sat next to fellow seniors Kaitlyn Mahon and Emer Moloney to sign their National Letters of Intent before a girls’ basketball scrimmage against Francis Lewis Sunday at the school. Mahon and Moloney are both headed to Queens College. The trio helped Molloy reach the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens final last season.

McClure picked Quinnipiac and coach Tricia Fabbri over Fairfield, LaSalle and Drexel. The Bobcats, who were the first team to offer the 6-foot McClure, are getting one of the city’s most versatile players. She can score inside and out, is an excellent rebounder and can block shots.

Moloney, a savvy shooting guard, felt the same loyalty from Queens College that McClure received from Quinnipiac. It was the first school to show major interest in her and stayed with her during the recruiting process.

Mahon, Molloy’s point guard, wasn’t sure up until last week where she was headed, having to choose between Queens and C.W. Post. Moloney, her best friend and backcourt mate, was already heading there, but didn’t pressure her to join her. Mahon, who wanted to stay close to home, is happy she didn’t press.

“If she kept pushing and pushing I don’t think I would have gone,” Mahon said.

The trio is hoping to make their senior season a memorable one. Molloy is the most experienced team in Brooklyn/Queens this season and has eyes on bringing home a diocesan title.

“We are ready to win the championship,” Moloney said. “We all jell. We all get along. We are all determined on one goal.”

Mullen picks St. Peter’s

Janelle Mullen is looking forward to helping revive the Peacocks’ program alongside second-year head coach Pat Coyle. Mullen, a senior at the Hun School in New Jersey, picked St. Peter’s over NJIT, Temple and Bridgeport among others. She had been leaning toward the Peacocks during the recruiting process, but it was a talk with the former New York Liberty coach Coyle that clinched her decision.

“I like being part of the reformation of this team, now she is trying to rebuild it and I want to be a part of that,” said Mullen, who transferred to Archbishop Molloy during her sophomore year.

St. Peter’s was in need of an athletic shooter and the 5-foot-10 Mullen fit what it was looking for after the coaching staff sent her game tapes. Mullen, who plays her travel ball with the New York Belles, averaged 10.6 points and 2.7 steals per game last season. She believes playing for Coyle gives her the best chance to reach her potential as a player.

“They really seem to have an interest in the best interest of the players,” Mullen said.

Mullen enjoyed St. Peter’s intimate campus and feel. She can study pharmacy there and knows her time away at the Hun School has her prepared for what is ahead.

“Homesickness is not a problem for me,” Mullen said. “The Hun school is really like a college prep school.”