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Mary Louis Girls Are Back, Win
State Hoops Title
BY BERNIE BEGLANE
A phone call while on vacation!
You never know whether the voice on the other end of the line has good news or bad news.
The Champs from Mary Louis Academy, Jamaica Estates
In the case of Joe Lewinger, who was basking in the sun in the Dominican Republic, the news was good.
The call came in the summer of 2000 from his sister, Denise, telling him that Mary Louis Academy, the all-girls high school in Jamaica Estates, was looking for a basketball coach.
Perfect for Joe who already had been hired as a social studies teacher there.
Which was good news for Lewinger, who had graduated with the Class of 2000 from St. Joseph’s College.
“Sister Elizabeth Hill (president of the Sisters of St. Joseph’s school in Clinton Hill) knew that I was interested in teaching and coaching,” explained Lewinger.
“As did my sister who was the coach of the cheerleaders at Fontbonne Hall. She enjoyed it tremendously and figured that I would feel the same way about this opportunity.”
Did that mean Joe cut his vacation short?
“No, but my mind was in a different place so I did call from the Dominican Republic the next day and spoke with Patricia (Pat) Mullaney, the athletic director,” was the reply.
“That turned out to be a two-hour interview and when we were finished, Pat told me I was hired.”
Up from CYO
All of this happening without Joe having any real coaching experience.
“I had been involved in the CYO programs at Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Ephrem’s (both Dyker Heights),” continued Lewinger.
“That was about it.”
The lack of experience, though Joe did not say as much, probably made him work harder to succeed.
And succeed he did. By the end of the 2001-02 season Mary Louis won two championships – the New York State Catholic and New York State Federation Class D.
“Ability and talent governed the classifications then,” the coach stated. “Enrollment had nothing to do with it.
“Year by year we moved up to Class A, which we competed in this year.”
And the success continued, as the Hilltoppers swept the two titles once again.
For the New York State Catholic crown Lewinger directed his girls to a 74-65 victory over St. Peter’s of Staten Island.
That was followed by a 51-44 triumph over John F. Kennedy of the Bronx for the New York State Federation (private and public schools) championship.
Leading the Hilltoppers was Casey Shevlin, a senior point guard.
Amanda Burakoski, a six-foot shooting guard who is a sophomore, and junior Macal Javadifar, were two more standouts.
“Those two tournaments were our March Madness,” continued Lewinger. “The Federation final was in upstate Glens Falls.
“Forty parents, relatives and friends took a bus. Another 40 drove. The teachers and administrators were on a bus, too. And this was a Saturday morning following the annual school musical which was ‘Once Upon a Mattress.’ Those people had to be up at 5 a.m. to be upstate for our 10 a.m. game.”
As for experience as a player, Joe competed at St. Frances Cabrini (Bensonhurst) and St. Bernadette (Dyker Heights).
“I also played one year in high school at Msgr. Farrell (Staten Island) and four seasons at St. Joseph’s College,” added Joe.
“One of the greatest delights I had this season was winning for not only the players and the school, but also for my assistant coach, Rachele Burriesci.
“She played on the 2002 team that won the two championships and is very dedicated. Rachele is in the doctoral program for physical therapy at New York Institute of Technology (Old Westbury), so that’s a lot of hard work to go with the coaching and the traveling.”
Pausing to get his breath, Joe concluded, “It was a long season and I am proud of everyone... players to administrators.
“Mary Louis Academy is back… and we hope to stay.”
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