SSI 2024-2025 Girls Basketball Coach of the Year: Lisa Kukoda
SSI 2024-2025 Girls Basketball Coach of the Year
Lisa Kukoda, Manasquan
A new group, the same result for Manasquan. After graduating three starters and their “sixth man” that won a Group 2 title, Coach Lisa Kukoda coached a new group of players to a second straight Group 2 title to be named SSI Coach of the Year.
After graduating 62 % of their scoring and 60% of their rebounding from last season, players who saw minimal minutes last year rose to the occasion in their starting roles.
“Coach Kukoda instilled confidence in us since the first time this group got on the floor together,” Shannon Heine said. “She knew we were going to have doubters, but she and the rest of the coaching staff had so much confidence in us. She always reminded us what our goals were and to achieve them. We had to work hard and always play together because that was our biggest strength.”
Senior Olivia Shaughnessy and Junior Jordyn Hollawell were the only two starters returning and both improved on their numbers in bigger roles on the offensive side of the floor. Shaughnessy improved her points per game from 6.4 to 9 and Hollawell went from 4.4 to 9.1 points per game.
The three seniors who moved into the starting line-up this season all made impacts from the start. Shea Donnelly, who was mostly a defensive substitute last year, showed the Shore Conference how dangerous she was on the offensive side of the ball. She led the team with 3-pointers made and points scored and was named to the All-Shore First team.
Senior Grace Love finished second in 3-pointers made for the Warriors and doubled her rebounding total from last season. Heine is the last senior to be put in the starting line-up and had some of the hardest defensive assignments of the season. Heine had the task of guarding Co-Player of the Year Jada Lynch in both of Manasquan’s victories against St. Rose. Those were the only two games Lynch did not reach double-digits and contributing factor to the Warriors winning Class A Central with an undefeated record.
Coach Kukoda shortened her bench down the stretch and relied on transfer Kayden Clark and Junior Shannon Looney. Coach Kukoda having Clark come off the bench gave the Warriors an extra boost without disrupting the team.
Looney, who only played in a handful of games last season, played an important part of Coach Kukoda’s rotation off the bench this season. Some of her biggest minutes came in the state playoff run, including entering the game in the fourth quarter and coming up with a steal and lay-up on the first play to help seal the state title.
“Coach has always had the team first mentality,” Heine said. This year our team really thrived off of this mind set. She has always made sure that no one player is bigger than the name across their chest. That has always been emphasized since the first day of tryouts which has helped with all the success of this program.”
Manasquan once again graduates a strong senior class and it will be up to the players who saw minimal minutes this year to believe in Coach Kukoda’s team first philosophy and step-up into bigger roles along with Hollawell and Looney to keep the Warriors run going.
