York Players Receive CUNYAC Awards
Devine Chisholm and Taishaun Forehand-Jenkins receiving their awards from the CUNYAC. Photo credit: Jon Hochberg
By Fiifi Frimpong
Three York athletes received awards after the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) announced its year-end honors for the 2018-2019 basketball season.
Freshman guard Devine Chisholm received rookie of the year honors after averaging 9.2 points per game and 2.8 assists per game for the Cardinals.
Senior guard Taishaun Forehand-Jenkins was awarded second-team all conference after averaging 15.1 points per game while shooting 43% from the field.
Sophomore forward Akil Vaughn earned a spot on the sportsmanship team after averaging five points and seven rebounds per game.
Chisholm was a three-time CUNYAC rookie of the week recipient that had a season-high 21 points against College of Staten Island on Jan. 3. He played in all 25 games for the Cardinals averaging 27 minutes per game. When asked about being recognized in his first year of college ball, he acknowledged his teammates in helping with the process.
“It’s an honor for my hard work to be recognized throughout the season,” Chisholm said. “I couldn’t have done this without my teammates.”
Forehand-Jenkins saw his minutes and points per game rise this past season. The former Borough of Manhattan Community College guard placed in the top 10 in the conference in points, field goal percentage, assists and assist to turnover ratio.
Like his teammate, Forehand-Jenkins appreciated the recognition from the voters. He too couldn’t forget his teammates when asked about his feelings on the award,
“I appreciate getting noticed after all the hard work during the season,” Forehand-Jenkins said. “It feels good, but it’s all about my guys that I play with.”
Forehand-Jenkins played his last game at senior night on Feb. 11. Looking ahead, he commented on what he would like to do after playing for the Cardinals.
“I would like to play overseas,” he said, “I’m interested in some teams in Germany and Italy. I would also want to coach one day.”
Freshman standout on the women’s team, Mac-Dege Dessources, was snubbed from receiving accolades despite an exceptional season. The center has been a force on the glass, even grabbing 34 rebounds against Ramapo on Dec. 15.
She led the conference in blocks, rebounds per game, overall rebounds and double doubles. She was a five-time CUNYAC rookie of the week recipient while also leading the nation in rebounds and rebounds per game.
Denee Barracato, athletic director, mentioned that the snub was very disappointing given her national accolades.
