As the Spring semester keeps flying by (we’re already in April?!), there has been one thing keeping me in deep thoughts: March Madness (Walter Clayton might be the greatest college basketball player of all time), but more or less basketball teams in the spring (NBA, college, etc). Due to the intensity of the tournament and its successes, hardships, and inspiring stories, it has made me think about how our college’s basketball teams have been doing in this “contested” environment (Get it?).

My favorite sport: basketball. In my previous article, I detailed the successes of both the men’s and women’ basketball teams here at Northern Essex, mainly discussing pivotal players such as Rhaelyn Gutierrez (women’s) and Alejandro Delgado (men’s). However, this was prior to their postseason results.

In terms of the men’s team, detailed with various articles by their page on the NECC Athletics website, it looks to be that they had nothing but success after success. In their region, they managed to“three-peat” (win three of something in a row) and received the #8 seed in the NJCAA DIII national tournament. However, in their first game against #9-seeded Dallas-Richland, they unfortunately bit the bullet, losing a close game at 73-68. After that, they played one more game against Dallas-Mountain View, winning the contest and capping off their season with a phenomenal record of 29-4. The aforementioned Delgado managed to secure an All-Region 21 first-team selection, while Javien Kirmil, another player I mentioned in my previous article, received a second-team selection.

On the women’s side, they capped off their season with only a record of 10-12, highlighted by multiple cancelled games and a catastrophic loss in the Region 21 semifinals against Community College of Rhode Island by a score of 94-52. On the bright side, though, the aforementioned Rhaelyn Gutierrez, who I like to comment on as a “freshman phenom”, was recognized with an All-Region 21 first-team selection, ending her freshman year campaign averaging 27.9 points-per-game, which was SECOND in the NATION. To be able to accomplish a feat that large while just being a freshman is insane, and I can definitely assume that there are some four-year colleges and universities that may want to have Gutierrez on their team. Mirelys Morales, who I also previously talked about, was also recognized with a second-team selection, completing her season while averaging a double-double.

Although there may be no 2024-25 championship banner plastered on the walls of the Northern Essex basketball court, what this season established for the men’s and women’s teams can be thought of in one, singular word: determination.

Although I am regarded in my journalistic work as an “avid basketball fan” (shoutout to my previous article), there is another sport that captivates my heart with the same intensity as basketball: volleyball.

My passion for volleyball is quite recent, as I have only been following the trends of men’s collegiate and professional volleyball for around two to three years, dating back to my junior year of high school. 

Even though I would not say that I am the “best” at volleyball (as I failed to make my high school’s team or my previous college’s club team), I still find volleyball to be a valuable pastime, an activity that me and my friends can engage in and have a good time.

Now, as aforementioned, I am mainly a fan of men’s volleyball, and I am aware that there are a vast amount of top-tier men’s collegiate volleyball teams, namely the likes of Hawaii,

UCLA, UC Irvine, and Long Beach State. However, in Massachusetts, men’s collegiate volleyball teams are rather scarce, and it is even rarer to see a men’s team representing a community college. Therefore, I was rather surprised to learn about the possibility of a men’s volleyball team being introduced to Northern Essex sometime back in 2024.

My insider in this investigation was Lawrence’s Miguelangel Perez, a longtime school friend of mine and a volleyball player himself. I might say he’s one of the greatest liberos that I know of, and it makes sense on why he would know the ‘scoop” on the future of NECC men’s volleyball, as he was in active talks with the prospective coach for the team. It sort of had me wondering whether or not I wanted to tryout for the team, even though I probably would have gotten turned down again. 

Despite Miguelangel’s great knowledge regarding the situation, I was never able to catch the name of the coach that was aiming to help with the team.

And then, that was it. I completely forgot about the whole NECC men’s volleyball team, and I continued on with my studies, the team an afterthought in the back of my head.

Fast forward to Febarury 10, 2025. I decided to hit up Miguelangel via iMessage to check on what happened to the team, as I surely thought that they would be introduced anytime soon in the Spring 2025 semester. Regardless of my hopefulness, though, that was when he dropped the bombshell on what happened.

To summarize his words, the coach was distant for about two to three months, and then randomly messaged their team groupchat. The coach essentially wanted Miguelangel and the other men interested in the program to come out and “stand on business” on wanting a men’s volleyball team here at Northern Essex. However, this never came into fruition, and the team is now a lost relic in time.

At the end of the day, although I am sad about the NECC men’s volleyball team not existing during my time here, it still opens up the opportunity of it being introduced later on. 

NECC does have a women’s volleyball team. Three members of the Northern Essex Community College women’s volleyball team earned All-Region honors. The Knights finished the season with a 13-8 overall record and finished as Region 21 semi-finalist.

As an avid basketball fan for the past seven years, I feel that I have a consistent knowledge when it comes to “good basketball.” 

And, sure, not every basketball team in the world can play at an elite competitive level like that of teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), or overseas in leagues like the EuroLeague and the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia.

 But there is one team that reflects this ideal of “elite basketball”: The Knights of Northern Essex Community College, our beloved institution.

 Although I have only been here since the Spring 2024 semester, throughout that timespan, I have heard insurmountable compliments about how great the program is. 

The men’s team, led by head coach Darren Stratton, who most recently was named JUCO Coach of the Week by HoopDirt.com, have been nothing short of amazing, boasting a 23-3 record. 

According to NJCAA.org’s NJCAA Division III men’s basketball rankings from February 10th, that puts them at No. 8 in the country. 

On the other hand, the women’s basketball team has also had their fair share of success. Led by head coach Malaquias Canery, with the aforementioned Stratton serving as an associate head coach, even with a questionable record of 9-11, the female Knights still have undercover talent on the court. 

The star of that program? 5’2” Methuen-made freshman guard Rhaelyn Gutierrez (pictured, photo from @neccknights on Instagram), who is averaging an insane 30.4 points-per-game, including a 47-point masterclass on December 3, 2024.

She has also only dropped less than 20 points once during this season! Did I mention she was a freshman? She reminds me of a mini Cam Thomas. 

Another notable contributor to mention is Dracut’s Mirelys Morales, who averages an impressive 17.4 points-per-game on an efficient 40.3-percent clip from the field.

 In terms of the men’s team, the true stars of the program lie within multiple players. 

Although their leading scorer, Haverhill’s own Alejandro Delgado, only averages 14.6 points-per-game with a respectable 8.4 rebounds-per-game, it seems that they are putting the pieces together to recapture the success of last season. In the 2023-24 season, their squad swaggered through with a 32-2 record, including being undefeated (23-0) in their respective conference. 

Despite Delgado’s efforts, though, there are other players that have emerged as solid contributors, including second-leading scorer and Lowell native Javien Kirmil (11.9 points-per-game) and Cameroon bigman Karl Wolfgang (7.2 points-per-game and 7.2 rebounds-per-game). 

Hell, even their unsung heroes, namely Salem, NH’s Ryan Pacy (8.7 points-per-game), are throwing down 360 dunks in-game! From what I have seen so far, these teams are showcasing the true art that is collegiate basketball.

 They truly do have a new fan: myself.