BOSTON – Ten days away from tip-off of the 37th season, Suffolk women's basketball head coach Ed Leyden has unveiled that junior Jenni-Rose DiCecco and senior Alexis Hackett will team up as the 2019-20 co-captains.
"Lexi (Hackett) and Jenni-Rose (DiCecco) are extraordinary student-athletes," Leyden said. "They are great teammates, outstanding competitors and lead by example every day in practice."
With just one last chance to take home GNAC glory with the department making the switch to the Commonwealth Coast Conference in 2020-21, the floor general and forward look to lead the Rams to somewhere they've never been before, the NCAA Tournament.
Hackett, the lone member of the Class of 2020 on the squad, and DiCecco, a fixture on the hardwood, have anchored the offense and defense over the last two seasons. They look to do so again as both are on the verge on of the 1,000-point marker. Hackett, meanwhile, has a shot to hit the 1K club in both points and assists, respectively.
As a sophomore a year ago, DiCecco picked up multiple accolades including a pair of all-region nods and a spot on the league's first-team after producing team-top numbers in points (17.0), assists (4.5) and steals per game (2.5). Hackett put together a double-double average of 11.5 ppg and 11.5 rpg prior to her season-ending injury at the midway point of the year. The twosome helped push Suffolk to its second straight conference semifinal appearance last season behind a 9-3 league ledger, however, the Rams fell to then-No. 10/8 Saint Joseph's (Maine), 84-51, to wrap up the season one-win shy of the title tilt and the 20-win mark (19-8).
The pair are crucial ingredients to Leyden's 14-player roster that is bolstered by nine returners and five newcomers including four true freshmen and one transfer.
For the second consecutive campaign, Ram Nation will get the first glimpse of the 37th edition of Suffolk women's basketball as the blue-and-gold pull the curtain back on its 2019-20 campaign on the friendly hardwood of the Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court Friday, Nov. 6 at 6:30 p.m. against Keene State.