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Apr. 11—ROCHESTER — Thursday, it was Rochester Community and Technical College's Jason Bonde being named the NJCAA Division III women's basketball National Coach of the Year.
On Friday came another massive award. This one went to sophomore point guard Macaya Copeland who was named the NJCAA Division III National Player of the Year. The latter was a first for RCTC women's basketball.
Copeland, a slick ball handler and quick and fast, played at and graduated from basketball powerhouse Hopkins High School. She was honored with the Player of the Year award after averaging 17.6 points (44% shooting), 3.7 assists and 2.8 steals per game for an RCTC team that finished 24-4 and as national champion.
Winning that crown was the high point for Copeland, whose Yellowjackets succumbed to injuries in 2023-24 when they lost in the national championship game. That included Copeland playing on a severely sprained ankle.
Injuries weren't much of a problem for Copeland or her team this season. That included in the national championship game, which the Yellowjackets won in a rout, 73-37 over Jefferson Community College.
"Going out as national champions was a great feeling," said Copeland, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. "It was one of the greatest feelings I've felt in a long time. After all of the adversity we faced (in 2023-24) and adversity I've faced alone, being able to achieve one of my goals was a blessing to me."
Copeland arrived at RCTC after playing next to a pack of future Division I players at Hopkins. She was mostly called on as a defensive stopper there, deferring much of the offense to her nationally regarded teammates.
Things changed considerably at RCTC where Bonde turned her into one of the country's top NJCAA Division III offensive players. She scored nearly 1,000 points in two seasons with the Yellowjackets, averaging 16.5 points as a freshman and nearly 18 this past season.
Copeland credits Bonde for much of her improvement, the coach teaching her the finer details of being an offensive threat. He also boosted Copeland's belief in herself.
"I built my confidence a lot more and Bonde really helped with that," Copeland said. "Confidence plays a big role in being a good player. Plus, he showed me different ways to score — coming off of ball screens and things like that — and helped me to see the floor better. Coming to RCTC allowed me to show the other things that I could do (besides play defense).
"I'm really grateful for all that I got (at RCTC). I loved it here. It was one of my best experiences ever. The professors here are very caring and they accommodate you so well. And then on the basketball side of things, I was part of a national championship program, a winning program with a great coach and a great atmosphere. I enjoyed being able to run the show (as a point guard). But I couldn't have done it without my teammates and Bonde. They got me to this point."
Bonde insists that his team couldn't have achieved what it did without Copeland. He regards her both as a special player and person, and as good a talent as he's coached.
Bonde says her work ethic put her in rare company.
"I'm extremely happy for her and proud of all of the work she's done to get to this point," he said. "The contributions she's given to this program, I can't say enough about it. Plus, the person she is. It's just a great honor to have coached her. She is a special individual with a bright future in whatever she decides to do. She is the whole package."
Copeland will continue playing basketball somewhere next season, but hasn't settled on a destination. She is being recruited by a host of Division II schools and has even gotten some Division I looks.
Continue reading...
On Friday came another massive award. This one went to sophomore point guard Macaya Copeland who was named the NJCAA Division III National Player of the Year. The latter was a first for RCTC women's basketball.
Copeland, a slick ball handler and quick and fast, played at and graduated from basketball powerhouse Hopkins High School. She was honored with the Player of the Year award after averaging 17.6 points (44% shooting), 3.7 assists and 2.8 steals per game for an RCTC team that finished 24-4 and as national champion.
Winning that crown was the high point for Copeland, whose Yellowjackets succumbed to injuries in 2023-24 when they lost in the national championship game. That included Copeland playing on a severely sprained ankle.
Injuries weren't much of a problem for Copeland or her team this season. That included in the national championship game, which the Yellowjackets won in a rout, 73-37 over Jefferson Community College.
"Going out as national champions was a great feeling," said Copeland, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. "It was one of the greatest feelings I've felt in a long time. After all of the adversity we faced (in 2023-24) and adversity I've faced alone, being able to achieve one of my goals was a blessing to me."
Copeland arrived at RCTC after playing next to a pack of future Division I players at Hopkins. She was mostly called on as a defensive stopper there, deferring much of the offense to her nationally regarded teammates.
Things changed considerably at RCTC where Bonde turned her into one of the country's top NJCAA Division III offensive players. She scored nearly 1,000 points in two seasons with the Yellowjackets, averaging 16.5 points as a freshman and nearly 18 this past season.
Copeland credits Bonde for much of her improvement, the coach teaching her the finer details of being an offensive threat. He also boosted Copeland's belief in herself.
"I built my confidence a lot more and Bonde really helped with that," Copeland said. "Confidence plays a big role in being a good player. Plus, he showed me different ways to score — coming off of ball screens and things like that — and helped me to see the floor better. Coming to RCTC allowed me to show the other things that I could do (besides play defense).
"I'm really grateful for all that I got (at RCTC). I loved it here. It was one of my best experiences ever. The professors here are very caring and they accommodate you so well. And then on the basketball side of things, I was part of a national championship program, a winning program with a great coach and a great atmosphere. I enjoyed being able to run the show (as a point guard). But I couldn't have done it without my teammates and Bonde. They got me to this point."
Bonde insists that his team couldn't have achieved what it did without Copeland. He regards her both as a special player and person, and as good a talent as he's coached.
Bonde says her work ethic put her in rare company.
"I'm extremely happy for her and proud of all of the work she's done to get to this point," he said. "The contributions she's given to this program, I can't say enough about it. Plus, the person she is. It's just a great honor to have coached her. She is a special individual with a bright future in whatever she decides to do. She is the whole package."
Copeland will continue playing basketball somewhere next season, but hasn't settled on a destination. She is being recruited by a host of Division II schools and has even gotten some Division I looks.
Continue reading...
