CROSS RIVER, N.Y. - After finishing .500 last season and qualifying for sectionals, the John Jay girls basketball team is turning the page to a younger 2025–26 roster.
Graduation may have cost the team standouts like Jane Brennan, Jaime Bartley-Cohen, and Sela Halaifonua, but head coach Matt Gallagher believes their imprint remains.
“I hope their competitive spirit and their work ethic has been left behind,” Gallagher said.
Early signs suggest it has. “They are workhorses so far,” he added.
The backcourt returns experience with Avery Bisignano, Gianna Pelosi, and Charlotte Omin. Help is also on the way from the middle school ranks, as eighth grader Kylie Bishop joins the varsity squad. Gallagher needed only one word to describe her game: “Everything.”
Pressed for specifics, the coach didn’t hold back. “She’s very knowledgeable about the game. Her handle is very good, and she’s got a great shot.”
At the forward and post positions, sophomores Elise Templeton and Beatrice Hill return, while Lina Halaifonua and Helena Schembri are expected to bring size and toughness inside.
Gallagher held off on revealing any offensive strategy, but one thing is certain: the Wolves will defend.
“They’ll be scrappy because that’s how I coach them to be,” he said.
With a new league and a different schedule ahead, the team’s mission remains familiar.
“I want to compete every game and get better every single game,” Gallagher concluded.
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