By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher The Pleasantville High School girls basketball team lost a game this season by a score of 108-7. The Greyhounds went 0-22 last season and haven’t won a game yet this season. Their last win came back in 2013. An article by veteran sportswriter Mike McGarry appeared in the Press of Atlantic City the day after Pleasantville’s lopsided defeat to Atlantic City, with reactions from both teams. Neither team enjoyed seeing such a result, and a couple of players quit the Pleasantville team the next day. The eight remaining players had a choice to make. It was one of those moments in life when your back is up against the wall, it seems as if there is no hope, and there are two choices — quit or keep fighting. Janayah Roe, Pleasantville’s only senior, said this to McGarry: “We felt embarrassed yesterday, but we kept fighting. We’re not quitters. It’s going to turn around for us eventually. We have a lot of newcomers on the team and they have to get used to the game.” On Dec. 22, 2015, eight young women from Pleasantville High School had a choice to make. Bolstered by Roe’s comments and her leadership in perhaps the team’s darkest hour, those eight players — Roe, juniors Nikwendjie Altidor and Brittney Sconiers, sophomores Mikhayla Wilson, Elaina Jackson, Micah Wallace and Waynetta Smith, and freshman Ashley Morales — chose to keep fighting. The Greyhounds might not win a game this year, or maybe even next year, but on that day back in December, this group of girls learned one of the greatest lessons they will ever learn: that even when the scoreboard isn’t in their favor at the end of the game, they can hold their heads high because their effort and determination can’t be questioned. “We had people quit on us and people talking down on us, but we feel full,” said Roe, nicknamed ‘J-Roe’ by coach Alex Harley. “We believe in our hearts that we are going to win again. You have people constantly reminding you that you lost, but once you get on the court you have to forget all that and try to win.” Roe’s leadership has been instrumental in helping the Greyhounds keep a positive attitude during a losing streak that has stretched to more than 40 games. “She’s been very important. She’s really helped this young team a lot through her leadership skills both on and off the court. She’s been my coach on the court,” said Harley, whose teams have won eight games during his five seasons at the helm. “If I believed everything in life was about winning, I probably would be more emotional and would feel more pressure. But I’m learning to help them get better, with their attitude of not giving up. We might be down by 50 points with three minutes to go and I’ll still call a timeout to give them another goal. That’s what I like about it, we’re always working toward the next goal, and I hope my program will get better because of these young ladies.” Attending a Pleasantville game, it’s difficult to tell the Greyhounds haven’t won a game in almost three years. The cheerleaders are raucous in their chants, fans come out, the team gets support from parents, and on the court the Greyhounds play with the kind of hustle championship teams are known for. 
Junior forward Brittney Sconiers will be one of the team leaders next year, taking the place of graduating senior Janayah Roe. Roe was quick to give Harley credit for not giving up on a team that doesn’t have any numbers in the win column. “He has an impact on all of us, because we see that he’s not giving up, so why should we? We really appreciate him for teaching us a life lesson. You can’t just quit,” Roe said. “I never ask myself, ‘why am I doing this?’ That’s not a question that enters my mind, because I love what I do.” Roe admits that it has been difficult to always be the strong one, but she knows as the only senior she has to be. She understands that the example she sets this year, the way she carries herself, will have a positive impact on this team as it develops the next few years. “We are a close team and we get along. When they feel down, I always tell them that we have the next game and to give their all, to leave it all out on the court. It’s not easy every day,” Roe said. “There are some games when I will be mad, but then I’m showing them a bad example and I’ll feel bad because if that’s how I act as the only senior, they will think that’s OK. So I have to show good leadership because I’m the only senior, and they really look up to me.” Harley said the relationship his players have with each other, and the support of their parents, has been a huge factor in helping the Greyhounds remain positive. “I had a parent recently give me $40 to treat the girls to pizza. The parents come and support these young ladies whether we are home or away. And the parents have seen their kids come a long way since November. They can see that the girls are picking up an understanding of the game,” Harley said. “The camaraderie of this team is very important. They see that I have passion, and I have love for them on and off the court. They realize that basketball is just a game and we’re trying to teach them life lessons and make them better people. And everybody has improved. People think we don’t have talent, but I don’t believe that.” “We show heart and dedication. When we see that we are down by 20 points, or that we lost really bad, we just focus on how hard we tried and how hard we hustled,” Roe said. “This has taught me a life lesson. When things get hard, don’t quit, because one day you’ll have your time.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense]
Vic’s Subs Cover Story: Pleasantville girls proving high school sports about more than just wins and losses
