The start of the 21-22 high school basketball season started in a somber way for some. Since the Pandemic shut down basketball back in March 2020, many deaths have hit the basketball community hard from the deadly virus and another virus that impacted the community. Gun Violence
The Monroe Eagles 21-22 season opener was a special one as it was dedicated to Brandon Hendricks-Ellison, the Eagles alum who was gunned down on June 28th, 2020 just a few days after his graduation. Since then there have been countless protests and celebrations in his honor, Hendricks number 5 Jersey was retired at the Watson Basketball classic this past summer a decision made by Monroe’s assistant coach and Watson Classic Commissioner Christopher “Glasses” Salgado.
On November 30th, the Monroe staff and school retired his No.5 Jersey at the home opener vs Samuel Gompers. In front of a full gym of fans, community members, and family members of Brandon it was a somber start of the season but the energy was high as they got to celebrate his life and honor him the right way.
As for the game, The Eagles were heavily favored to dominate Gompers but faced some challenges as they were short-handed and were missing their starting five due to many issues some such as awaiting clearance from the league. It was a perfect opportunity for many of the reserves to prove that they belong and get the job done. The team sported new Nike uniforms with the “B5” patch on Jersey while the huge crowd wore red and yellow memorial t-shirts dedicated to Brandon.
“That day was electric! Says Salgado. Regarding the fact that we were missing five starters, to see the next group of guys came in and continue what Brandon built was real”. Salgado was highly ecstatic as he described that night “ From seeing everyone in the crowd to seeing the players jerseys the energy that night was amazing ! “ Salgado added.
As for the game itself, Monroe dominated early but Gompers showed some fight tying the game halfway through the second quarter. From there, Monroe took over in the second half en route to a 54-40 victory. The game was a big debut for freshman point guard Mo Jaiteh who scored 10 points and five rebounds. Kelvin Urena led the Eagles with 18 points. Johnny Flynn who was the biggest surprise that night scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds “His energy was Amazing” Salgado added.
That game marked the start of season two of the Dark Skin “Splash Bros tour” With hosts David “ ChaChing” Teele, Jaden Edwards Aka Mr. Talk Spicy along with DJ The ZooKeeper. The trio was at Monroe back in 2019 to kick off their debut season as Hendricks led the Eagles to an upset win over Wings Academy to kick off the 2019-20 season.
Since the opening night, The Eagles have won two straight and are currently 3-0 with wins over Manhattan Center and Stevenson. Throughout the preseason the Eagles have shown out and proved to many that they are team to keep an eye on this season.
As the season continues, the Eagles will look to improve even more as they will look to improve on what Hendricks and other James Monroe alums started.
Hoop Dreams NYC 
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