The work for every player hoping to make their dreams come true, starts all over again, right now. Now that the live recruiting period is over, many will go on vacation. Take a break and shut it down for the summer. Maybe a few workouts or high school basketball practices and summer league games. But there are always kids on a bigger mission. Kids that expect more from themselves. Kids who chase the dream down. GANDY MALOU MAMEL starting chasing her dream last year on AUGUST 28th, 2022 and hasn’t stop dreaming or working since. It’s why she has had the biggest dream of all come true. The dream all kids have but few will ever experience; playing for the greatest coach and program in college basketball history. Because GANDY MALOU MAMEL has made her dream come true by committing to U CONN.
UCONN is the greatest college basketball program in the history of the sport men’s or women. When Gandy Malou Mamel, left Lemrick, Ireland to come to the United States, she was told she “was not good enough” . But Kerwin Quinn saw something in Gandy. He saw a 6’5” athletic player who was long, strong and hungry. He saw a young lady that was a sponge, with a ferocious appetite for learning and begging to be coached up. So Kerwin Quinn Gandy parents to let her follow him to the UNITED STATES to live with his family; a basketball family. You see Kerwin played professionally overseas. His wife Jen was a Division 1 player at Colgate. Their daughter Sidney has committed to play and attend THE NAVAL ACADEMY of The Patriot League. Their son Kerwin Jr is one of the best 8th graders in the country. The family, eats sleeps and talks basketball 24 hours. They love the game and the gym. Gandy Malou Mamel took full of advantage of the Quinn’s family love for the game and love for her. She herself became a gym rat and embraced every little bit of basketball knowledge thrown her way. She had a burning desire to be great and make the most of this golden opportunity.
SHE HAD TO GO FAR TO GET FAR
I remember the first time I saw Gandy, when she came to NBS. She was so quiet , humble, respectful and so innocent. She was tall and so beautiful, a real knock out, blessed with a smile of an angel. She seemed so innocent and wide eyed. Kerwin, had already told me; he thought she could one day “be one of the best players in the country”. I remember how awkward she was that first day. She was off balance and her footwork needed lots of work. But what she did have was a nose for the ball and hands that were from the heavens. She also played as hard as any kid I know regardless of position. She had only been in the states at that time for 3 weeks. She didn’t know much about America basketball, she just new she wanted to proved that she could play with the best. She got on the floor for loose balls and ran the floor like a deer. She was already an elite rebounder, shot blocker and defender. It was clear she was a special athlete. But more importantly you could tell she like basketball. She enjoyed playing and the competition. She also was well like by all, the key to anyone truly being a great teammate and winner. Gandy has already won in so many ways. When she made a great move around the basket the first day. The entire gym exploded and cheered for Gandy as if she dunked a basketball. I had never seen that at NBS in 22 years. A smile came across her face that day. She knew that everyone was rooting for her. I believe it gave her a warm feeling to know she had the support of her peers.
When Gandy left Ireland, she let her two younger sisters behind. She left her parents, friends and family behind. She came to the USA with just a dream and no promises. She wanted a good education and a chance to grow as a basketball player. She knew nobody in a strange land. She had no friends or family in the states to talk with or share her doubts or concerns.. Her family in the states was now the Quinn family. When Kerwin told me a 16 year old girl would live with his family I was shocked. I wonder how his 16 year old daughter Sidney would react. I wondered what his wife and son would think. But Kerwin said to me “this kid needs a chance just like I did as a kid”. He was right and Gandy has rewarded, Kerwin and family for their belief in her by working hard in the classroom and on the basketball court. Kerwin hired a coach to work on her footwork year round. Meanwhile Kerwin, trained her everyday, teaching how to pivot and move. Rather than play games, he trained not the way young kids in America do, Kerwin gave her game the things that matter in the long run, skills, truth and a mental understanding of the game. Gandy responded to his coaching and knowledge. She got in the weight room and worked hard. She trained with Sidney and Kerwin Jr daily, and now all the long exhausting hours have paid off. Jen Quinn gave Gandy a motherly touch, reminding her about always doing things the right way. Being a former D1 player she had went though the process of becoming a Top player. She knew the stress that comes with such goals. Her experience no doubt was important and help Gandy navigate the waters. Gandy was not just chasing a dream she was living it and had the support all kids dream about.
When NBS in the fall ended I saw great improvement in Gandy. She went on to have a solid high school season. But when she returned to NBS in the spring it was shocking. She looked nothing like she did in the fall. She now was bigger and stronger. She had polished her game up. The confidence was flowing out her pores. It was clear that she was different than any player in the entire state of New Jersey. She had become almost unstoppable in the paint and when players didn’t throw her the ball, rather than pout and cry about it, she went and got it herself. But what really stood out was how her basketball IQ her grown. Her passing and footwork were a thing of beauty. Playing with Sidney and Kerwin Jr no doubt had rubbed off on her skill sets. Her shooting form looked different. Her skill level simply was starting to become a weapon. But it was her energy , motor and effort that was so shocking. I personally in all my years had ever seen someone of her size so mobile that worked so hard. It was clear GANDY MALOU MAMEL was about to make her dreams come true.
One day in the gym, Gandy asked me if she could speak to me. So we sat down and a smile came across her face. She said “U CONN OFFERED ME” . She was so excited, I told her, she had become one of the rarest players in the country. She said it was unbelievable all this was happening to her. I know Gandy had dreams of playing college basketball. I doubt she every thought while in Lemrick she meet Geno Auriemma more or less get a chance to play for him. I told her I was proud of her. I told her she had a chance to play for the greatest coach in the sports history. Later that I night I was talking to my wife. I told her “god is so good”. To think a kid could find angels like the Kerwin family. That would open their doors and family to GANDY. Pay for their education, training , transportation and expect nothing in return. Then for a young lady to give up everything she knows to come to a foreign country. Where the food is different, the kids are different, the lifestyle is different and the social life is different at 16 years of age is almost unthinkable. That is unless your name is Gandy Malou Mamel. Only god can behind such things. If you tired to make a movie out of the Quinn and Mamel story, you couldn’t sell it because it’s too good to be true.
When Gandy Malou Mamel committed to U CONN. Her mother and father, Giselle and Yves were on the line when she called Hall of Fame Coach, Geno Auriemma. Here their daughter was going to play for the storied coach and program. They all cried tears of joy. To think in less than a year after leaving Limerick, Ireland, all this could happen was almost too much to believe. Yves and Giselle were so proud of their daughter Gandy for making her dreams come true. Gandy had rewarded her parents for letting her spread her wings. They gave their daughter to the Quinn family and they did not let her down. The Quinn family have been allowed to shared in Gandy’s journey. A Journey so few kids get to take. It’s their reward for being Gandy’s angels. Now Gandy will get ready to play for the IRISH NATIONAL TEAM. Then finish up her high school career. Gandy’s sweetness is such a joy to be around. I know, she now see’s DAYLIGHT. Everyone she has come in contact with is so happy and excited for her. When the news hit the gym that she would attend UCONN everyone started in jumping around like they won the lottery. That’s because Gandy is truly loved by everyone. It was surreal, seeing kids so excited for her. That fact that she was not in the gym to see the excitement didn’t matter, it was just more proof that she has made an impact on other kids lives as well. The same way the Kerwin family had done in her life. Now she will be joining the best program in god’s green earth U CONN!!
GOD IS GOOD AND GANDY MALOU MAMEL IS PROFF🙏❤️💪☘️🇮🇪
CONGRATULATIONS GANDY☘️👀😃💕
TOMORROW…PART 2 of this amazing story and family!
MONDAY NBS CAMP #2… SIGN UP NOW
Folks this matters. If I need to tell you why… then your not paying attention
Registration ⬇️https://t.co/U6m8hGoYYA pic.twitter.com/6HwKEWjm3L— Coach Tiny Green (@TinyGreenNBS) July 23, 2023