Jazmine Hamlet, a standout 5-7 guard from Francis Lewis High School in Queens, NY became the first recruit in the Lisa Cermignano era as she has officially signed a national letter of intent to attend Wagner College on Monday and play for the Seahawks.
Hamlet is regarded as a true point guard who sees the floor well and competes with high energy and intensity on both the offensive and defensive sides of the floor. She averaged 11.5 points and 3.3 assists per game this past season in leading Francis Lewis to a 15-10 record in leading the Patriots to their second consecutive appearance in the Public School Athletic League (PSAL) Class AA semifinals.
In a late-season win over Truman HS, she scored 13 points, four coming on a pair of crucial late buckets, carrying Francis Lewis to victory.
“She is certainly a capable scorer with a very quick first step that allows her to get to the rim and she can hit the open shot,” said Cermignano. “Jazmine’s specialty, though, is making those around her better. She drops passes on a dime.
“But what she really does is she leaves her heart on the floor. She plays 150 percent all the time and literally has a presence on the floor that makes other players better,” Cermignano said. “She’s a true point guard who has the ability to move over to the two because she can score. She controls the game, she controls the tempo, controls her teammates. She’s a floor general.”
The Seahawk coaching staff first saw Hamlet play at the Boo Williams Unsigned High School Senior Showcase in Hampton, VA on April 22 as Hamlet traveled to Virginia along with teammates from the Long Island Lightning-Dingle AAU Team.
“She was the best player on the floor,” said Cermignano. “I couldn’t believe she was still available.”
Hamlet’s high school coach was equally effusive in his praise of Hamlet’s overall ability and mindset.
“Jazmine is a very knowledgeable basketball player,” Francis Lewis head coach Stephen Tsaia. “When we have practices or workouts, just some off the questions she poses, or some of the scenarios she wants to run through, it shows some of the depth that she has. She would love to be a coach one day, so she tries to think the game besides just playing it.”
“Jazmine is also both fearless and clutch,” Tsaia added. “And she’s a tough kid. When you think of New York City basketball, you think about toughness and she is the epitome of that. She plays so hard on both ends of the court and she helped us create a culture of toughness within our team.”
