The last name Cooney has been extremely familiar to the Valley Central girls’ basketball program over the last four years. Sisters, Erin-Rose and Shaina have been playing together for the Vikings the past several seasons.
That was until March 7, 2020, when the Vikings lost to Monroe-Woodbury in the Section 9 Championship, finishing their 18-4 season. While it wasn’t the ending she was hoping for, Erin-Rose was ready to set her sights on the last few months of her senior year and then Division 2 Basketball, at Adelphi University.

While her senior year was interrupted, she’s still looking forward to joining the Panthers in Garden City, NY next fall.

Erin-Rose spoke about her first experiences on the Adelphi campus.

“I went to a few summer camps at the school. That’s where I met the coaches. I went again last summer and that’s when I committed,” she said.

Adelphi wasn’t her only option, but in the end it proved to be the best fit.

“I was still considering a few schools, but I went on an overnight trip to Adelphi and got to go around campus with some of the girls on the team, like I was a student there. I really liked the campus and the atmosphere,” Cooney explained.

Academically, Cooney plans on studying political science with hopes of one day working for the FBI. She is still undecided on what specific capacity she’d like to join the bureau.

While choosing a major was an important part of the decision process, so was choosing a basketball team.

“I really liked the coaches. There is a winning atmosphere and I think I fit in well with their culture. My favorite part of the campus was the athletic fields. They are really nice and so is the gym. The campus is small and everything is so close together.”

The women’s basketball team at Adelphi finished last season 27-3, earning a top seed in the NCAA Division 2 Tournament, prior to it being canceled.

The group Erin-Rose has played with while at Valley Central has been very consistent the past few years.

“It’s really nice having someone that you know exactly how they play and where they’re going to be. She knows the same about me, so it was a great dynamic and I’m happy I had one last season with her before going to college,” Erin-Rose said on playing with her sister.
She continued, speaking about her fellow seniors.

“I’ve played with MacKenzie [Ross] and Katie [Crofoot] since elementary school. I couldn’t have hoped to have any better teammates to eventually become seniors with at VC.”

Since her sophomore year, the Vikings have improved every year, starting with a 14-7 record in the 2017-2018 season. The team improved to 16-6 during the 2018-2019 season. The Vikings went 18-4 in 2019-2020, coming just short of the Section 9 title.

“I think that because the games were so close earlier in the season, it gave us confidence going into the sectional championship. We played really well in the beginning of that game, but then the momentum changed in the second half and it slipped away,” Cooney said on the Vikings’ attempts to defeat Monroe-Woodbury.

Valley Central could potentially have 9 returning players for the 2020-2021 season, looking to finish off what they started, but for Erin-Rose, she’ll be starting new while at Adelphi.

“I’m most excited about having a fresh start, gaining new experiences, meeting new people and making new friends,” she said.

“I will always remember how Coach (Randy) Axtell pushed us to be the best we can be. He’s really competitive and he always expected the best out of us.”