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10/12/2017 12:00 AMJessica Moriarty was a star guard who captained the Yellowjackets’ girls’ basketball squad in her junior and senior seasons before graduating in 2007. As a result of her exceptional career on the court, Jessica will be inducted into the East Haven Alumni Association Hall of Fame next month.
“It was a surreal moment. I had no words at the time and was truly honored and humbled when I touched base with [Steve Narracci] and he told me,” says Jessica, who will be inducted in a ceremony at the Foxon Country House on Sunday, Nov. 19. “I’m still very close with a lot of the girls I played with. They were my best friends growing up and still are now. I had flashbacks to those moments with them and [Jessica’s former coach Vincent DeNuzzo]. Just memories of good times with those people.”
Jessica, who still lives in East Haven, amassed a school record 363 assists to go with 853 points, 432 rebounds, and 196 steals as a member of the Yellowjackets. She was a two-time team Most Valuable Player and an All-SCC, All-Area, All-County, and All-State selection as a senior before playing four years at Eastern Connecticut State University, where she scored 1,115 career points and contributed 335 assists. Jessica also made a huge impact on the defensive end of the floor in college. She earned a spot on the Little East Conference’s All-Defensive Team three times and was twice named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.
“In high school, I hated playing defense. In college, it became my niche. I think for me, I just enjoyed being out there on the court and playing so much that being able to contribute in any way was my goal,” Jessica says. “Everybody wants to score and put up points, but my dad would always tell me how many rebounds and assists I had. There’s more you can do than putting the ball in the basket, and my dad tried to enforce that.”
After graduating from college, Jessica was the JV girls’ basketball coach at East Haven and then took the reins as head coach at West Haven High School in 2013.
“After college it was like, ‘What do I do now?’ The next best thing to playing is coaching, and now my love for the game doesn’t stop,” says Jessica. “I love where I coach. It’s a good way to continue having basketball in my life. I’m constantly learning and hopefully teaching kids along the way to become better players, as well.”
DeNuzzo says that Jessica was the heart and soul of the Easties throughout her varsity tenure and knows that she’s providing that same enthusiasm at West Haven.
“I’m not surprised she’s a coach. She was an extension of me on the floor when she played. She was our floor general and had natural abilities,” says DeNuzzo, who is East Haven High School’s principal. “She’s a natural leader and was a student of the game at 15 and 16 years old. She was always looking to get better and wanting to know why we did things. You knew she was going to teach and coach and she’d have a good career.”
Jessica says that her former teammates were excited when she told them she was being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Jessica appreciates the support they gave her when they were teammates, as well as during the past decade.
“Some of them, I’ve been best friends since we were six years old. They were more excited about it than I was. We grew up together and played together. Then, they were my cheerleaders and supported me at Eastern and come to my games now and watch me coach,” she says. “Basketball really formed a good bond between me and a few girls, and they’re still supporting me 20-something years later. They’re wonderful and as excited as I am—if not more.”
As she gets ready to officially take her spot as an all-time Eastie, Jessica says that she holds everything she’s experienced in the world of basketball near and dear to her heart.
“I think people don’t realize how much sports can mean to a person. They can be a saving grace and, for over 20 years, that is what basketball has been to me,” Jessica says. “It’s a sport I love more than anything, and I’m grateful for any opportunity I have and still have as a coach. I’m truly grateful for what basketball has given to me.”