As Jaquan Lynch prepared to sign his National Letter of Intent to Florida International yesterday, memories began flooding back, all the way to his middle school days, a wilder time in his life.
One particular day stood out — the day he was shot, one day after his 15th birthday.
“I just noticed everything is real, that could’ve been my last day on earth,” the Brooklyn native from Thomas Jefferson recalled of the incident four years ago. “God gave me a chance and I took advantage of it.”
Lynch, a dynamic 5-foot-11 combo guard, turned his life around that day after getting out of the hospital, using the experience as a wakeup call. He began taking basketball seriously and working just as hard in the classroom.
“Before I signed the paper, I was like, ‘Wow my dream really came true, now I have to live up to it’,” he said. “I told [FIU coach Richard Pitino] I feel good, in my James Brown voice.”
A B-average student, Lynch led Jefferson to the PSAL Class AA finals last year at Madison Square Garden, averaging just over 20 points per game. He was one of just two PSAL players to sign yesterday (forward Hassan Martin of Curtis to Rhode Island was the other). Lynch plans to remain as committed to his studies as he is to basketball. He paid attention last year, as the PSAL had just one player — Wings Academy’s Justin Jenkins — qualify to play Division I basketball.
“I still have a year ahead of me, but I’m not going to be one of those kids,” he said.
* Fordham received National Letters of Intent from forwards and AAU teammates Manny Suarez and Denzel Gregg; Hofstra picked up paperwork from 6-foot-4 wing Gervelle Kidd of Hargrave Military Academy (Va.); Wagner landed Long Island product Greg Senat, a 6-foot-8 power forward who attends Marianapolis Prep (Conn.).