Tourney-Bound Team Overcomes Early Season Shooting Incident

When Nachalie De Jesus heard gun shots on Sept. 28, she thought they were part of a song blasting from the speakers at The Spot, a local Miami nightclub.

She was wrong.

Within seconds—flashes sparked from a gun that a man standing just a few feet away was brandishing.

People scurried for cover. They screamed for help. When the mayhem was done, 15 people would end up shot, including De Jesus who was struck on her right thigh.

“I was screaming so loud and I took my shirt off,” De Jesus said. “I put it on my thigh because I was bleeding so bad that blood was spitting out of it. I was like— I’m going to die.”

Miraculously, no one did die. But two of De Jesus’ teammates on the Miami Dade College basketball team were also shot. Center Rakena Bowers was grazed by a bullet on her left calf and post player Kayla McPherson was struck on her left ankle.

“I had some Timbs on and the flab part saved (me),” McPherson said. “It didn’t go in as deep as it could’ve; that’s crazy how God works.”

Another MDC basketball player, Ariel Nelson, was bumped by a car as she dodged the bullets.

Two minors have been charged with attempted first-degree murder in connection with the shooting, according to police reports. All four MDC basketball players hurt during the incident have recovered from their injuries, however, the horrifying event has left an indelible imprint on the Lady Sharks’ season.   

“It brought us closer together because in the end, we were all there for one another,” said De Jesus, whose family lives in Puerto Rico. “The whole situation just showed us that we can overcome anything that life throws at us.”  

The team used the incident as a rallying point. Five months later, the Lady Sharks have qualified for the State Tournament to be played in Ocala March 4-7. But they have not forgotten how they got there.

The Hospital

When Lady Sharks Head Women’s Basketball Coach Susan Summons received a call in the early morning hours of Sept. 28 notifying her that three of her basketball players had been shot, and another had been struck by a car, she raced to Jackson Memorial Hospital to be by their side.  

Upon arrival, she found more than half of the team at the hospital trying to comfort their wounded teammates.

“I had to stop the tears so many times,” Summons said. “They [needed] to see strength.”

Making matters even more difficult was that all four victims were in separate wings at the hospital.

“I didn’t have the luxury of being in one place and monitoring them,” Summons added. “I had to keep walking from wing to wing.”

One of the players—Rakena Bowers—had such an adrenaline rush from the shooting that she hadn’t noticed she had also been shot until Summons pointed it out. Bowers was more concerned with the health of her roommate, Nachalie De Jesus, who had a bullet enter through the front side of her right thigh and exit through the back of it.  

“It was just a graze,” Bowers said, nonchalantly about her injury. “I just had to put some bandages and ointment on it and I was right back on the court.”

McPherson, whose left ankle was grazed by a bullet, credits her Timberland boots for protecting her from more serious damage. She left Jackson Memorial Hospital with all her clothes except the bloody pair of shoes, which she left in the trash.

Back On The Court

Bowers and McPherson missed no time on the court because of the injuries sustained during the shooting. Ariel Nelson hasn’t played at all this season because of a partially torn patella tendon on her left knee suffered during a practice drill.

De Jesus was the only Lady Shark to miss time on the court because of injuries related to the shooting. She missed two months.       

“She’s been slowly progressing,” Summons said.

In her first appearance in the starting lineup on Dec. 19, De Jesus didn’t score but she contributed five rebounds in a 63-62 loss versus the University of New Brunswick. She had her first big game of the season on Jan. 17, when she scored 19 points against Indian River State College. Four days later,  she scored 21 points against Broward College.

When DeJesus was in the starting lineup against Southern Conference teams, the Lady Sharks went 6-2.

State Bound

Miami Dade College finished the season 15-15 (10-5 in the Southern Conference). They won nine of their last 11 games to finish third in the Southern Conference qualifying them for the State Tournament in Ocala.

The Lady Sharks play their first game at the State Tournament on March 4 versus Chipola College at 1 p.m.

“We have every piece to win a State Title,” Summons said.