Munster junior Jermaine Coney has reached a comfort zone.
Last season was one of transition for the 6-foot-2 forward after he transferred from Morton.
“It was different to me because I was used to talking to a lot of people,” Coney said. “I came here, and I didn’t try to make any new friends. But once I got to the basketball team, they welcomed me really well, and I had my group once I started playing with them.
“This being my second year here, it’s really gotten better for me. The team chemistry is great.”
Indeed, Coney is one of Munster’s four returning starters from last season, along with standout senior Brandon Trilli, a Northern Michigan recruit, and juniors David Cundiff and Nolan Kinsella.
Coney was averaging 6.6 points and 3.6 rebounds for the Mustangs (11-2) before their win at rival Highland on Thursday.
“He’s just solid for us,” Munster coach Mike Hackett said. “He’s scoring a little bit more, he’s shooting a little bit better, he’s rebounding a little bit more, he’s playing a little bit better defense. Just all aspects of the game, he’s gotten a little bit better. A lot of it, he’s a year older, he’s a year stronger, he has a year of experience.
“He plays our power forward spot, even though he’s probably more of a guard. But because we don’t have much size, he has to play a power forward for us. He’s usually guarding somebody who’s a little bit bigger than him, but he does a really good job of it.”
As a freshman at Morton, Coney started on the junior varsity team before earning a midseason promotion and eventually starting three games for the Governors. Inspired by his brother Jawan, an outstanding linebacker who graduated in 2020 and is a junior on Anderson University’s team, he also played football during the season that was truncated due to the coronavirus pandemic. But that sport wasn’t necessarily for him.
Coney’s family moved to Munster for his sophomore year.
“It really was more educational, for my little sister,” Coney said of his sibling in seventh grade.
Coney proceeded to average 4.1 points and 2.7 rebounds in his first season with the Mustangs.
“He did really well adjusting,” Hackett said. “Now with a year of Munster basketball and a year of varsity basketball under his belt, his whole game has expanded and gotten better.”
Coney reflected on his performance from last season.
“Looking back at it now, I’m proud of myself,” he said. “Coming from Morton to here, it was a big jump, and I still came in as a starter.
“Back then, that was the expectation. That’s where I wanted to be. But I’m proud of it.”
Coney said he has most improved his 3-point shooting and rebounding this season. He’s hoping such contributions lead to continued team success for the Mustangs. This core was largely responsible for the team’s 22 wins, sectional title and Northwest Crossroads Conference championship last season.
“The whole team as a collective, we’ve built a great bond because we’re friends on and off the court, so we play together really well,” Coney said. “We started a lot faster this year. We know how everyone plays, and everyone was used to being a team. We knew how we were going to play, and we knew what we had to work on to get better.
“There’s no for-sure games at all, and we’re going to work to get as far as we can. We have a good chance of making it far. But it’s all about the next game — playing hard and smart and together as a team and just winning that next game.”
