Motema Commits to Northeastern
Gemima Motema became the third member of the Firecracker class of 2021 to make her college choice by informing Head Coach Kelly Cole of her intention to bring her high flying act to Northeastern University, located in Boston. Last week, Firecracker/Portland teammate and cousin Amanda Kabantu accepted a scholarship to Bentley. Motema will team up with fellow Firecracker Camille Clement, who also verbally accepted an offer from the Huskies in January.
Motema’s trip from Portland to Boston will be a very short one compared to the prior leg of her journey, where she came to Portland from Congo after a brief stay in California. The 5’9” Junior burst onto the scene for the Portland Bulldogs and created a buzz with her remarkable athleticism. In her first game as a freshman, she led her squad to a win over Thornton Academy, scoring 11 points, and grabbing 18 rebounds 4 assists, 4 steals, and 4 blocks. After the season, she was named First Team All-SMAA and All-Rookie team. In her Junior year, she led her Portland team to the Southern Maine Final, averaging 12.4 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 steals (tops in SMAA) while being named Second Team All-State by Bangor Daily News, First Team All-SMAA, and All-Defense Team SMAA.
Her play with the Firecrackers caught the attention of many college coaches as she also received scholarship offers from Providence, UMass, Quinipiac, UMaine and Stony Brook. Motema played a tremendous game during last years win over national powerhouse Cy Fair of Texas, which was one of the biggest upsets in Maine Firecracker history. Firecracker Coach Brian Clement thinks Motema will have good success at the next level, “Gemima has incredible athleticism and is the most explosive female high school player I have ever seen in Maine. She is extremely difficult to guard in the open court and she loves the game. It’s a special day for the Firecracker family. Cy Fair regularly sends players to Oklahoma, Baylor, Stanford, Oregon, and Texas, but that day, Gemima was the best athlete on the floor. It was a memorable performance.”
Northeastern plays in the Colonial Athletic Conference, where last season they finished at 9-9 in conference play and 13-16 overall. Motema’s Portland High School coach, Gerry Corcoran played with Reggie Lewis at Northeastern on what was regarded as the best NU team in history. The Huskies knocked off #1 ranked Louisville to open the season in 1986.