With Staten Island Academy graduating a pair of guards who will be off playing on the Division 1 level come next fall, the importance in the continued development of 5'9" wing Nyema Lindsay '21 for the Tigers is huge.

She proved herself as an invaluable defensive weapon over her two varsity years to date with Staten Island Academy, but Lindsay is now wanting to show she is an offensive weapon as well and prove herself to be one of New York's best overall in the Class of 2021.

Losing the likes of Sophia DeMauro and Emily LaPointe won't be easy for SIA but when you have someone with the upside of Lindsay you can see why people aren't worried about how good the Tigers will be. Of course, there may be growing pains at first but Lindsay says that he soaked in a lot from the two D1 bound seniors and will be ready to take on the load asked of her.

"They have been like my sisters even though we have only been playing together for a couple of years," Lindsay said of DeMauro and LaPointe. "I have learned so much from them in practices and by them just explaining things to me and I hope I can help carry on the SIA tradition of great basketball with my teammates."

To do that Lindsay says she understands it means breaking out and proving to be more of a dominant offensive weapon. She didn't have to do much offensively with the Tigers over the past couple years but her ability to score is there as proven by her first weekend of Nike EYBL ball with Exodus NYC on the 16u level as she helped them go 5-1 through the first weekend on the circuit, scoring from the outside, the midrange, and displaying a strong handle attacking the rim as well.

It's that sort of ability that will take Lindsay to the next level, something she says she is fully aware of, putting in the work necessary to make sure she is successful this AAU season and going forward.

"I'm mostly known for my defense so I'm really looking to balance that out by showing some more offense like my pull up jumper and showing I can be a threat offensively as well," Lindsay said.

As of yet Lindsay doesn't hold a Division 1 offer though interest is now beginning to come in from MAAC and NEC schools after her strong opening EYBL weekend.

Lindsay hopes that a good rest of the spring and summer will lead to her first offers before she gets back on the court for Staten Island Academy in the fall. She is doing this for not just herself, but for those who have been by her side supporting her dreams, knowing now that everything she ever wanted is closer to reality that ever before.

"That's even more motivation for me," Lindsay explained. "I'm doing this for me sure but I'm doing this for my family also. They have supported me so much and I want to pay them back for their belief in me and show them that all they have done will be worth it."