FORMER WOMEN'S HOOPS STAR IMAN (DAVIS) BARBOSA TO BE INDUCTED INTO GNAC HALL OF FAME
WINTHROP, Mass. - The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) has announced that it will induct eight new members into the GNAC Hall of Fame later this summer on Wednesday, August 7, 2019. Former Emmanuel College Women's Basketball standout Iman (Davis) Barbosa '10 has been selected for enshrinement in the GNAC Hall of Fame as part of the 2019 induction class.
WINTHROP, Mass. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference is excited for the enshrinement of eight former student-athletes as part of the 2019 GNAC Hall of Fame Class, which will take place with an induction dinner on Wednesday, August 7 at the Hilton Garden Inn Logan Airport in East Boston, Mass.
This 2019 inductees include Ray Askew of Albertus Magnus College men's basketball; Iman (Davis) Barbosa of Emmanuel College women's basketball; Lamonte Thomas of Johnson & Wales University (RI) men's basketball; Jose Guitian of Lasell College men's basketball; Josh McElroyof Norwich University men's soccer; Aaron Dufoe of Rivier University men's soccer & men's basketball; Michael Maguire of Suffolk University baseball; and Jackie (Shedlock) Kapusta of Western New England University softball.
The festivities on August 7 will begin at 6:00 PM with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner at 6:30 PM and the induction ceremony presentations running from approximately 7:00 PM until 8:30 PM at the Hilton Garden Inn.
All eight inductees are expected to be in attendance alongside their family, as well as former coaches, administrators and teammates.
ABOUT IMAN (DAVIS) BARBOSA
Named the 2008 and 2009 GNAC Women's Basketball Player of the Year as a sophomore and junior, Barbosa ended her career as Emmanuel College's all-time leading scorer with 1,732 points. She finished her career among the program leaders in almost every statistical category, registering 757 rebounds, 410 assists and 393 steals.
Barbosa helped Emmanuel capture the GNAC Women's Basketball crown every season she suited up for the Saints in one of the most dominant runs in conference history. Her squads combined to post an overall record of 95-23 (.805 winning percentage) while at Emmanuel including a gaudy 43-4 record in GNAC play.
As a freshman, Barbosa came onto the collegiate scene in style earning All-Tournament Team honors at the 2006 Emmanuel Tip-Off Classic. During the year she was named to the GNAC Weekly Honor Roll twice, named the GNAC Rookie of the Week on Feb. 26, 2007 and then named to the GNAC All-Tournament Team to help EC capture the conference championship during the program's best year to date in which they posted a 29-2 overall record, advancing to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball tournament. She was appointed the team's Unsung Hero by legendary Head Coach Andy Yosinoff following the historic campaign.
Barbosa dominated the GNAC during her sophomore and junior campaigns. Over the two seasons she was named the GNAC Player of the Week 10 times and the ECAC New England Player of the Week twice. She garnered First Team All-GNAC accolades along with GNAC Player of the Year honors both seasons, combining to score over 1,000 points during the two campaigns. She earned GNAC All-Tournament Team honors in 2008 and GNAC Tournament MVP honors in 2009. Additionally, she was named to the ECAC All-New England 2nd Team and D3Hoops.com All-Northeast Region 3rd Team when she ranked third nationally in steals per game in 2008 followed by ECAC All-New England 1st Team and D3Hoops.com All-Northeast Region 1st Team honors in 2009 when she was also tabbed a D3Hoops.com All-American Honorable Mention.
Both her single-game scoring and rebounding highs came during her epic junior campaign as Barbosa netted 39 points on January 19, 2009 in a victory over Saint Joseph's College (ME) and grabbed 21 rebounds in a GNAC tournament win over Johnson & Wales University on February 27, 2009.
As a senior, the Toms Rivier, N.J. native once again earned First Team GNAC All-Conference honors en route to another GNAC Tournament MVP for Emmanuel. She closed her career with ECAC All-New England 3rd Team honors as well as D3Hoops.com All-Region 2nd Team accolades, making her the only player in EC program history to earn All-Region honors in three consecutive seasons.
"Iman graduated as Emmanuel's all-time scoring leader for a reason. She was tremendous on both ends of the court and one of the hardest working players that I've ever coached," said Coach Yosinoff. "Players like Iman don't come around often, and she's as great a person as she was a player."
Barbosa was named the Emmanuel Women's Basketball Most Valuable Player during her final three seasons by Coach Yosinoff and also earned the 2010 Emmanuel College Senior Athlete Athletic Achievement Award which has since been renamed the Andrew Yosinoff Athletic Achievement Award.
Throughout the month of July, the GNAC will further spotlight each of the eight inductees on the following dates:
- Tuesday, July 9: Ray Askew, Albertus Magnus Men's Basketball
- Thursday, July 11: Iman (Davis) Barbosa, Emmanuel Women's Basketball
- Tuesday, July 16: Lamonte Thomas, Johnson & Wales Men's Basketball
- Thursday, July 18: Jose Guitian, Lasell Men's Basketball
- Tuesday, July 23: Josh McElroy, Norwich Men's Basketball
- Thursday, July 25: Aaron Dufoe, Rivier Men's Basketball/Men's Soccer
- Tuesday, July 30: Michael Maguire, Suffolk Baseball
- Thursday, August 1: Jackie (Shedlock) Kapusta, Western New England Softball
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.