Queens Coaches Up For Junior Knicks Coach Of The Year

JAMAICA, QUEENS - Two Queens basketball coaches are up for the title of Junior Knicks Coach of the Year, competing for a $5,000 grant and the chance to be crowned Junior NBA Coach of the Year.

Queens Village native JoAnn Pinnock is a varsity basketball coach at The Mary Louis Academy, a private prep school in Jamaica. Pinnock was 19 when she decided she wanted to be a coach, and her career has spanned 28 years. She said she would use the grant money to buy a shooting machine and test prep materials for her students.

"Regardless of whether I win, I still feel that I have won just by being nominated," she said.

Jason Curry, who grew up in Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park, founded the nonprofit Big Apple Basketball in 1999 to train and mentor student athletes. "Being a finalist for this award means a lot to me," he said. "I've been blessed to have an amazing support system of friends and volunteers who have helped me live my vision and mission of Big Apple Basketball."

"There are so many great coaches and mentors in the New York City area who go unnoticed, that it's a privilege to even be recognized in this capacity," he added.

The public can vote by retweeting Twitter posts for their favorite coach through Feb. 28. The winner will be selected through the social media vote with input from the New York Knicks and the Hospital for Special Surgery, the contest's sponsor.

The winning coach will be announced on March 9 when the Knicks host the Sacramento Kings.