Kenisha Lee — just call her ‘Super K’

October 11, 2022 Andy Furman

Kenisha Lee. Photo courtesy of Andy Furman

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She gets the stamp of approval from Brooklyn’s Coach of Coaches – Mike Senior.

“She was a workaholic and a real gym rat,” said Senior who served as assistant boys basketball coach at Benjamin Banneker Academy High School (2011-14).

And that’s where they met – Mike Senior – and Kenisha Lee.

“I met him when I was a sophomore,” Lee told the Brooklyn Eagle the other day. “I was just being nosy, went to the boys practice, and he (Senior) told me to jump in.”

She did – and she hasn’t stopped jumping.

“He taught me about work ethic,” she said. “I’d get up daily at 6:30 am, and get started. Be it reading, exercising, research anything at all for me to get to the next level.”

A three-year performer for the girls’ squad at Banneker Academy, she averaged 15 points-a-game and 10 rebounds – good enough for her to compete at the next level – Dean College, a private institution in Franklin, Mass.

“Coach (Senior) put me in contact with an AAU team with Bernie Davis; and believe me, I went to Dean College because of him,” she said.

“Kenisha helped me train new student-athletes with excellence,” Senior said. “She’s one of my favorite people during my 63-year career. My expectations have always been very high for her.”

Senior was correct in his scouting – he usually is.

During her time at Dean, Super K had a job as a Peer Mentor Tutor for student athletes on academic probation.

“I was an Honors Scholar,” she said, “Made the Dean’s List twice, the President’s List twice, received Dean’s Academic Athletic Achievement Award twice and was awarded NJCAA All-Academic Superior.

Pretty impressive.

Ooops, there’s more.

For graduation she received an award from Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges in Recognition of Merit and Accomplishments; was awarded the Trustees’ Prize for the School of Business Degree Program.

And, graduated Summa Cum Laude.

It seems the apple certainly doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Like Mike Senior, Super K dedicated herself to teaching and helping individuals improve their skill set in various sports.

She got her taste of big-time college basketball after Dean when she enrolled at UConn – nope, not to play – but rather enter the sport management program and serve as student manager for the men’s basketball program.

“It was a different experience,” she said, “big time coaches and players, fast paced and travel.”

Her career path seemed to be in focus – teaching, helping, instruction.

Which placed Super K with the New York City Parks Department – at Brooklyn’s Sunset Park Recreation Center (4200 7th Avenue) as Site Supervisor for the School Aged Child Care Program.

“It’s one of only two sites the Parks Department has in Brooklyn,” she said.

Talk about making an impression – last year there were about three-to-five kids in the program,” she says. “We have 30 now.”

How did that happen?

“I do outreach in the community,” she said. “I have flyers to hand out, and meet kids after school. In fact, some of our kids don’t speak English; so, I had a volunteer to help translate.”

Super K is at her Sunset Park headquarters – Mondays from 1 pm to 9 pm and Tuesdays through Friday 11-7 pm.

“We’ll do sports on one day, play flag football, basketball, pickleball, do media education, and arts and crafts,” she said.

“We try to do things that kids don’t normally do in class,” she added. “We’re doing special events for Halloween. I just want to keep these kids active.”

And what better person to do that than Special K?

Andy Furman is a Fox Sports Radio national talk show host. Previously, he was a scholastic sports columnist for the Brooklyn Eagle. He may be reached at: [email protected] Twitter: @AndyFurmanFSR