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May 3, 2009 E-MAIL PRINT

Lecky’s star shines at Duxbury

by Brian Lowe/

Lacrosse is not among the 42 sports listed on the website Sports Jamaica, which bills itself as “Your Premier Jamaican Sports Portal.” So, how is it that a young man who was born and raised in Jamaica through sixth grade is just a few months away from entering Syracuse University and joining the reigning NCAA national lacrosse champions?

It’s certainly not an unanswerable question, though Hakeem Lecky’s journey from the land of reggae to Orange country is complex, has had its share of twists and turns and involves more than just a gifted athlete finding his niche in a sport.

Lecky, 17, moved from Jamaica to the Massachusetts island of Nantucket with members of his family, including his mother and grandmother, six years ago. It was culture shock to be sure, but Lecky was able to fit in with the help of sports, focusing his attention on playing basketball and football while also befriending a youngster named Caio Correa, who was a star soccer player and would go on to play professionally in Brazil.

Lecky was so tight with Correa that, by the time he started high school, he was living on and off with Correa’s family. Lecky’s mom, meanwhile, moved to the Cape Cod town of Hyannis for a job. Lecky opted to stay on Nantucket.

“At that point I really liked the school I was going to and I had all my friends there so I didn’t want to go,” he said.

His decision to stay meant that he would soon meet a young lacrosse coach, Kevin Martin, himself a transplant from upstate New York. One fall day during Lecky’s freshman year, Martin saw Lecky in action on the football field.

“He ran three kickoffs back and one punt back and I said, ‘Man, I’ve got to get a stick in this guy’s hand,’ ” Martin said. “So, I talked him into playing some lacrosse.”

At that point, the sport of lacrosse was as foreign to Lecky as Nantucket was during his younger years in Jamaica. Nevertheless, he figured there was no downside to giving it a try, which he did his sophomore year.

“I went to the first practice to check it out, and Kevin said I should stick with it,” Lecky remembered. “I kept practicing with them.”

After only two practices, Lecky played in a JV game and scored twice. Martin, now 28, sensed that he had a star in the making. But he also realized that he had a young man with a topsy-turvy life, one who struggled in the classroom, didn’t have optimal financial support from his family and needed some stability. It wasn’t enough for Martin to merely give him guidance on the lacrosse field. He invited Lecky to move in with him and his roommates.

“When I moved into Kevin’s house, I grew into the sport,” Lecky said. “I was really into it. Pretty much every day I’d be outside shooting and he’d be teaching me, we’d be watching lacrosse films and stuff like that. It became really fascinating to me. And I just kept practicing and practicing and practicing.”

And he kept outgrowing Nantucket.

Martin, just 11 years older than Lecky, gained legal guardianship, and the pair moved to Duxbury, Mass., just over a year ago, in the middle of Lecky’s junior year of high school. Martin’s first choice would have been a return to upstate New York, but legally he needed custody of Lecky for at least two years before moving him out of the state.

“It was pretty much best for Hakeem,” Martin said about the decision to sacrifice many facets of his own life and head to the lacrosse powerhouse at Duxbury High School. “If I was by myself I probably would have moved to the North End or something. They’ve got a great education system here, and great lacrosse.”

The 5-foot-11 Lecky has thrived. A speedster on the field for the Green Dragons, Lecky was part of a state champion last year (he also was a member of Duxbury’s Super Bowl champion football team last fall), seamlessly injecting himself into a squad that had already won four consecutive titles before his arrival.

“He’s got a boatload of talent, he’s very athletic and he’s still learning the game,” Duxbury coach Chris Sweet said. “He started playing in ninth grade, which is late by today’s standards. The sky’s the limit as far as how far he takes it.”

Lecky says his greatest asset is his speed. “My coach tells me that all the time,” he said “Speed helps a lot in lacrosse. Every time I’m on the field I try to use my speed.”

Best of all, Lecky said that Martin inspired him to work harder to improve his grades and make the honor roll at Duxbury High School, adding, “I don’t know where I’d be right now” if it weren’t for Martin’s role in his life.

“Definitely no regrets,” said Martin, who works in team sales for Commonwealth Lacrosse while also coaching Duxbury’s JV lacrosse squad.

“He’s a great kid and he’s been good for me, too. He’s a straight and narrow kid. His goal is to be a star at Syracuse.”

Lecky visits his mom in Hyannis frequently and sees his other relatives on Nantucket occasionally. He says that Martin is “pretty much like my dad now.

“Right now I’m thankful for everything,” Lecky said when he thinks about the path his life has taken since he arrived on Nantucket. “I give a lot of thanks to Kevin. He’s the one that helped my grades a lot and he’s the one that introduced me to lacrosse.”

Soon, the Syracuse Orangemen will be happy for that.