Salem High School to Retire Former Standout Evelyn Oquendo’s No. 24 Jersey Friday

Ceremony to precede girls basketball clash vs. Peabody

SALEM (Jan. 20, 2025) – Evelyn Oquendo, regarded as the greatest player in Salem High School girls’ basketball history, will have her No. 24 jersey retired Friday, Jan. 23 (5:30) just prior to the SHS girls basketball game against Peabody at the Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse.

The ceremony is open to the public with admission to the game.

Currently in her 20th year as a physical education educator, coach and athletic director at Collins Middle School, Ms. Oquendo is the first female athlete in school history to have her jersey number retired.

The announcement was made during Salem Public Schools Annual Convocation on Monday, Aug. 25.

“There are no words. I am still in awe,” said Ms. Oquendo, who was raised in Salem one of eight children of parents Felix and Juanita Oquendo. “I don’t like to be in the spotlight. I do my job and I love my job. I played sports because I love sports. To be acknowledged by my peers, by fans and family is overwhelming because I’m being recognized for things I enjoy.

“It’s overwhelming, but it’s much appreciated,” she added. “It’s a dream. Being the first Spanish female represents how other kids can dream that they could be that person.”

The celebration is the first in a busy weekend for Ms. Oquendo, who helped the Salem State University women’s basketball team to the 1986 NCAA Division III Championship and will attend its 40th anniversary celebration Saturday prior to the Vikings’ clash with Westfield State (12 p.m.).

While her basketball success speaks volumes, it may overshadow Ms. Oquendo’s commitment to the Salem community. Since the pandemic, she, along with Collins Middle School leadership and the Play Ball Foundation, has been instrumental in providing more intramural sporting opportunities for middle school students including volleyball, soccer, track and field, cheer, basketball, along with clinics in both cheer and lacrosse.

In particular, the CMS volleyball program has expanded from 60 students to more than 120 in three years. This spring, Ms. Oquendo estimates, more than 200 students will play an intramural sport.

Emblematic of that commitment, her image was included on the Harbor Street Mural in The Point Neighborhood, unveiled in late September 2023, where she was raised.

As a sophomore, Ms. Oquendo was the starting point guard on SHS’s 1979-80 team which surged to a 27-0 record and the MIAA state championship. The Witches followed with a 25-1 showing in 1980-81, losing only in the MIAA North Sectional Championship game.

Despite the graduation of four starters, she led Salem to a 18-6 clip as a senior, which included the North Sectional Championship.

Ms. Oquendo reunited with former SHS coach Tim Shea at Salem State, and went on to compile 1,738 points – she remains SSU’s all-time leading scorer – and captured a slew of honors. She was a three-time All-American, four-time All-New England and All-Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), and twice the MASCAC Player of the Year (1984, 1986).

Ms. Oquendo has been inducted into seven halls of fame: 

• Salem High School (1997)
• Salem State Athletic Hall of Fame as an individual (1991) and with the 1985-86 team (1996)
• MASCAC (individual in 2018, Salem State 1985-86 team in 2019)
• New England Basketball Hall of Fame (both as an individual and with Salem State’s 1985-86 team in 2002)

She had her No. 24 jersey retired by Salem State in 2019.

Former SHS boys basketball standouts Rick Brunson ‘91, who played 337 games in the NBA from 1997-2006, and Scoonie Penn ‘96, who enjoyed a stellar career at Ohio State and abroad, also have their numbers retired.

Ms. Oquendo lives in Swampscott.

About Salem Public Schools

Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district in Salem, Massachusetts, a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Our leaders and our teachers are passionate about education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement with equity and social-emotional needs as the lens through which we view our work. We respect and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community. Salem Public Schools staff unconditionally serves each of our 4,000 students across 11 schools regardless of ability or language.