If the ultimate goal of an athlete competing for Westchester Community College is to compete at a high enough level to enjoy tremendous success as a Viking, and earn an athletic scholarship to a Division I program, before embarking upon a successful professional career, Hall of Fame Inductee Darrell Aiken serves as quite the role model. Aiken's Westchester Community College biography serves as quite the highlight reel by any measure.
During his two seasons as a as a guard for Hall of Fame Coach Ralph Arietta, Aiken distinguished himself as a catalyst that routinely got the rest of the team going in the biggest of games. Twice, Aiken earned All-Conference and All-Region, helping to lead the Vikings to the NJCAA National Tournament in 1987 and 1988.
After graduating with a degree in Applied Science, Aiken received a basketball scholarship to play for legendary St. John's University Head Coach Lou Carnesecca. At St. John's, Aiken was a part of 44 wins during two seasons. In 1989, the Redmen captured the NIT Championship, defeating St. Louis 73-65 on March 29. One year later, St. John's finished 24-10, earned a national ranking as high as #15 in the country, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, losing a hotly contested 76-72 game to Duke University, who advanced to the NCAA Championship Game only two weeks later.
After working for the Police Athletic League after graduation from St. John's for several years, Aiken joined the New York City Police Department. Three years later, he joined the Village of Hempstead Police Department in Nassau County, retiring in April of 2020 after spending the last 15 years of his career as a Detective.
