Feb. 25, 2010
Bronx, N.Y. - On Saturday, Feb. 27, the Fordham women's basketball team will play their final regular season game of 2010. The Rams will face No. 5 Xavier at 1 p.m., the highest ranked team Fordham women's basketball has hosted since No. 5/6 Stanford, eight years ago on Jan. 5, 2002.
Saturday's contest will also mark another milestone, the final game for senior forward Randall Hurst, a West Bloomfield, Mich., native who came to Fordham in 2008, with hopes of making a difference on the team.
Hurst, who transferred to Fordham from Daytona Beach CC, made the impact she was hopeful for. The senior has climbed the Fordham record books to be No. 30 in career-scoring with 745 points in just two years. Her career scoring average of 13.1 points per game puts her at No. 7 all time, and with 199 made free throws, she is the 13th best in Fordham history.
Hurst has scored 20-plus points eight times in 2009, starting the year with three in a row, to become the first Fordham player to do so since Mobolaji Akiode during the 2002-03 season. She has led the Rams in 13 games this season and is currently ranked No. 7 in scoring among her Atlantic 10 peers with 14.2 points per game. She is also ranked No. 11 in rebounding with 6.3 rebounds per game.
For her career, she has started 48 of 57 games played.
The Rams' lone senior will be honored at a special pregame presentation at Saturday's game, but first, Hurst sat with FordhamSports.com to reflect back on her two successful years at Fordham.
On Saturday's game possibly being the last of her collegiate career:
"I'm kind of excited because to me it's just another game and I always get excited to play. At the same time, I'm sad because it could be the last one.
On playing No. 5 Xavier:
"I don't want everyone to be intimidated by Xavier, because they are ranked so high. To me, it's just another game and I want to enjoy ever minute of it.
On getting to play in front of her parents, Steve and Pamela at Rose Hill on Saturday:
"During my freshman year [at University of Central Florida], my parents came to about three games. Since I've been here, they have come to a few road games, that are close to home, but the only games they came to at Fordham were during the Holiday Classic this year, so I'm very excited to have them at Saturday's game.
My parents have been very supportive of me and love coming to watch me play. They have been watching me through high school and came to almost every AAU tournament I played in.
On being associated with some of the Fordham women's basketball greats, especially with such a break out season this year:
"It feels great because the main thing for picking a college was to go somewhere where I could make a difference I felt by coming here I was able to do that."
On being the team's scoring leader for back-to-back seasons:
"I've always been a scorer, wherever I've played. My experience definitely has something to do with it. I've faced a lot of opponents and I know how to get off the right shots and get to the basket."
On recalling a funny team moment, while on a road trip (Non-basketball related):
"During our trip to Cancun, Mexico this year, the night before the tournament started, some of the players were singing karaoke in the hotel. The karaoke led to a dance off between our team and South Carolina. That was pretty funny. Apparently, we won that, our first-ever win over a SEC team.
Also at our hotel, there were these parrots in their cages that would bark every morning. It woke us up."
On recalling the funniest in-game moment with the team:
"When Kyara Weekes dislocated her shoulder during a home game last year. She dislocated it trying to steal the ball. She got the ball and went down to the basket with her left arm hanging down. She made the lay up, a wide open lay up, with the other arm. It took forever to get Weezy's arm back in, but she did score."
On her favorite moment of her Fordham career:
"The game against Navy (Jan. 5, 2009) when I hit a three-pointer to tie the score and send game to overtime. It was my first 3-point shot at Fordham. We lost in overtime, but it was still a good shot."
On the road trips she looked forward to each year:
"Probably Dayton or Xavier because those were the schools that were closer to my hometown. My family and my grandmother were able to come to those."
On looking back on the season, and moments like having Anne Gregory's number retired (Dec. 5, 2009):
"It was a great honor to be able to be a part of Anne Gregory's number retirement. It's not every day that you can be a part of that like I was. Especially at Fordham, because she was the first female athlete to get a number retired. I've heard so much about Anne Gregory, and at that game I really wanted to play for her, and give it my all. It didn't work out the way I planned; but it was a good team win and it was an honor to play in front of her.
Another great moment was the win against Manhattan where we broke the streak. It was good to be able to win for the people that had to go through the losing streak. I've never had anyone storm the court after a win, so it was great when the football rushed down to the court. They come to every game we play, and it made me feel good to know that we have support from them and the other teams."
On her future plans:
"I would like to go overseas to play, preferably somewhere in Europe. I've never been there so it would definitely be an experience. I hope to one day get to play in the Olympics like Mobolaji Akiode did."
On what it's going to be like the first day after the season is officially over:
"It's going to be hard, because that's when it's really going to hit me that it's over, but I can't really answer that question, because I'm still going to be working out just as hard so I can play overseas. But it's going to be relaxing to be able to sleep in and practice on my own time."
On her advice to underclassman and incoming freshman:
"Take it one game at a time and always play hard."
