Hovering above the guards who gathered around her at practice like a redwood tree over shrubs, Heather Garay has proven her height is not all hype.
At an even six feet tall, Garay is the nation’s leading scorer in the NCAA’s division II, but more importantly, she has been one of the keys to the Lady Runners’ bid for a CCAA title.
“You can’t really have a successful player, you know, without a really good team,” said the 20-year-old from Delano High School. “We’ve got an awesome point guard who is racking up all these assists, I mean they get the ball to me really well.”
Garay is a junior who played her first seasons of college basketball at Humboldt State University. As a Lumberjack, Garay encountered differences in philosophy with the coaching staff. Add to that the opportunity to be closer to her two brothers and little sister, and Coach Greg Bruce had what he needed to lure her away from Humboldt. When faced with the dilemma of going to a school with no coach, she decided to just go for broke.
“It’s closer to home. I was recruited by Coach Bruce and I really liked him as a coach,” added Garay. “I stuck with it because I knew they would find a good coach, and I really liked the girls on the team when I came down and played with them.”
“I thought it was a really good program and I know Bakersfield is known for their good program. We run the court really well, and that’s one of the main things Humboldt was missing, too.”
Despite Garay’s success on the court, she’s a little thin on postseason experience. Barring a meltdown this coming weekend, she’ll be ready to add to it next week in the NCAA regionals. Garay and the Lady Runners close out CCAA play this weekend on the road at Dominguez Hills and Cal State LA.
“I expect us to take two wins this coming weekend to keep us in first place, and I’m hoping Pomona loses to Sonoma. I kinda doubt that will happen, but there is a chance,” said Garay.
“As far as postseason, I don’t really know. I only played in one playoff game in my high school, so I’ve never really been in that situation. I kinda expect us to go really far in it, but you can only set goals for single games.”
Garay averages 24.9 points per game, 11.0 rebounds per game and leads the team in blocked shots. She attributes the majority of her on-court success to her teammates.
“The team works together really well, they get me the ball really well. They do a good job of getting me open too,” said Garay. “It’s not a personal accomplishment, it’s a team accomplishment.”
Runner@csubak.edu