Meet the Young Women of Rutger's Scarlet Knights - Athletic & Academic Stars

[IndyOp]

I teach at a Big 10 University.

I've met male college athletes who do care about academics and I've met male athletes who don't care at all - they are in college only to move up to the BIG $$$$ professional teams.

I have not yet met a woman athlete who doesn't care about academics. The female athletes I have met all see their sport as a means to get a college degree - an important part of who they are - but still a means to get a degree.

As an undergraduate college student, I was all about classes and getting the highest possible GPA. I looked down on athletes as not being serious about their classes - conveniently overlooking athletes with GPA's that matched or exceeded mine, I am sure.

Now, as a faculty member, I've learned what is expected of college athletes -- and I know that at their age I could not have managed my time and withstood the pressure to perform in sport and academics as well as many of the students I've gotten to know.

Besides the obvious racist and sexist nastiness of Imus' comments there is this: These young women are shining examples of "being all you can be" -- they are making the most of their talents, self-discipline, and intelligences to make something of themselves, to accomplish everything they can accomplish during their college careers. These young women deserve our respect and admiration.

For someone who has blathered on endlessly on the theme of "personal responsibility" and why "some people" ought to demonstrate more personal responsibility -- Imus sure as shit doesn't recognize it when he sees it.


#12 KATIE ADAMS

Has played in 38 games for the Scarlet Knights, making three starts ... Is averaging 0.4 point and 0.3 rebound per game.... Is majoring in psychology and exercise science at Rutgers College and was named a BIG EAST Academic All-Star. A standout in her high school classroom, Adams owned a 4.0 grade point average and ranked first in a class of 320 students.

#22 MATEE AJAVON

Has played in 67 games for the Scarlet Knights, making 43 starts ... Is averaging 12.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.4 steals per game ... Has had 44 double-digit scoring games (eight 20+ points), two double-digit assists games and two double-doubles. A USA Today Sophomore All-American, she played on the 2003 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival East Team that won a gold medal. Majoring in Africana studies at Rutgers.

#5 ESSENCE CARSON

Has played in 67 games for the Scarlet Knights, making 55 starts ... Is averaging 7.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game ... Has had 21 double-digit scoring games, four double-digit rebounding games and two double-doubles. Is a gifted musician who plays the piano, bass guitar, drums and saxophone. Is majoring in music at Rutgers College. Was named a BIG EAST Academic All-Star.

#4 DEE DEE JERNIGAN

Posted 16.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game as a senior, leading East Chicago High School to an 18-6 record ... Played one season with The Family AAU team in Indianapolis, winning the Nike Nationals, Nike Cup, Fishers Field House Junior Nationals and the Bayou National Girls Invitational, while placing second at the AAU Junior Nationals ... Helped lead the Indiana All-Stars to 71-64 and 75-63 victories against their counterparts from Kentucky in the annual All-Star Series in June of 2006.

#43 RASHIDAT JUNAID

Prior to Rutgers: Averaged 22.4 points per game as a senior at Camden Catholic High School, which posted a 30-1 record her senior season, winning its first state title ... Helped lead her team to the semifinals of the 2006 New Jersey Tournament of Champions, scoring 24 points and setting new T of C single-game records with 24 rebounds and nine blocked shots.

#24 MYIA MCCURDY

Selected to the Parade All-America Fourth Team following her senior season at Winton Woods High School. Played at the 2005 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival, winning a bronze medal as a member of the Red Team. An excellent student, she was named to the 2003 FAVC All-Academic Team.

#10 EPIPHANNY PRINCE

Averaged 42.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 11.5 assists per league game as a senior at Murry Bergtraum High School ... Was named an All-American by Parade (first team) and USA Today (second team) ... Participated in the 2006 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and McDonald’s High School All-America Games ... Helped lead her high school squad to a 27-2 record and a No. 2 national ranking in 2006 ... Never lost a league game during her four-year career ..

#35 JUDITH BRITTANY RAY

Posted 28 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists per game as a senior at Aquinas High School ... Finished her career with 2,122 points and led her team to its first state title ... Averaged nearly 19 points and eight assists per game as a junior.

#15 KIA VAUGHN

Played in all 32 games for the Scarlet Knights, starting 13 times ... Averaged 6.3 points and team bests of 7.0 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots per game ... Had six double-digit scoring games, six double-digit rebounding games and three double-doubles ... Was tied for 27th nationally in blocked shots ... In the BIG EAST statistics, was second in blocked shots ... In the conference-only stats, she was first in blocked shots (2.06 bpg), 15th in defensive rebounds (4.31 rpg) and 18th in overall rebounding (6.3 rpg) ... Was named to the PrestoSports/Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) Honor Roll.

#21 HEATHER ZURICH

Averaged 19.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game as a senior at Pascack Valley High School ... Was named the 2005 Star-Ledger Player of the Year ... Earned a spot on the Star-Ledger, Record and Associated Press All-State First Teams ... Scored 1,798 career points and led Pascack Valley to a four-year record of 106-9 ... Won four league titles. Played in 20 games for the Scarlet Knights, making one start ... Averaged 1.0 point and 0.4 rebound per game ...