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Figueroa: From Heel and Back
by Ryan ZuMallen, The CSULB Union
September 29, 2006
When sophomore point guard Karina Figueroa received the phone call that
most CSULB students will only dream about, she happened to be doing something
that we all can relate to.
“I was getting Chipotle, actually,” Figueroa, a 2006 All-Big
West Freshman team honoree, confesses. “My dad picked up the phone.
He called me as I was leaving Chipotle with my brother.” On the
other end of the line, the Figueroas’ home country of Peru had a
question to ask.
Was Karina interested in playing for Peru’s National Team in the
upcoming summer games?
“We were shocked,” she said. “I almost started crying.
And I never cry.”
Anyone unlucky enough to match up against Figueroa this summer was left
crying. As one of the youngest players on a team with loads of experience,
Figueroa was Peru’s second leading scorer with 9.0 points per game.
Despite finishing 0-3, she was ranked the 6th best player in the entire
South American Division, which includes such powerhouses as Argentina
and 2006 champion Brazil.
The experience was one she’ll remember for a long time. “It
was a tremendous opportunity for her,” CSULB coach Mary Hegarty
says.
“It was amazing, extraordinary,” Figueroa says. “Something
I’ve dreamed about since I was a little girl.”
During the games, she also managed to pick up some traits that are sure
to help in the 2006-07 CSULB season.
“The rules are different,” she explains. “You don’t
have to hand the ball to the ref after a dead ball. You grab the ball
and throw it back in. It’s so fast. You have to be quick. It’s
been a great advantage for me.”
It wasn’t all fun and games, though.
After being forced to sit out the second half of the women’s basketball
conference season and missing the Big West tournament with an injured
left foot last year, Figueroa spent the entire offseason tending to her
injury before joining the Peruvian National Team; and hurting the right
foot.
“It’s a rare injury. High ankle sprain and chipped fragments.
Ligaments, too.” Basically, everything went wrong. “Thank
God I was wearing an ankle brace.”
“When I got back to the US I saw the trainers and told them the
story. I told them it wasn’t broken and that they should just tape
it hard.” The trainers listened, taped her up and sent her out on
the court. After one light pickup game, however, Karina knew something
was seriously wrong. “The trainers checked it out and said, ‘There’s
a lot more damage than you think.’
But heading into October, Figueroa is nearly healed. “She’s
probably at 90-95%” says Hegarty, 2005-06 Big West Coach of the
Year. “We’re being very cautious. An injury like this can
linger all season.”
Hopes are high after last year’s disappointing second round exit
in the Big West Tournament. A loss that Figueroa took no part in due to
her injury. “It derailed us,” coach Hegarty says. “Things
could have been different if it wasn’t for injuries.”
“I was very disappointed last year,” Figueroa says. “We
should have won it all, but things happen. I was frustrated being on the
bench.”
Nearly healthy and anxious to get back to full speed on the court, Figueroa
looks ahead to the 2006-07 season, in which she continues to chase a dream
not available to athletes in Peru.
“It’s a third world country, you’re not going to make
any money [playing sports],” she explains. “Here, you can
make millions.”
That’ll buy a lot of Chipotle.
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