Hurt goes third round in WNBA Draft
Courtney Hurt at the free throw line during her senior season. (Photo by Chris Conway)
Quinn Casteel
Assistant Sports Editor
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VCU’s all-time leading scorer Courtney Hurt had her pro dreams come true on Monday afternoon when she was selected in the third round of the 2012 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever.
Hurt, the 34th overall pick, became the third VCU player in the past five years to be drafted, following in the footsteps of Krystal Vaughn (2008) and Quanitra Hollingsworth (2009). Hurt said that when the draft was winding down, she was slightly worried but had confidence that her name would be called.
“I had a good idea I would be picked because I had a lot of good feedback,” she told the CT. “I was a little surprised to go so late, but there was a lot of relief when I saw my name pop up on the screen.”
It wasn’t until a couple picks before the Fever selected her that she knew for sure that she was going to be picked. An Indiana assistant coach texted VCU head coach Beth Cunningham, letting her know that the Fever had their eyes on her. Soon after that, Hurt received a series of phone calls from people in the organization, beginning with reigning WNBA MVP Tamika Catchings.
“She asked me if I was excited and things like that, but I just had a whole bunch of mixed emotions,” said Hurt. “It was crazy to have such a big time player calling me, and I had a lot going through my head so there were a lot of emotions.”
Later that day she spoke with Indiana general manager Kelly Krauskopf, and on Wednesday had her first interactions the Fever coaching staff. They told her that they were looking for someone to come in and rebound, which for Hurt is something that is second-nature. She is VCU’s all-time leading rebounder with 1,243 career boards and twice led the nation in the category.
“Rebounding is going to be my main focus, but I hope to bring a versatile game,” said Hurt. “I think I can also improve on my perimeter game and transition to the three a little bit.”
The dream of playing professional basketball didn’t begin for Hurt until she was already an upperclassman in college on the cusp of breaking nearly every major record in VCU history. She never seriously entertained the notion of a WNBA career until her junior season when she first led the country in rebounding at 12.4 per game.
“When I was in high school, I never thought about playing in college, and when I got to college I never thought about the WNBA,” she said. “I just played, lived in the moment and kept it about the now-and-then. I never imagined it to turn out like this.”
Adjusting to the faster pace and wide talent gap between college and the WNBA will be a major adjustment for Hurt, one that she is looking forward to but is still anxious about. She said she isn’t yet excited to go up against world-class talent like Candace Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks, but expects that when the time comes she’ll be ready.
Hurt will leave Richmond for Indiana on April 26 to begin getting acclimated to a new city and a new team. She will immediately begin attending workouts to prepare for the Fever’s first preseason game on May 5 at San Antonio.