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Seniors to Watch: Leora Juster
Ioana Patringenaru | March 19, 2007
Leora Juster, the senior guard on UCSD women’s basketball team, says she feels like she just received a whole lot of presents. First, Juster and her team won their first CCAA championship March 3. Then they won their first regional championship March 12. Now they’re headed to the women’s basketball Division II national championships, the Elite Eight, this week—also a first.
“We’re going to Nebraska,” Juster said enthusiastically during an interview Tuesday.
And no, she’s not joking. She is truly excited about going to Kearney, Neb., where the Elite Eight kicks off March 21. The tournament brings together the eight regional winners in NCAA’s women basketball Division II.
On the way to Nebraska, Juster picked up a few distinctions of her own this season. She became the Most Valuable Player of the Year for California Collegiate Athletic Association for a second consecutive season. She also was voted the best player of the year for the women’s basketball NCAA Division II West Region. But Juster doesn’t let all that success get to her head, said head coach Janell Jones and teammate Meaghan Noud.
“She’s very humble,” Noud said. “She appreciates her teammates like a star never does.”
This past season has been amazing, Juster said. It just felt like everyone wanted her team to win, she added. She and her teammates joked after some games that water now tasted like champagne. The Tritons wanted to win their first post-season game really badly, Juster said; everything else just felt like a series of nice presents. “It felt like winning the championship after every playoff game,” she explained.
She also said she never expected to win Monday night’s regional championship game. The Tritons first took a comfortable lead. Then their opponent, Chico State, went on a run and cut UCSD’s lead down to one point. Noud and teammate Hillary Hansen put UCSD ahead by scoring two baskets. Freshman Erin Noonan also hit a big bucket and the Tritons hit their free throws down the stretch. Juster said she tried not to think about winning while she played. She only realized victory was at hand when her team started dribbling the ball to run down the clock.
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| View a video of Leora Juster talking about how it feels to win. |
View a video of Juster talking about support from team fans. |
View a video of Juster talking about the turning point in the regional championship game. |
All video clips require Quicktime
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Juster’s journey toward that championship title started when she was just 5 or 6 years old. Her parents, a mechanical engineer and a doctor, enrolled her in a flurry of sports. She felt most comfortable playing basketball. After playing in recreation leagues, she lettered in basketball, tennis and track and field at Venice High School in the Los Angeles area. Everyone’s goal was to play in college, so it became her goal too. She joined a club and didn’t enjoy it much. But she liked training and spent an hour to 1 ½ hours every day shooting and playing pick-up games in the park. “That’s what gave me most of the tools to build my shed, so to speak,” she said.
Then UCSD officials started calling her regularly to try and convince her to come here. During a recruiting trip to campus, she met the other girls on the basketball team and felt like she fit right in. “UCSD was the one place where I felt they really wanted me,” she said.
Her first two years at UCSD were really about enjoying her team, Juster added. At that point, the focus wasn’t necessarily on success. Then Jones came to UCSD from Oklahoma City University, where she was the most-winning coach in the campus’ history. Suddenly, the team seemed to become a lot more driven, Juster said.
“Every day, it felt like we were there for a reason, and that all comes from the coach,” she said.
Coach Jones has high expectations for her players, Juster said. Realizing that they’re actually able to meet these expectations is an amazing feeling, the senior guard said. She added she has learned a lot about herself in the past four years.
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| Juster displays her skills during a game. |
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“I can’t say I’ve ever had a coach believe in me and bring so much passion and determination and competitive spirit to the table,” Juster said.
Juster puts in a lot of hard work to meet these expectations, Jones said. She works on her game year-round. Even though she shoots a high percentage, she goes to the gym on her days off and shoots some more. The coach estimated Juster spends at least 25 hours a week working on her game.
“I think she loves the game and loves playing it,” Jones said. “When you enjoy what you do, you don’t see it as work.”
Jones’ first impression of Juster wasn’t as flattering. The coach was interviewing at UCSD and administrators brought in Juster as the team’s best player. She walked in wearing shorts, carrying her skateboard, her hair flying in all directions. “And I thought, oh my gosh, this is my best player,” Jones recalls. “I had no idea.”
Later, Jones saw Juster play and immediately realized how talented she was. “Now it’s like wow, did I ever get a great player handed over to me,” the coach said.
Juster is crafty with the ball, Jones added. She can use both hands effectively. She also can be incredibly hard to guard, said teammate Noud. “She can score with an inch of room,” Noud said. Juster also is versatile. “She can shoot, she can drive, she can pass,” Noud said. “It’s much more fun to be on her team.” Juster also doesn’t let on what her next move will be. “It goes with her personality,” coach Jones said. “You never know what’s going to come out of Leora’s mouth.”
When she’s not on the courts, Juster is a math and secondary education major. She plans to teach in middle or high schools and has been accepted in UCSD’s master’s in education program. But she will probably defer admission for one year to go play ball abroad.
“I’ve never been out of the country,” she said. “I’d like to live somewhere else. Somewhere safe and not run by the mob.” |
