Duke's Kurz, hoops star here, is hoping to attend Villanova
Posted at 12:35 PM, June 1, 2006
Laura Kurz, a former star guard and forward at Germantown Academy, is leaving Duke's powerful women's basketball team and said yesterday that she wants to transfer to Villanova.
"There's been contact, but nothing is final yet," Kurz said from New York, where she has a summer job at a public- relations firm. "There's just a lot of paperwork involved with enrolling, transferring grades, and all that."
She added that she hoped such matters could be resolved "in the next week or so."
Kurz, a prolific three-point shooter, was a substitute the last two seasons for the Blue Devils, who lost the NCAA title game to Maryland, 78-75, in overtime in April.
"I loved my teammates and my coaches, but I like Villanova's system," Kurz said. "I think it would be a better fit for me."
Wildcats coach Harry Perretta acknowledged being contacted but declined to elaborate, citing NCAA transfer rules.
Kurz is perfect for Perretta's offensive schemes, which are built on perimeter players. She shot 59.0 percent from beyond the arc as a senior in high school and 57.0 percent from the field overall.
Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said, "We understand she wanted to get more playing time, and she will have more of an opportunity there at Villanova."
Kurz, who resides in Lower Gwynedd, would have two more seasons of eligibility after sitting out next season under NCAA rules.
She was one of the top high school recruits in the country in 2004, when she finished her career as Germantown Academy's all-time leading scorer with 2,247 points. As a senior, Kurz averaged 22.5 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.3 steals.
Kurz would be the most significant transfer to the Wildcats since center Brandi Barnes moved from Maryland in 1997.
In two seasons at Duke, Kurz hit 56 of 125 three-point attempts, or 44.8 percent. She averaged 5.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 13.6 minutes a game.
Kurz would be the second quality transfer to a Big Five school in recent weeks. Penn picked up West Virginia's Sarah Bucar, a sophomore last season.
"That's a good catch for [coach] Pat Knapp," Perretta said of Bucar, who competed against the Wildcats in the Big East Conference. "She's a nice guard." Cheyney announced yesterday that Darryl Brown would be the interim women's basketball coach. He had been an assistant coach for Jada Pierce, who left the Wolves to become an assistant at Marist in Division I.