While many athletes have struggled after returning from injury, Long Beach State senior guard Karina Figueroa has shown no signs of rust thus far.
Despite missing the entire 2008-09 season, Figueroa wasted no time demonstrating why she was selected as a preseason All-Big West selection by the media earlier this year.
In her first game back, Figueroa led The Beach to its first season-opening win in five years. She scored a team-high 23 points, tied a career-best 10 assists, shot 9-for-9 from the free throw line and added four steals.
Figueroa also became the 21st player in the program’s history to reach the 1,000-point mark.
“I was anxious … anxious and excited,” Figueroa said about the season-opening victory.
First-year head coach Jody Wynn said it’s nice to have Figueroa back on the court.
“She’s got poise, she’s got confidence, she’s tough and that’s what we want in our floor leader,” Wynn said. “She’s our general. As she goes, we go.”
During the rehabilitation process, Figueroa said it was hard at times as she experienced doubt about how she wanted to be as a player and what areas she needed to improve.
Although her collegiate career has been plagued by a re-occurring foot injury, she’s not worried about it.
“This is my last year, I’ve got nothing to lose,” Figueroa said. “I’m going to go all out, pain or no pain.”
Not being able to play limited Figueroa’s role on the team. Forced to be a spectator on the sideline, Figueroa said she developed patience not only in herself, but her teammates as well.
“This helped me as a person and definitely as a basketball player,” Figueroa said.
The 5-foot-8 Corona native displays a gritty toughness, especially in the paint. She has the keen ability to blow past defenders. Her fearless drives to the basket often result in a drawn foul and a trip to the free throw line.
So far this season, Figueroa leads the team in free throw attempts with 61 and is shooting 83.6 percent from the line.
Through eight games this season, Figueroa is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 18.1 points per game. In addition, she averages 6.6 assists per game, along with 4.6 rebounds and 2.0 steals per outing.
During The Beach’s trip to the University of Miami Thanksgiving Tournament, Figueroa was one rebound shy of a triple-double in an 83-66 loss to the host Hurricanes. Figueroa finished the contest with 23 points, a career-high tying 10 assists and nine rebounds.
The following day, Figueroa scored a team-high 17 points and dished out five assists in a 68-64 win over Rice, which earned her all-tournament team honors.
Individual accomplishments don’t mean much to Figueroa, who said that personal accolades don’t matter unless the team wins.
As far as plans after college are concerned, the Rosary High School graduate said she definitely wants to continue playing basketball.
“Wherever that may be, who knows,” Figueroa said. “We’ll see.”
After LBSU’s 83-77 loss to the USC, Wynn praised Figueroa on the amount of heart she displayed.
“The leadership and toughness she shows bleeds down to everybody else and everybody else plays hard too,” Wynn said.
Figueroa said every year since her freshman season, she always checks the stands for her parents before tip-off just to make sure they’re in attendance.
“They’re always going to be there, but just to get that extra support,” Figueroa said.
Figueroa definitely had extra support during the loss against USC. At least a dozen family members and others close to her, sported yellow custom-made shirts in support of her. The front of the shirts displayed her name and number 20, while the back contained the message ‘Si Se Puede,’ which translates to ‘Yes You Can’ in English.
Figueroa said, “My mom and dad would say ‘Go Karina’ or give me a little fist pump or something and I’d be like ‘OK, let’s go.’ ”