Heather Zurich

Heather Zurich played in 20 games for the Scarlet Knights her freshman year, making one start. She averaged 1.1 points and 0.5 rebounds per game. Zurich made her collegiate debut against North Florida November 25, 2005, at the Junkanoo Jam, scoring two points in five minutes of play. She made her first start January 14, 2006, against Seton Hall. She had season highs of 5 points and 3 rebounds in 10 minutes of action against Old Dominion on December 5, 2005. She completed the season shooting 34.6% from the field and 30.0% from three-point range.

After a freshman year in which she played primarily the three spot, making just one start in her 20 games played, Zurich asked her coach what she could do to get more playing time and contribute. Coach Stringer told her that if she played the small forward position, she could open the game up for her high-post shots when the defense double-teamed the center. Zurich took coach Stringer's advice and spent the summer changing her workout routine and her mindset. When her sophomore year started, Zurich had developed herself into a presence at the four position and earned the playing time she had hoped for.[7]

As a sophomore, Heather Zurich started 33 of the Scarlet Knights' 36 games on the season, including the last 27 straight. Zurich helped lead the Scarlet Knights to the NCAA Final Four and the championship game where they were defeated by the University of Tennessee. She averaged 4.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per game and shot 42.2% from the field for the year. She finished the year with a 37.0% shooting average from three-point range and a 75% shooting average from the free throw line. During the NCAA Tournament, Zurich averaged 6.5 points per game while shooting 51.6% from the floor. She scored at least two points in every game that season excluding four. She also compiled a 17-game streak of consecutive scoring games. Zurich had a (then) career-best 6 rebounds on three occasions. She had a (then) career-best 13 points against Villanova on February 17, 2007. Over the first three games of the NCAA Tournament, she shot 10-of-15 (.667) from the field. Zurich played 895 minutes on the season (22.0 minutes per game average), compared to 80 total minutes the previous season.

Zurich was named Most Improved Player at the yearly team awards ceremony. Later in the year, the team was honored with the Wilma Rudolph Courage Award from the Women's Sports Foundation.[8]

As a junior, Zurich played in 33 games including 24 as a starter. She averaged 24.8 minutes, 4.8 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. For the season, she shot 42.9 percent from the floor, 30.2% from 3-point range and 66.7% from the free-throw line. Zurich posted a career-high 16 points at Cincinnati on January 22, 2008 going 7-of-13 from the field. Zurich started five of the season's last six games, including three NCAA Tournament contests. Zurich suffered a hairline fracture her left orbital bone in the first half of the season opener against Standford and wore a protective face guard for six weeks. Zurich's streak of 33 consecutive starts came to an end at the Army game in December due to flu-like symptoms.

By the conclusion of her senior season, Heather Zurich had played in 122 games for Rutgers and had 86 career starts, including 28 that season. As a captain in her final campaign, Zurich helped lead the Scarlet Knights to 102 victories over her four seasons, which are the second-most by a class in the history of Rutgers women's basketball.

Zurich had 12 double-digit scoring games her senior campaign while averaging 5.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. She scored an NCAA Tournament career-high 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting against Auburn in her last game at the RAC and had played in 14 career NCAA Tournament games. Zurich played a career-high 43 minutes, swiped a career-best four steals and tied her career-highs in rebounds (7) and assists (5) in Rutgers' Big East Tournament quarterfinal game against Louisville. For the season, Zurich shot 42.7% from the floor, 31.1% from behind the 3-point arc, and 87.1% from the free-throw line. In the NCAA Tournament game against Auburn, Zurich scored all 12 of her points in the first half and locked down Auburn star DeWanna Bonner in the Scarlet Knights' intricate triangle-and-two scheme. Zurich denied Bonner the ball time after time and held the SEC Player of the Year without a point until Rutgers had already built a commanding 19-point lead 12 minutes into the game. "DeWanna Bonner is an unbelievable player", said Zurich, who forced Bonner into 3-of-9 shooting in the first half. "She's so unique. I was just trying to keep her close to me. My teammates did a great job helping. We just had to know where she was at all times and communicate."[9]

With her career winding down, Zurich maintained that she made the right choice coming to Rutgers. She may have played more minutes elsewhere (she averaged 22 minutes over her career), but she wouldn't have enjoyed the same amount of success. Rutgers was 99–31 with four NCAA Tournament appearances—including a Final Four run—in Zurich's four years.

I know I've grown," she said. "I'm not filling up the stat sheet every night. But I think I do a lot of little things on the court. And that's what's kept me on the court. These four years have been really satisfying.[10]

With her gritty, consistent play throughout her senior year, Zurich was selected to The Lunch Bucket Players of the Big East. -

Those who come to practice early, work tirelessly, give maximum effort during their time on the court, rarely make mistakes, and contribute in important ways, all without the glory.[11]

Zurich said

I knew my role, and it has never bothered me. I came here because I wanted to challenge myself. As long as I'm a part of this team, the name on the back (of the jersey) doesn't matter – it's the name on the front.[11]

Zurich was named the Most Inspirational Player and earned the Scholar-Athlete Award for the highest grade point average at the yearly team awards ceremony. She also received the annual Cager Club award, presented to a player who exemplifies the best in sportsmanship and character and humility.

During the regular season, Zurich helped lead the AutoCAD Amazone Leidsche Rijn team to a 16-13 record and a fourth-place finish in the Dames Eredivisie in The Netherlands with a 15–11 divisional record. She finished second on the team in scoring (12.2 ppg), rebounding (9.9 rpg), steals (85) and blocked shots (18) while recording 10 games with double-digit scoring and rebounding. Zurich averaged nearly a double-double with 12.2 ppg and 9.9 rpg. She accomplished individual game highs of 21 points, 16 rebounds, 10 steals, 6 assists and 3 blocks while shooting 44.0% from the floor, 33.3% from the three-point arc and 76.8% from the free-throw line. On November 14, 2009, Zurich recorded a triple-double when she put up 16 points, 14 rebounds and 10 steals in a victory over The Jugglers. During a pre-season game in Luxembourg, Zurich broke her nose (requiring surgery) and had to sit out the first game of the regular season. As she had to during her college career when she broke her nose, she was forced to wear a mask for a number of games until fully healed. At mid-season, Zurich was selected to participate in the Dutch All Star Gala as a member of the Team World Stars that challenged the Team Dutch Stars and scored 11 points.[14]

In the post-season, Zurich helped lead the team to a 2–3 post-season record and a position in the semi-finals where the team lost to the ProBuild Lions. She finished first in scoring (72) and second in rebounding (37) while recording 2 games with double-digit scoring and rebounding. She accomplished individual game highs of 22 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists while shooting 46.0% from the floor, 60.0% from the 3-point arc and 94.4% from the free-throw line. In the final game of the opening series against Wereldtickets.nl, Zurich hit the game-winning three-point basket at the buzzer.

At the conclusion of the season, Zurich was named to the All-Dutch Eredivisie Second Team.[15]

In 2010, Zurich announced that she would take a job as an assistant coach for the Wagner Seahawks, a team from New York.[16]

Zurich's first coaching assignment was as a graduate assistant coach at Wagner College on Staten Island, New York. Women's basketball coach Gela Mikalauskas hired Zurich from a field of over 200 applicants after consultations with former Seton Hall coach Phyllis Mangina and Zurich's collegiate coach C. Vivian Stringer of Rutgers. Coach Mikalauskas stated:

We are pleased to have Heather join our coaching staff at Wagner. She had a great career at Rutgers and comes highly recommended by Rutgers Coach C. Vivian Stringer. Her experience of going to the Final Four as a player in addition to playing overseas will help our players set the bar high.[18]

Zurich worked primarily with assistant coach Brett Self on individual post player development and assisted on perimeter instruction.[18]

Additionally, Coach Mikalauskas stated:

Heather will be in charge of film exchange, breaking down scout films, and assisting Brett with the post players. She doesn't have the coaching experience yet, but in two years' time, she can pick her spot.[17]

Zurich assisted Coach Mikalauskas in leading the Wagner Seahawks in the 2010–11 season to a 12–17 overall record and 5–13 record in the Northeast Conference.

In May 2011, Zurich hired on as a full-time assistant coach at UC Santa Barbara in California. Newly hired women's basketball coach Carlene Mitchell assembled her coaching staff by hiring a pair of highly regarded assistants whom she used to coach at Rutgers.[19]

On her new assistant coaches, Mitchell stated:

I wanted to work with people who were not only very talented, but people I am familiar with and I achieved both of those things with Courtney and Heather. Having had the opportunity to see these young women grow while they played at Rutgers and now flourish in their coaching careers made it an easy choice for me to add them to my staff here at UCSB. Not only were they great student-athletes, but they are going to be great in this community with their great personalities. They have a great amount of energy to give back to this team the way I feel I was able to give to them.[19]

On her new position at UC Santa Barbara, Zurich stated:

I'm excited to have this opportunity to work at UCSB. I don't think there's anything better than working for a coach who recruited you and you played for four years and who you have a relationship with, like I have with Coach Mitchell. I'm ready to get out there and work hard and keep a winning tradition going. Coach Mitchell has told me a lot about the school and the community and I'm excited to get out there and get started.[19]

On her time spent at Wagner, Zurich stated:

It would have taken a very special situation for me to leave Wagner and joining Carlene at UC-Santa Barbara is definitely a special situation. She recruited me out of (Montvale, N.J.) high school and I always said, 'One day I'd love to work under Coach Mitchell.' Well, here's my chance. I'll miss so many things about Wagner and I really have to thank Coach Gela (Mikalauskas) for bringing me into the Wagner family last year.[20]

Upon learning of Zurich's decision, Wagner head coach Gela Mikalauskas stated:

We are truly going to miss Heather but I know I speak for our team and the entire Wagner community in wishing her all the best. She did an outstanding job for us and is a class act. This is truly a unique opportunity for Heather to coach under someone she played for in college and I know she will do a terrific job and be a real asset to the UC Santa Barbara program.[21]

Zurich assisted Coach Mitchell in leading the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos in the 2011–12 season to a 17–16 overall record (8–8 in Big West Conference play) with a 6th-place finish in conference play and a Big West Conference Tournament Championship. The Gauchos earned an automatic bid to the post-season NCAA Tournament where they lost in the first round to the eventual national champion, Baylor University.

In her second season at UC Santa Barbara, Zurich assisted Coach Mitchell in leading the Gauchos in the 2012–13 season to a 16–17 overall record (11–7 in Big West Conference play) with a fourth-place finish in conference play. The Gauchos earned an invitation to the WNIT post-season tournament where they lost in the first round to San Diego State University.

Zurich's third season assisting at UC Santa Barbara was a tough one for the Gauchos, falling to an 8–22 overall record (3-14 in Big West Conference play) with an 8th-place finish in conference play.

In her fourth and final season assisting at UC Santa Barbara, the Gauchos had a difficult and disappointing season with a 2–27 overall record (2-14 in Big West Conference play) with a 9th-place finish in conference play.

In June 2015, Zurich joined the staff of Stephanie Oliver as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Long Island University-Brooklyn in New York. Coach Oliver was quoted as saying:

I am thrilled to welcome Heather Zurich to our coaching staff. Heather is very well-respected in this region's basketball community, with successful playing experience at Pascack Valley High School and Rutgers University. Her bi-coastal experience will be a great help to us as she leads our recruiting efforts.[22]

Zurich assisted Coach Oliver in leading the Long Island University-Brooklyn Blackbirds in the 2015-16 season to a 9–21 overall record (7–11 in Northeast Conference play) with a 7th-place finish in conference play.

In her second season and last season assisting at Long Island University-Brooklyn, the Blackbirds had a 6-23 overall record (5-13 in Northeast Conference play) with a 9th-place finish in conference play.