Hall of Honor
Laura (Geurin) Marusich career is now history, but the El Paso Irvin product left her mark on the LCC women’s basketball record book in just 57 games.
She finished as career leader in field goal percentage (364-463), as second in career scoring (961), free throws made (219), free throws attempted (331), rebounding average (7.88), scoring average (14.8) and blocked shots (42). Marusich was also a star in the classroom, twice earning NAIA Academic All-America honors.
A junior college transfer from Amarillo College, where her team was the Region V Champion and ranked No. 5 in the nation, Marusich took over as the star of the Lady Chaps following Darla (Lynch) Jameson's graduation. She was the team's leading scorer in her first year (1983-84) by a wide margin with 279 points (16.4 per game) while also leading the team in rebounds with 178 (10.5 per game) to average a double-double. Her 10.5 rebounds per game still stand as the Lubbock Christian single-season record. The performance earned her a spot on the All-District VIII Team as the Lady Chaps again made the District Tournament and were ousted in the first round.
Marusich was once again recognized on the All-District VIII First Team for her performance in the 1984-84 season and was named the first NAIA Academic All-American in program history with a 3.56 GPA in mathematics. She dramatically increased her scoring output with 430 points (17.2 per game), although in eight more games. She was also second on the team in rebounds with 188 and added in 53 assists and a team-leading 21 blocks.
Her senior season (1985-86) was the only one in which Marusich did not make the All-District VIII First Team, but she did make the district's All-Academic Team and repeat on the NAIA Academic All-American team with a 3.73 GPA. She was not the leading or even second-highest scorer on the team as a senior, although she still contributed 252 points (10.9 per game) and 146 rebounds (6.3 per game). The Lady Chaps were once again eliminated in the first round of the District VIII Tournament.
In 1991, Marusich became the first Lady Chap basketball player ever inducted into the LCU Athletic Hall of Honor.
