ADVENTURE takes her breath away
Hurst, a Lobo women’s recruit, got assist from dad in landing at UNM
Native Australian and future Lobo Ahlise Hurst got her first taste of New Mexico this week.
Her first impressions were mixed.
“There’s a lot of Mexican food,” she said, “and I love that. The landscape and the weather are kind of similar to Australia, too, but the altitude … that’s going to be an adjustment.”
Hurst, a 5-foot-9 guard who recently signed to play women’s basketball at the University of New Mexico, learned the hard way about Albuquerque’s milehigh environment. She joined the returning Lobos Friday for an individual workout at the Davalos Center, battling through 40 minutes of drills that concluded with a brief 3-on-3 scrimmage.
Hurst held her own, showing impressive quickness and a soft shooting touch that brought a smile to Lobos coach Mike Bradbury’s face. But the workout — coming one day after a 17-hour trip from Australia — left Hurst feeling a bit winded.
“Now I know what I’m facing,” she said, “and I’ll have to do it again when I come back (this summer). But that’s all right. I’m glad I got a chance to see what the team’s about. I think I can help them out.”
Hurst will be part of a highly touted five-member freshman class joining the Lobos next season. Her recruiting story is easily the oddest of the bunch.
It features a key assist from former UNM’s men’s basketball standout Kelvin Scarborough and more than a little fortunate timing. Otherwise, Hurst might well have landed at Oregon, North Carolina or Idaho State.
“It’s pretty incredible, really,” said Ahlise’s father, Joe Hurst. “Everything fell into place so
quickly. It definitely feels like the University of New Mexico is where she’s supposed to be.”
Long-distance ties
Like his daughter, Joe Hurst made his first visit to New Mexico this week. He’d already heard plenty about the state, however.
An Illinois native who played college basketball at Northwest Missouri State, Hurst went on to play professionally in Australia’s National Basketball League. In 1998 he played for the Hobart Devils, whose roster also featured Scarborough.
“Scar was unreal to play with,” Hurst said. “He hit me with a lot of great alley-oop passes and he was such a scoring threat. He really opened things up for me.”
Scarborough recalled a nationally televised game when he and Hurst combined to score 92 points in a Hobart victory. The 6-5 Hurst, who earned the nickname “Jumpin’ Joe,” was named NBL MVP at the end of the ’98 season.
“Joe was like an Australian Michael Jordan. He could do it all,” Scarborough said. “Our team was expected to finish last, and we went to the playoffs that year. It was a great experience.”
Scarborough and Hurst became friends during their stint as teammates. Scarborough later returned to New Mexico while Hurst eventually settled in Australia, but the two stayed in contact over the years.
Their relationship proved significant in February, when Ahlise made the decision to pursue American college basketball.
“I called Scar to see if he had any contacts,” Joe Hurst said. “It turned out he was at men’s basketball practice here at UNM when I called. He went over and talked to (thenUNM women’s assistant coach) Erin Grant, and she told him to get her the links from Ahlise’s games. About 45 minutes later, Erin called us and said, ‘We’re really, really interested.’”
Making her call
Coming to America was not a given for Ahlise Hurst, who established herself as an elite player in Australia in her early teens. She played on national age-group and touring teams, including one that brought her to the United States for games in the Southeast and on the East Coast.
Ahlise stood out to the point that she was offered a spot as a developmental player in Australia’s professional Women’s National Basketball League last season as a 17-year-old. She didn’t earn a paycheck with the Bendigo Spirit, but Hurst showed she belonged. Her best game was a 15-point outing against Townsville during which she went 7-of-8 from the field.
“She had options to stay and play in the WNBL or to pursue a university career,” Joe Hurst said. “It was her choice.”
Thanks to Scarborough, UNM got a head start in the American recruiting race, although New Mexico wasn’t the only school he contacted. He also called his former Lobo teammate, Kelly Graves, who is now the women’s basketball coach at Oregon.
“I owed it to Kelly to make a courtesy call,” Scarborough said.
Oregon, North Carolina and Idaho State eventually made strong recruiting runs, but only after Ahlise had begun leaning toward New Mexico.
“I did a lot of research,” she said, “and the more I talked to the coaches and everyone, New Mexico felt like a good fit. Now that I’ve seen the city and the girls have been so welcoming, I feel good about it.”
Joe Hurst said he’ll make regular visits to Albuquerque during his daughter’s college career, but he’s also counting on his former Hobart teammate to provide some oversight.
“Scar is now officially known as ‘Uncle Kelvin,’” Joe said with a laugh. “I hope he’s up to the job.”