By Matt Browning

Some of the best basketball memories Heather Hurt has had over her playing and coaching career were at Hutchinson Community College.

Formerly Heather Robben, Hurt played for the Blue Dragons from 2008 to 2010 and became the school’s first two-time NJCAA All-American. She set the scoring record for career points with 1,072 points.

“The people at Hutch made my experience so great,” Hurt said. “Every day I was surrounded by people who cared about who I was as a person, not just a student or basketball player. Before or after practice, we went to the coaches office and were able to hang out and talk to them about school, basketball, or what was going on in life. They always had their door open to us.”

That philosophy has stuck with Hurt, as she now has adopted that same policy as the head coach at East Central University.

“I have an open door policy and love when my players come see me in my office,” Hurt said. “As a player, you want to be coached by people who believe in you, who care about you, and who you can trust. I experienced that firsthand with the coaching staff at Hutch and that helped me know how I wanted to be as a coach.”

Hurt said that any basketball player that is interested in Hutchinson Community College should have no hesitations.

“You’ll be coached by a great staff, and you’ll be surrounded by people that will help you be successful both academically and athletically,” Hurt said. “You will grow as a person, a student, and a basketball player.”