Hall of Fame
Though she has been a model before, during, and after her years as a student-athlete at California University, Heather Corby fashioned one of the finest careers as a dominant women’s basketball post-player in school history.
A transfer from the University of Winnipeg, Corby played for the Vulcan women for the 1997-98 and 199-98 seasons under former Cal head coach Tom Kendall, who also coached Corby at Winnipeg for one season. Corby, whose older sister Sandy also played at Winnipeg, helped the Lady Wesman win their third consecutive Canadian Athletic Association (CAA) national championship in 1995. Corby left Winnipeg for Cal U after her sophomore season to continue playing for Kendall.
“I just respect him so much,” Corby said “When I was in high school I just watched his teams dominate the other Canadian universities and I realized pretty early on that as long as I was playing with him all of my basketball aspirations would come to fruition.”
Making an immediate impact, Corby was Cal’s third-leading scorer and top rebounder during her junior season. She averaged 11.4 points and 9.3 rebounds a game and also led the team in blocked shots with 65, which at that time was the third highest single-season in school history. Her 50 steals was second highest on the team and Corby was a second-team, all-conference selection.
Corby followed a very solid junior season with a brilliant senior year. She averaged an amazing 19.7 points and 13.6 rebounds a game while shooting an impressive 53% from the floor (201/379). Her 93 blocks surpassed the previous school record by nine and Corby also shot a big-time 76% from the foul line (131/173). Corby’s 58 steals was another team-best and her 533 total points was the second highest single-season total in school history at the time. Corby’s whopping 366 rebounds led the entire NCAA Division II in 1998-99 and still stands as the school record.
Despite playing just two years at Cal, Corby still ranks third in school history in career blocks with 158 and is listed in five different single-season categories in the school record books seven years since her playing career. As impressive as her individual statistics were, Corby was not influenced by the big-time numbers.
“Numbers are great I suppose but when you walk off the court with a loss to me the numbers do not mean much,” she said. “I was totally honored that someone decided I should get an award for rebounding the ball a few times but the numbers were irrelevant or an afterthought. Whether or not I got 10 or 13 rebounds a game or how many it was I did not really think about that. It wasn’t like I was heading out each game to stack my numbers.”
After the 1998-99 season, she received first-team national CoSIDA Academic All-America honors as well as being named to the PSAC-West first-team, all-star unit. Selected as the PSAC-West Player of the Week three times during her senior year, Corby was also named to the PSAC Winter Sports Top Ten list in 1998-99.
Corby’s formidable senior season helped the Vulcans achieve a seventh PSAC playoff appearance in 11 years and 10th winning season in 12 years. Corby thrived on the more pressurized world of NCAA basketball.
“I found the mentality a lot different,” Corby said about playing in the U.S. as opposed to Canada. “In Canada winning was great and everybody wants to win but that changed when I went across the border and I liked that. Even in high school and we would lose and five minutes later players were joking around I couldn’t handle or understand that. I knew I was more serious and dedicated than that.”
More important than what happened on the court her efforts in the classroom helped the 1999 squad be recognized as one of the top 25 academic programs nationally by the Women’s Basketball coaches Association (WBCA). Corby credited Kendall and his wife and assistant coach Gail Kendall, for her classroom success.
“Playing for them was not just a player-coach relationship and they wanted you to be the best person you can be off the court as well,” Corby said. “They expected you to be the best. Both of them have meant a great deal to my career and to me growing as a person. They made me realize that I needed to also get scholastically involved and not just be in school for basketball.”
Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, she is a 1994 graduate of Kelvin High School, where she starred in basketball, volleyball and cross country as well as competing in community soccer.
Corby received her bachelor’s degree in business administration with an option in marketing from Cal U in 2000. She is grateful for the education she received.
“I left Cal with not only a great basketball career but I also left with an education that I am absolutely thankful I got,” said Corby. “I really gained such an appreciation for school. It wasn’t a priority when I started and I left Cal feeling quite accomplished. I knew if tomorrow I could not play basketball I would still have a wonderful career ahead of me. My teachers were amazing. Although some would say today that I am into self-marketing I plan one day to eventually have my own clothing line and company.”
Though unable to attend the Hall of Fame banquet due to work commitments, Corby is well aware of the prestigious honor she has received.
“”How can you not be totally flattered and appreciative anytime that somebody decides to single you out and give you an honor like this,” she said. “The award is great but I would have wanted to win the championship. But besides that I set out what I wanted to do from a basketball standpoint at Cal and will always cherish the championship we won in Canada too.”
Following her collegiate career Corby played basketball overseas for one year in Spain and Iceland.
She is now a model with the Wilhelmina Agency among others and lives in West New York, New Jersey, with her husband and Cal U alumnus, James Holbrook ´01.
“I feel I set myself up at Cal for the rest of my life,” Corby concluded. “I left with a fabulous education and met the man of my dreams.”
