Forster a Quick Star at Albany
There will always be some doubters when it comes to whether a high school star can make the transition to NCAA Division I and continue to perform at a high level of play. Huntington’s Julie Forster erased any questions about whether or not she could get it done by coming off the bench to spark the University at Albany in its opening two games of the season.
Forster, who graduated from Huntington last June, is rapidly becoming an indispensable party of Albany’s team. Against New Jersey Tech, the former Blue Devil star went 3-for-8 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the foul line in a 30 minute effort that saw her score eight points, pull down nine rebounds, block a shot and pick up a steal.
In the midst of a furious NJIT rally and with just seven seconds remaining in the game, the two free throws that Forster hit on were nothing short of clutch. The Huntington grad is already helping to turn around the team’s fortunes. Last year Albany went 0-9 in games decided by five points or less.
Earlier in the second half with NJIT on a 16-4 run, Forster connected on a beautiful 18-footer from the perimeter to give Albany some much needed breathing room. Later, she would ice the game.
In the first game of the season at Fordham’s Rose Hill Gymnasium, Forster came off the bench and scored eight points in 23 minutes on 4-for-6 shooting from the floor, adding three rebounds and three steals. Despite the performance, Albany fell 76-56 after a poor second half showing.
At Huntington High School, Forster played on four different varsity teams, but made her most lasting mark in basketball, scoring more than 1,000 points. She helped lead the team to three straight appearances in the Suffolk finals and the 2008 county crown. A five-time varsity letter winner on the hard court, she was a two-time All-County and All-State player.
Asked to list her favorite quote in the team’s media guide, Forster chose one from Mia Hamm: “Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you, is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back. Play for her.”
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