8/10/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Aug. 10, 2004
Duquesne University head women's basketball coach Dan Durkin today announced that local standout Carmen Bruce (Pittsburgh, Pa./Schenley/Georgetown), a 5-10 guard, has transferred from Georgetown University for the 2004-05 academic year and will be eligible to compete during the 2005-06 season. Bruce will sit out this coming year due to NCAA Division I basketball transfer rules and will have two years of eligibility at Duquesne. She is the second local player to return home and sign with the Dukes as she joins Valley High School's Marisa Smith.
A four-time Pittsburgh City League Player of the Year, Bruce averaged 6.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.25 assists for the Hoyas last season staring 25 of 28 games. As a freshman, she averaged 8.2 ppg and added 3.9 rpg. The two-year starter recorded 424 points, 241 rebounds and 124 assists in 57 contests. Bruce netted double-figure scoring in 11 games as a freshman, including a career-best 20 markers vs. West Virginia. She posted five games in double-digits last year with a season-high 16 points vs. Maryland.
"No question about it, Duquesne is extremely fortunate to have Carmen Bruce as one of its' student-athletes." Says Durkin. "Carmen is familiar with our institution, our players and staff, so the transition will be a smooth one. We recruited Carmen heavily when she as a standout scholar-athlete at Schenley HS, so we could move fairly quickly with a lot of things. She brings a lot to the table as a quality person, excellent student and gifted player. She is a very versatile player, loves the game and learned it well from her dad and family members who played and coached in the Pittsburgh area." Adds Durkin.
The Pittsburgh, PA native led Schenley High School to three City League Championships and averaged an impressive 20.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.3 steals as a senior. Bruce shot 51 percent from the field and over 40 percent from behind the arc. A second team Pennsylvania All-State pick, she is just the second player in City League history to score over 2,000 points with 2,175 as a prep. She reigned as the 2002 Post-Gazette Female Athlete of the Year and was named to its Fabulous Five team as well. Bruce was tabbed an AP Big School All-State second team selection and was a Western PA Athletic Scholar and a YMCA Scholar-Athlete honoree. She is the sixth local student-athlete on the Dukes' roster.
"One of the great things is that we now have another quality Western PA student-athlete here at Duquesne. Carmen now joins Jocelyn Chandler (Uniontown), Loui Hall (Albert Gallatin), Nicole Sinclair (Indiana), Marisa Smith (Valley) and Erin Wehrle (Elizabeth Forward)." Durkin adds, "On a personal note, I'm very happy for the Marlene, Kirk and the extended Bruce family because now they can come and watch Carmen play in her own backyard. As a parent, I know that can be a blessing to have your daughter stay close to home."
An all-around athlete, Bruce also competed in track & field at Schenley HS where she won the City League shot put and discus titles three straight years. She captured the PA state shot put title as a sophomore and placed first triple jump in the City League championships, despite having never competed in the event before. BRUCE'S CAREER STATS 3-Point
YEAR GP/GS FG FGA PCT FG FGA PCT FT FTA PCT REB AST BLK ST MIN PTS AVG2002-03 29/28 86 225 .382 23 69 .333 42 51 .824 114 61 2 29 851 237 8.22003-04 28/25 70 219 .320 7 47 .149 40 56 .714 127 63 5 39 777 187 6.7Total 57/53 156 444 .351 30 116 .258 82 107 .766 241 124 7 68 1,628 424 7.4DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY WOMEN'S BASKETBALL DIVISION I TRANSFERS
NAME POS HT CL PPG RPG HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL (TRANSFER)Carmen Bruce G 5-10 SO 6.7 4.5 Pittsburgh, Pa./Schenley (Georgetown)Marisa Smith G 5-10 SO 0.8 0.2 Arnold, Pa./Valley (Bowling Green)Brittany Warren G 5-9 SO 18.6 5.8 Finleyville, Pa./Ringgold (Robert Morris)Averages are from the 2003-04 season Warren, who played in 5 games at RMU, will be eligible after the 2004 fall semester
