I’ve always liked to call Laine Kurpniece the Shaquille O’Neal of the America East, but that’s really doing the 6’2” center from Latvia a disservice.
Sure, she dominates down low like few other players at this level, and yeah she pushes opponents around and rarely misses from under the hoop. But there’s a big difference between Laine Kurpniece and Shaq Diesel. You can beat O’Neal by playing Hack-a-Shaq. You can negate his post presence and slow down the game.
Not so with Laine.
Kurpniece wrapped up another stellar season this year, finishing second in the AE in both field-goal percentage and free-throw percentage. You’d be hard pressed to find a post player at any level who dominates both of those categories like that.
For that reason, and many others, the senior already took home a first-team All-Conference award from the AE, now she has another accolade to put on the mantle: Pipe Dream Female Athlete of the Year.
There was pressure on Kurpniece to perform from the beginning. Her junior year saw her fall from an expected first-team all-star to a third-team one who had missed time after being suspended for an off-court incident. But she got a fresh start and made the most of it this season.
“I have immense confidence in Laine,” then-head coach Rich Conover said before the season started. “She has matured quite a bit and accepted her role. I expect nothing but good things for her.”
Kurpniece backed up her coach’s words, putting forth what was arguably her best collegiate season yet.
She’s been a force in the middle for four years now, the one player coaches worry about matching up against. Every coach you talk to in the America East says the same thing, “you need to limit Kurpniece’s touches.”
That’s easier said than done.
Her 12.8 points per game were best on the team, and fifth in the AE. Her 5.6 rebounds were ninth. Even with opposing coaches and players zeroing in on her, no one could stop Laine Kurpniece.
More than anything though, Laine Kurpniece made Binghamton University women’s basketball fun to watch. Her energy, enthusiasm and dominance brought fans out to a game starving for viewers. The Bearcats averaged only 15 fans less per game then perennial America East-power Hartford, and players like Kurpniece had a lot to do with that.
And now four years after she arrived on campus, she’ll leave a legacy as one of the greatest female athlete Binghamton has ever had. And for that, we here at Pipe Dream say, “Thanks for everything Laine, we’ll miss you.”