By Alec Horne
5. Kirsten Cummings, No. 55
Kirsten Cummings was the first deaf player to be a first-team All-American.
Cummings played the power forward and center positions for LBSU from 1982 to 1985, where she helped lead LBSU to three straight Elite Eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
Cummings still ranks highly in many statistical categories at CSULB.
She is fifth in total points for her career with 1,740 scored. Her 15.4 scoring average is ranked sixth all-time at LBSU and ranks fifth field goals (725).
Cummings’ defense was just as impressive, collecting 1,064 total rebounds, the second most in LBSU women’s basketball history. Her rim presence ranks sixth all-time with 145 career blocks.
She was inducted into the LBSU Hall of Fame in 1990.
4. Kimberly Maddox, No.34
Maddox was known as one of the first star players for the women’s basketball time team where she was a four-time first-team all PCAA.
She played for the beach from 1977 to 81 and in that time, helped lead the team to a 97-30 record and back-to-back conference championships in 1980 and again in 1981.
Maddox was known for her scoring and playmaking. She is ranked fourth in total points for a career (1,755). She is also fourth in career field goals made (779).
Maddox is seventh in a career for total assists with 461.
3. Cindy Brown, No. 53
Cindy Brown played at a high level for LBSU from 1983 to 1987. She helped lead the Beach to its first-ever Final Four appearance in her senior year.
In 1987, Brown scored 974 points in a single season which is the second-highest in NCAA women’s basketball history. When Brown’s college career came to an end, she ranked second in school history for points scored (2,696). She also had a career average of 21 points per game.
Brown finished first in career total rebounds (1,184), career blocks (318) and first in steals (400). Her ability to score, rebound, block shots and steal the ball was an important element to the team.
After her career at LBSU, Brown won a gold medal at the 1988 Olympics with the USA team.
In 2007, Brown would return back to her alma mater where her No. 53 jersey was retired.
2. LaTuanya Pollard, No. 15
Pollard played four seasons for LBSU from 1979 to 1983. She was one of the first three women’s basketball players to have their numbers retired at the university prior to 1990.
Pollard won the Wade Trophy in 1983, which is awarded annually to the best upper-class women’s basketball player in NCAA Division I. Pollard also earned Conference Player of the Year honors in 1982 and 1983.
Pollard scored over 3,000 points in her career at LBSU while averaging 23.4 points per game in four years.
Pollard set the school record for scoring, field goals, and free throws made. She finished second in rebounds and field goal percentage.
After her college career, she went on to play in Italy from 1983 to 1991 and averaged a record 39.5 points per game in 1985.
1. Penny Toler, No. 4
Virginia “Penny” Toler is highly regarded as one of LBSU’s best and was honored as such when her No. 4 jersey was retired by the program in 2007.
Toler played point guard at LBSU from 1986 to 89. In that span, she was one of three players to score 2,000 points and averaged 21.7 points per game.
But she was not just known for her scoring. Toler has the school record for assists with 513. She also holds the single-season assist record for LBSU with 237s which she achieved during the 1986 to 1987 season.
Toler earned two Big West Conference Player of the Year awards in 1988 and 1989.
She played overseas in Italy, Greece and Israel for seven years before playing in her first-ever WNBA game with the Los Angeles Sparks in 1997. She would go on to score the first points in WNBA history.
