John reaches 1,000-point plateau at Robert Morris
MOON TOWNSHIP – Fifteen women’s basketball players in Robert Morris University’s 25-year history have scored 1,000-points. Uniontown native and Laurel Highlands graduate Candace John is the latest player to add her name to the list.
She reached the 1,000-point plateau Saturday as the Colonials lost to Wagner, 80-56. She entered the game two points shy of 1,000 and put in a pair of free throws to hit the mark, and now has 1,009 for her career after scoring 11 against Wagner.
“I consider this to be a major accomplishment in my college career because not many players in the past have been able to reach this high in scoring at Robert Morris,” John said. “When I came to play in college, I can’t say I expected to score 1,000 points, but I definitely had high expectations.”
Now a senior, John made an immediate impact since arriving at Robert Morris four years ago. She saw action in every game her freshman season (1999-2000) and cracked the starting lineup six times. She also scored 188 points and pulled down 79 rebounds.
“I wanted to contribute right away,” John said. “I thought I would jell with all the players and knew I would fit in from the start and be able to make an impact.”
She arrived at Robert Morris with excellent credentials, as she was the all-time scoring leader at Laurel Highlands High School with 1,735 points. She also pulled down 580 rebounds.
“I developed a lot of skills and qualities at Laurel Highlands that allowed me to advance to the college level,” John said. “On the floor, I developed my basketball skills, and as I got older in high school, I also developed leadership skills which I am able to use now.”
As a sophomore at Robert Morris, during the 2000-2001 season, John solidified her spot on the team by starting 16 games and playing in 27 games. She scored 343 points while pulling down 144 rebounds and recorded three double-doubles. It was current head coach Lynn Roman’s first year at the helm.
“Since I came here, Candace has been a joy to coach,” Roman said. “She brings scoring and leadership to the team, and is so coach-able that she does everything we ask of her, and more.”
John continued her scoring ways by tossing in 174 points as a junior as well as pulling down 87 rebounds. She entered this season with 704 points and is the lone senior starter and only one of two seniors on the team this season. She is currently the top scorer in the Northeast Conference, averaging 20-points-per-game.
The Colonials also start three sophomores and a junior with a senior, a junior, a sophomore, and a freshman coming off the bench, so the other players look to John for direction.
“I make sure everyone knows the plays because we have a lot of younger players on the team,” John said. “They (younger players) always know they can come to me with help, on the court or even off the court, like in studying.”
Sophomore point guard Missy Spangler commented on what John brings to the team.
“Candace works well together with all the other teammates and we also work well together in the backcourt,” Spangler said. “We know we can always depend on her on and off the court since she [John] is so consistent in everything she does.”
John and Spangler both tallied double-doubles in the Colonial’s lone win so far this season, a triple-overtime thriller against the University of Maryland at Baltimore County on Jan. 11. John considers the game one of her most-memorable experiences on the college basketball court. She recorded a career-high 30 points and pulled in 11 rebounds in the game.
“I thought that was probably the most-exciting game I ever played in during my college career,” John said. “It was our first win of the year, and was so hard-fought that it will be one of my best memories I will take with me when I move on.”
John attended Robert Morris to help her move on in a business career after he graduates.
“I chose Robert Morris because it was close to home and I loved my team mates,” John said. “The academics have been great and I have been give a lot of opportunities.”
Besides getting along with the other players on the team, John chose Robert Morris because she thought the school would provide a good learning experience with great opportunities.
“I am a finance major and I want to advance to graduate school,” John said. “Eventually, I would like to work in finance involving international affairs.”
Her studies obviously make up a major portion of her college education, but John’s experience playing basketball also plays integral part.
“While playing basketball, I have developed a solid work-ethic and have also learned how to manage my time,” John said. “I think I will be more equipped to enter the real world because of everything I have learned in the class room along with everything I have learned on the basketball floor.”