A Tribute to the Seniors: Kevin Foster

Dec 29, 2012; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Rasheed Sulaimon (14) and forward Josh Hairston (15) defend against Santa Clara Broncos guard Kevin Foster (21) during the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Foster, a 2 star prospect out of Katy, Texas, was one of the top basketball players in the state of Texas coming out of high school. How he ended up in Santa Clara, California, no one knows, but Kerry Keating landed himself a big time prospect in Foster. Five years later, Kevin Foster has propelled himself in the midst of Bronco lore. Here’s a look back at Kevin Foster’s illustrious career as a Santa Clara Bronco.

Kevin Foster graduated from Morton Ranch High School in 2008 with a great deal of accolades under his belt. He scored 21 points per game in his senior year, and was named team MVP and a member of the District 18-5A first team. His team finished 26-9, and made it to the first round of the Texas state basketball playoffs.

Kevin Foster made a name for himself early in his career as a Bronco, starting 28 out of the 33 games in his freshman season. He averaged 14.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game that season, and was named to the WCC All-Freshman team. He was also named a freshman all-american, an all-WCC honorable mention, and co-WCC newcomer of the year. Foster’s ability to score at a high rate was on display very early on in his college basketball career.

His sophomore season took an unfortunate turn for the worst. He suffered a season ending foot injury that forced him to use a red-shirt. He still had three seasons of eligibility left.

His redshirt sophomore season was statistically one of his best seasons as a Bronco. Foster averaged 20.2 points per game, which was the best scoring average in the WCC. He was named the WCC player of the month in February and March. Foster was 1st in the entire nations in three-pointers made that season with 140. Such a phenomenal year earned Foster a spot on the All-WCC first team. On top of that, he was NABC first team all-district, the CIT tournament MVP, and the CollegeBasketballInsider.com WCC MVP.

If Kevin Foster’s college basketball career were an amusement park ride, it would be a roller coaster, because there were a great deal of enormous peaks and valleys. Midway through his junior season, Foster was suspended for the remainder of the year because of a drunk driving arrest that occurred on January 22nd, 2012. Many people expected Foster to leave the university entirely, but he did the exact opposite. He came back for his senior year and excelled at the level he was accustomed to in his freshman and sophomore seasons.

In his final season at Santa Clara, Foster averaged 19.3 points, 4.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game. This was his best overall season as a Bronco, even though his scoring average was slightly down to those of previous years. He was named the WCC player of the month in November, and WCC player of the week in Nov. 12 and Jan. 21. He led his team to the CBI, where they sequentially won the championship.

Despite his previous adversity, Foster ended his Santa Clara career in a dominant fashion, which is fitting considering how dominant of a player he was on the court. He ended his career as Santa Clara’s all-time leading scorer with 2,423. He is also tied for third in all-time scoring average with 18.2 points per game, first in all-time field goals made with 771, first in all-time three pointers made with 431, fifth in all-time assists with 464, second in all-time steals with 233, first in all-time games started with 125, third in all-time games played with 133, and first in all-time minutes played with 4,212. Foster has obviously established himself as a staple in the Bronco’s record book, and his name will probably stay there for a very long time, if not forever.

Foster was invited to the play in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, an event that showcases seniors in college basketball who are trying to play professionally. He averaged 11.7 points and 3.7 assists per game while playing in the PIT.

I would be shocked if Kevin Foster is not invited to try out for an NBA team this summer. Although he mostly likely will not get drafted, Foster could potentially play his way on an NBA roster as an undrafted free agent. He can score in bunches, and virtually every NBA bench could use a player with that skill. Although his  NBA future is uncertain, Foster had a fantastic college basketball career at Santa Clara University. Congratulations Kevin!