NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Christina Foggie has always let her pride for New Jersey – specifically South Jersey – be worn on her sleeve. This past weekend she was overwhelmed by how much her home region still has pride for her.
Foggie was officially inducted Sunday into the South Jersey Basketball Hall of Fame. The honor was the latest in a long line of individual accolades for the former Vanderbilt star.
“I knew that were some really heavy hitters who were inducted before and I wasn’t quite sure I was worth that call,” Foggie said. “But I loved every minute of being told why and how that came to fruition. It was a long time coming. It was great to be able to get there and celebrate.”
Now Vanderbilt’s chief of staff for first-year head coach Shea Ralph, Foggie starred at Lenape High School (Medford Township, New Jersey) from 2006-10. She scored 2,137 career points and averaged 26.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game as a senior.
The 2010 Burlington County Times Player of the year led Lenape to a 23-4 record. Foggie was also the Carino South Jersey Player of the Year in 2010, a four-time All-South Jersey selection and twice an All-State pick.
But what stands out more than anything from her prep career were the intense, high-stakes matchups with her team in the talent rich Garden State.
“My team was very good in South Jersey, always top three in the entire region. Going up and playing other teams that were always ranked high in the state, that’s the part I remember the most,” she said. “Not the accolades individually, but the battles and the contests that went to overtime and triple overtime and playing against some people that are still playing professionally.”
Foggie’s winning ways carried over to Nashville where she helped Vanderbilt to four straight NCAA Tournaments. Her 276 made 3-pointers still stands as a Vandy career record and, as a senior in 2013-14, she became an All-American.
The Minnesota Lynx chose Foggie with the 24th pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft. But Foggie turned to coaching after that first summer as a professional and found her way back to her alma mater in 2021 after six years at Saint Joseph’s in Philadelphia.
And even though she left the New Jersey region once more to resume her time as a Commodore, her thoughts never stray too far from the homeland which helped shaped who she is today.
“I’m such a Jersey girl through and through. Everyone here still hears me talk about Jersey. It’s in my blood,” she said. “When I made the decision to come to Vanderbilt and play here – it’s 12 hours from home – I always tried to represent the Northeast well. I knew that everyone from home would be watching on TV from afar. I always tried to represent South Jersey in the best light.
“For them to feel proud enough and think I’ve done enough to be put in a hall of fame for all those people who have played there, for them to think I’m one of the best? It’s really special. It really is.”
— Chad Bishop covers Vanderbilt for VUCommodores.com.
Follow him @MrChadBishop.
