Titan Memories: Lauren Chow

2/4/2025 10:00:00 AM | By: Kirk San Roman

"Lauren Chow for THREE!" Those words could often be heard echoing in historic Titan Gym during Chow's four-plus year career for Cal State Fullerton. Over a dozen years later, she continues to reign as the all-time three-point shooter in CSUF women's basketball history, with 234 treys made. Gabi Vidmar, who graduated in 2024, trails Lauren by 52 three-pointers.

Lauren is one of only 25 student-athletes to score 1,000 or more points in Cal State Fullerton women's basketball history, which dates back to the 1969-70 inaugural season.

Growing up in nearby La Palma, and prepping at John F. Kennedy High School, the sharpshooting, two-time All-CIF point guard also considered the University of San Diego, but opted for Cal State Fullerton. Said Chow: "Besides being well known for their teaching credential program, which I was interested in at the time, CSUF was local, which meant I was close to home and my family was nearby. I enjoyed the smaller campus feel, because to me that was more welcoming and less overwhelming.

"Coach (Marcia) Foster began the recruiting process when she scouted me at a game. Then, I began to get to know Head Coach, (Maryalyce) Jeremiah, who was great to chat with via emails, phone calls, and unofficial visits, because I got to know her style and philosophy. I also remember going on a campus tour with Coach (Allyson) Kelly and Coach (Sara) Perry."

At only 5'4", one would imagine that Lauren would have faced many on-court challenges. However, she never saw it that way: "General adjustments usually depended on the length of the defense and their speed. At 5'4", a lengthy defense was hard to see around. The work I did in the weight room certainly helped because I came in at around 109 lbs. My teammates also helped a lot, especially on the defensive end."

After outstanding freshman and sophomore campaigns, where she was named Big West Freshman of the Year, Chow suffered a season-ending ACL injury in December of 2009, earning a medical redshirt season. Her lengthy rehabilitation process would have a huge impact on her, and ultimately led to her current career.

Lauren explained: "The rehab process proved challenging on many fronts, but during that time I had the opportunity to meet some of the other athletes while in the athletic training room, and got to know some of the Athletic Trainer students. Connie Kuei was a student Athletic Trainer at the time, and I still talk to her to this day. I even watch her dog, Finley, from time to time."

When asked if she had any doubts about being able to return to the court, she was very candid: "I definitely had doubts because it was a major injury. The Athletic Trainers and the Strength and Conditioning staff helped me regain that confidence during the rehab process. Amanda Rice provided the right amounts of tough love, but also the care that I needed. Nick Longo helped me regain my strength in the weight room, post-surgery. The women's basketball coaches were also supportive and patient during my return to play process.

"I'd say my overall experience as a Student-Athlete influenced my decision to pursue Strength and Conditioning as a career. The rehab process played a role in that I saw all of the sides of S&C, from prehab to rehab in enhancing athletic performance. I was also able to experience S&C coaches with the exuberant styles of Coach Krumpos and Coach Longo, to the low key styles of Coach Vandermade and Coach Salazar. The whole experience with them made the weight room an exciting place to be, and to indirectly work on my game."

When asked about any on-court memories, Lauren didn't list any particular game highlights. Instead, she spoke about the camaraderie she shared with her friends and teammates: "There are many memories from on the court, but being able to see and (interact) with players with diverse styles was definitely a highlight. From witnessing amazing scorers like Toni Thomas and Megan (Richardson) Tiernan, to seeing tough-minded consistency from Lyndsey (Grove) Longo, Jenna Breite, and Daviyonne (Weathersby) Luna.

"Now that I am in a field that appreciates movement, looking back, one of my favorite memories was watching 'Day' (Daviyonne Weathersby) jump over one of the scorer's tables while chasing a loose ball during a game. The pure athleticism of that was wild!"

Sara Perry, former Titan women's basketball assistant coach, and current CSUF Assistant Athletics Director & CFO, had this to say: "Lauren Chow was one of the hardest working athletes that I have coached. She was extremely competitive and coachable, and had one of the best 3-point shots that I have ever seen. Lauren also possessed one of the highest basketball IQ's that I have known."

Asked to acknowledge any additional individuals who have not already been mentioned, Lauren said, "In some respect, it is difficult to acknowledge any one person for influencing my basketball game, because I believe everyone I've been coached by, played with, or even watched, influenced my game in some way." With regard to her Kinesiology studies, Chow added: "It was also a true privilege learning under the great, Dr. Lee Brown, someone I still turn to for advice."

Chow began her career in Strength and Conditioning as a volunteer assistant at UC Irvine, before moving on to internships with Loyola Marymount University, and the Los Angeles Clippers. In 2016, Lauren was named Cal State Dominguez Hills' first Strength and Conditioning Coach. She is responsible for designing and implementing various training programs for Toro student-athletes. Additionally, she played a key role in refurbishing their weight room.

Summing up her time at Cal State Fullerton, Lauren offered a unique perspective: "I believe God lined up the stops I've made in a way that only He could. That probably started before college. But in choosing CSUF, I ended up in one of the top Kinesiology programs in the West, which led to a solid education to set me up for gaining experience post-college. From there, I met kind people along the way who helped me continue to grow and gain experience, which eventually led me to landing the position at CSUDH."

Honors