Crystal Boyd joins the Scarlet Raider staff as its graduate intern with a resume that would make many college level coaches jealous. A high school All-American and an NCAA Division I player in basketball, she is working toward a master’s in public administration at Rutgers-Newark.
The 2009 graduate of New Mexico State played NCAA Division I basketball at the University of Texas and New Mexico State before playing professionally in Iceland during the 2010-11 season. She averaged 21.0 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.9 steals and 1.9 assists for the U.M.F. Grindavik, pouring in 31 points to go along with nine rebounds in the Icelandic League All-Star Game in March.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in individualized studies in digital film in 2009.
Boyd transferred from Texas to New Mexico State in the fall of 2008. After sitting out the year under NCAA D-I transfer rules, she enjoyed her first injury-free season since 2005 – and it helped buoy the Aggies to an 18-14 record and a Women’s National Invitational Tournament appearance.
As a senior, Boyd was named second team All-Western Athletic Conference after leading the Aggies in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocked shots. She ranked second in the 9-team WAC in steals (2.25 per game), tied for second in blocked shots (1.59), third in rebounding (7.5) and fifth in scoring (15.3). She led an upset of No. 21 Kansas with 25 points, eight rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals. She poured in a career-high 26 points in a loss to WAC champs Fresno State and pulled down 15 rebounds in a win over UTEP.
Boyd played two seasons at the University of Texas (2005-06 and 2007-08) after sitting out a season because of a broken bone in her right foot. As a freshman she averaged 2.6 points and 1.5 rebounds while coming off the bench in 26 games for the 13-15 Longhorns. As a red-shirt sophomore in 2007-08, she averaged 2.8 points and 1.4 rebounds as Texas improved to 22-13 and upset the field for a Big 12 Tournament Championship. The Longhorns advanced to the NCAA second round.
Born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, Boyd was the 2005 Gatorade Arkansas Player of the Year and played in the 2005 McDonald’s All-America Game out of Parkview Arts and Sciences Magnet High School. She was named the Arkansas “Miss Basketball" by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette and earned WBCA High School All-America Honorable Mention after averaging 19.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game as a senior.
Parkview won state Class 5 championships in 2002, 2004 and 2005 with Boyd earning the tournament’s MVP award in all three seasons. She was a three-time all-state player, earning first team laurels as a junior and senior after being named to the second unit as a sophomore in 2003.
An outstanding student, Boyd also received the Wesley College Book Award for academic excellence as a senior.
Boyd also works with the Joetta Clark-Diggs Sports Foundation, Inc., as program leader for groups. The Foundation encourages people to embrace fitness as part of their lifestyle.
She is involved in communication which spans from professional songwriting and production, to screenwriting, to digital film production to coaching. Her passion for coaching is obvious.
“I love basketball. It’s always been a part of my life and even if I’m not playing, it is still an important part of my everyday life. The game has taught me a lot about hard work and discipline – and has opened many doors to me. And I want to use my experience and passion to help other youth do the same or even better than me.”
