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Where Are They Now – Cristal Randolph
1/12/2020 4:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Cristal Randolph came to Florida Atlantic University to play college basketball
and earn her degree – nothing more, nothing less.
Her Owl ties, though, proved beneficial long after her time as a student-athlete.
After leading FAU to its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2006, Randolph graduated in '07 and began applying for jobs. Randolph couldn't find the right fit – until she saw an opening at her alma mater's admissions office.
"My job was easy: to just go around and tell people about (FAU's) campus, tell people about the academic programs, the sports programs, etc.," Randolph said. "Because although they've heard about it, they couldn't really put an image or vision to what it looked like."
That vision was clear to Randolph, and she shared it at college fairs and high schools across the state. Randolph also hosted FAU recruits on campus tours – which drew the attention of her former coach, Chancellor Dugan.
Dugan thought Randolph's basketball IQ and people skills made her a good coaching candidate. Randolph said she was interested, then Dugan connected her with a friend at Miami University.
Shortly after, in August of 2008, Randolph became the RedHawks' director of women's basketball operations.
"I was just excited, just gung-ho about doing what I love," Randolph said of the Miami job. "It's sort of like going to a concert and being behind the scenes, seeing everything that happens."
Randolph handled everything from marketing games to coordinating community service events at Miami. She was running an entire program – a year removed from playing for one.
Still, although she loved her job, being in Oxford, Ohio was "nothing like being home" in South Florida.
An opportunity to return arose in 2010: Dugan was looking for an assistant coach at FAU.
Randolph applied for the position but didn't expect it to get handed to her – despite her familiarity with the program. Dugan was an "earn-your-spot type of person," so Randolph prepared as such.
"I just had to prove what I can do, what she knew I could do," Randolph said, "as well as the things that I learned in the position at Miami."
Randolph proved enough to get hired.
She joined the Owls' staff before the 2010-11 season and was as impactful on the bench as she was on the court. The team reached the Sun Belt Conference semifinals in her second season.
Coaching the team whose foundation she helped build as a player gave Randolph "a sense of pride every day."
The homecoming, however, was short lived. Randolph left to coach at FIU ahead of the 2012-13 season – even though its coaches and players knew her love for the Owls never wavered.
"They were saying, 'Hey, don't give Cristal the scouting report; we don't want her sending it to FAU,'' Randolph said. "Realistically, obviously, that's not happening, but everybody knew where my heart was, where my foundation was."
Scouting reports were far from Randolph's top priority midway through the 2014 season as she gave birth to her son, Bryce, three months prematurely.
Randolph went on leave to "try and get him healthy enough to live." She returned at the end of the year, then decided to step away from coaching long-term to care for her son.
"I felt like I needed to be with him more than I needed to be there for games, practices and things like that," Randolph said.
In 2016, Randolph got a part-time position with the Dan Marino Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to improving the lives of people with autism and other developmental disabilities.
Twice a week, she provided job training to young adults with autism to encourage employers to hire them. Randolph said she was "helping give them an opportunity that they didn't fully have."
That inspired Randolph to work with children going forward. But she also wanted to work in sports. So, she searched for a job that incorporated both.
She found exactly that in January 2017, becoming a park manager for Fort Lauderdale's Mills Pond Park, where she coordinates sports leagues and events.
Randolph's FAU background, both as a player and a coach, made it a perfect fit.
"When I look back, I think FAU was the place for me to go," Randolph said. "It gave me the academic foundation and ended up being a foundation for my professional career as well."
and earn her degree – nothing more, nothing less.Her Owl ties, though, proved beneficial long after her time as a student-athlete.
After leading FAU to its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2006, Randolph graduated in '07 and began applying for jobs. Randolph couldn't find the right fit – until she saw an opening at her alma mater's admissions office.
"My job was easy: to just go around and tell people about (FAU's) campus, tell people about the academic programs, the sports programs, etc.," Randolph said. "Because although they've heard about it, they couldn't really put an image or vision to what it looked like."
That vision was clear to Randolph, and she shared it at college fairs and high schools across the state. Randolph also hosted FAU recruits on campus tours – which drew the attention of her former coach, Chancellor Dugan.
Dugan thought Randolph's basketball IQ and people skills made her a good coaching candidate. Randolph said she was interested, then Dugan connected her with a friend at Miami University.
Shortly after, in August of 2008, Randolph became the RedHawks' director of women's basketball operations.
"I was just excited, just gung-ho about doing what I love," Randolph said of the Miami job. "It's sort of like going to a concert and being behind the scenes, seeing everything that happens."
Randolph handled everything from marketing games to coordinating community service events at Miami. She was running an entire program – a year removed from playing for one.
Still, although she loved her job, being in Oxford, Ohio was "nothing like being home" in South Florida.
An opportunity to return arose in 2010: Dugan was looking for an assistant coach at FAU.
Randolph applied for the position but didn't expect it to get handed to her – despite her familiarity with the program. Dugan was an "earn-your-spot type of person," so Randolph prepared as such.
"I just had to prove what I can do, what she knew I could do," Randolph said, "as well as the things that I learned in the position at Miami."
Randolph proved enough to get hired.
She joined the Owls' staff before the 2010-11 season and was as impactful on the bench as she was on the court. The team reached the Sun Belt Conference semifinals in her second season.
Coaching the team whose foundation she helped build as a player gave Randolph "a sense of pride every day."
The homecoming, however, was short lived. Randolph left to coach at FIU ahead of the 2012-13 season – even though its coaches and players knew her love for the Owls never wavered.
"They were saying, 'Hey, don't give Cristal the scouting report; we don't want her sending it to FAU,'' Randolph said. "Realistically, obviously, that's not happening, but everybody knew where my heart was, where my foundation was."
Scouting reports were far from Randolph's top priority midway through the 2014 season as she gave birth to her son, Bryce, three months prematurely.
Randolph went on leave to "try and get him healthy enough to live." She returned at the end of the year, then decided to step away from coaching long-term to care for her son.
"I felt like I needed to be with him more than I needed to be there for games, practices and things like that," Randolph said.
In 2016, Randolph got a part-time position with the Dan Marino Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to improving the lives of people with autism and other developmental disabilities.
Twice a week, she provided job training to young adults with autism to encourage employers to hire them. Randolph said she was "helping give them an opportunity that they didn't fully have."
That inspired Randolph to work with children going forward. But she also wanted to work in sports. So, she searched for a job that incorporated both.
She found exactly that in January 2017, becoming a park manager for Fort Lauderdale's Mills Pond Park, where she coordinates sports leagues and events.
Randolph's FAU background, both as a player and a coach, made it a perfect fit.
"When I look back, I think FAU was the place for me to go," Randolph said. "It gave me the academic foundation and ended up being a foundation for my professional career as well."
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