After a freshman season in which she didn’t play much, UC San Diego’s Erin Condron was looking forward to making a bigger impact in her second year.
However, her progress toward that goal was halted by a hand injury.
Condron was forced to miss the first 14 games of the 2024-25 season. When she did return to the lineup, she was able to improve on her freshman year, but she also returned with a newfound sense of appreciation for the game of basketball.
It was something that UC San Diego head coach Heidi VanDerveer noticed right away.
“She came back in great shape,” VanDerveer told The IX Basketball. “I think sitting out gave her a different perspective of kind of what she could do and how she could help our team.”
Condron echoed VanDerveer, stating that observing the game from the sidelines allowed her to see where she could be most effective in the Tritons’ lineups. Upon her return, she scored in double figures in eight of her first 11 games. She shot over 45% in seven of those games.
She wiped away the bitter taste of the injury and helped lead UC San Diego to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2025.
”When I was injured, in the moment, it’s terrible. You’re upset. I had a really good preseason, and so I was pretty devastated,” Condron told The IX Basketball. “But I came back, and I had a new appreciation of what I could bring to the team. I could see the bits and pieces that my team was missing on the court. I could see where I could kind of fit into that role. In terms of what I could bring, that was something that really shaped what I worked on.”
Now, Condron is taking the lessons she learned from last season and applying them to the court this season, which has led to a breakout junior season for her. She’s playing a career-high 33.5 minutes per game. Across the board, all of her numbers are career-highs. She’s shooting 53.4% from the field and averaging 15.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.3 blocks.
Overall, she’s worked on becoming more well-rounded in terms of her offensive skill set. She is a post player through and through, but she’s worked on diversifying how she’s able to score in the paint.
“The whole time I’ve been here, even on off days, I’m putting up extra shots. I’ve always been about, not just developing the skills I have, but expanding my game,” Condron said. “This year, I’m playing a lot more outside the key and driving rather than just making moves inside of the paint. I think that’s a big addition to my game, and next season, I know I’m going to keep improving.
”I’m going to keep adding to my game. I want to add more of an outside shot and stuff. In terms of my mindset, that’s just kind of worked out.”
Condron’s revamped offensive attack is still a work in progress. Of the 337 shot attempts Condron has taken this season, only 44 of them have come outside the painted area, per Synergy Sports. Of those 44, 12 have been 3-point attempts, with Condron only connecting on three of them.
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But where her offensive development has really shown is being able to make moves off the dribble. Her teammates know they can throw the ball to her in the post, and she’ll seal and make a move.
Because Condron is already so skilled in the post, she knows expanding her game will make her that much more of a threat.
”It just makes you that much harder to guard. You can have someone that’s tall, but doesn’t move as well. If I can take them outside of the paint, then I can attack them and score that way,” Condron said. “If maybe they’re a little bit faster with better hands and can keep up with me that way, I can take them inside the paint and beat them more physically. I think it’s rare to find defenders that have the ability to defend everything.”
With the added offensive responsibility has come added defensive pressure. Condron is the primary name on opposing teams’ scouting reports. That’s another part of the reason why she’s looked to expand her offensive game.
As a more traditional post player, Condron has noticed she doesn’t have as much time to post up and seal before being swarmed by opposing defenses. Being much more decisive as soon as she gets the ball in her hands has helped her counter how defenders try to guard her.
“It’s been a big adjustment. There’s definitely a lot more attention on me, getting double and triple teams sometimes. I’ve kind of had to change some of the moves and stuff that I’m doing,” Condron said. “In the past, I’ve been more of a back-to-the-basket player. I take a dribble and use my footwork to get around a player. But when you have that much attention on you, you don’t have as much time to do that.
“I’ve been really good at expanding my game in that way. I have to have really good vision of the court. I’ve been facing up a lot more on my post-ups. That’s where the drives come in, and that’s been really good for me. And also just being able to find my teammates, whether they’re diving or moving off me, getting 3-point shots.”
But it’s not just the on-court production where Condron has had immense growth. As one of the upperclassmen and longest-tenured players on the team, stepping into more of a leadership role was a natural change.
The Tritons have a solid mix of freshmen and sophomores, alongside more experienced juniors and seniors. For VanDerveer, the leadership aspect is just as important to Condron’s development as improving her skill set is.
”I think she’s evolved. As her confidence has grown, her voice has grown. Her skill level and those things are important for sure, but I think her confidence is equally as important, and that leads to her leadership,” VanDerveer said. “Is she the most vocal leader? No. That’s just not her personality. But I think that in understanding what her role is, I think she takes that very seriously in terms of being a great leader for us.”
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Taking on more of a leadership role hasn’t always been easy for Condron. She has the respect of her coaches and the respect of her teammates, but personality-wise, she hasn’t always felt comfortable asserting herself.
It’s a role that she’s still growing into. VanDerveer has established a strong culture at UC San Diego, where winning and hard work are expected. Condron knows that she plays a big role in helping to reinforce that culture.
“I’m a bit more of a quiet person, and it has been a challenge for me, a real big focus for me. Being that kind of leader on the court, having to take charge and tell my teammates what I want from them, encouraging the young players,” Condron said. “If they need to do better, then do better. But being really positive. I think that positivity is so important in basketball. Everyone is so hard on themselves.
”That kind of ties into culture. We always have each other’s backs. As a leader, ensuring that is really important. My teammates feed off of that. They respect me, and so I’m able to do that.”
In the current college basketball landscape, where the transfer portal is as popular as ever, VanDerveer sees Condron as a bit of an anomaly. When it comes to recruiting, VanDerveer doesn’t only explain the basketball benefits. She also emphasizes academics and the high level of education UC San Diego provides.
She understands how NIL deals have altered the landscape financially. But in terms of what the school can provide, she believes their program is unique in the grand scheme of things. And Condron perfectly encapsulates the culture she is building.
”For young women that have the opportunity to play in a program that surrounds you with really good people and a highly supportive role, whether that’s on the basketball court, in the weight room, in the classroom, you want to be challenged,” VanDerveer said. “You can maximize your potential both academically and athletically just being a young scholar athlete. … Your experience is equally as valuable as some of the money that you’re going to make.”
With the regular season winding down and the start of the Big West Tournament approaching on March 11, the Tritons are in a neck-and-neck race with UC Irvine for the top spot in the conference.
Both teams are 16-3 in conference play, and both teams play their final regular-season game on Saturday before seeding for the conference tournament is locked into place. Should both teams win, UC Irvine would hold the top spot by virtue of a tie-breaker.
Regardless of where it lands in the standings, a conference championship and back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament are UC San Diego’s main goals.
”Obviously, everyone wants to go to March Madness. I think in general for this team, as long as we play our hardest, we’re going to win those games,” Condron said. “We play how we want to play. We play fast, we play hard, we play aggressive defense. As long as we play like that, I have confidence in all of my teammates and myself that we’re going to win those hard games. And even if we don’t, if we put everything that we have into those games, I think that’s really what success is.”
