by Ken Fermin
The privilege of representing your country or your state or even your county is an honor bestowed only upon the best, and it’s something many athletes dream of and strive for — but few have achieved. The amount of additional time and effort these athletes put in to be the best far surpassess the average, or even the above average players. Stony Brook junior forward/center India Pagan is no stranger to the extra mile, and is ready to prove this when she represents Puerto Rico in the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
Pagan is coming off an impressive sophomore campaign for the Seawolves, where she led the America East by shooting 52 percent from the field. The youngest athlete on Puerto Rico’s basketball roster, India brings three summers of international experience — and a bronze medal from the 2018 Central American and Carribian Games — with her. The young superstar is also ready to deliver for the chance of claiming the gold medal.
Her journey to international competition began in 2016, playing at an AAU basketball tournament in Washington D.C. A Puerto Rican Basketball Federation scout was in attendance and saw the athlete deliver a dominant 20-point performance. India’s skills controlling the ball at both ends of the court, packaged in her 6’2” frame, earned her the opportunity to represent Puerto Rico at the 2016 FIBA Americas U18 World Championship in Valdivia, Chile.
“I let them know, ‘Yeah I’m the baby off the court — but they can hit me, bump me, do whatever on the court.’ It just makes me better.”
India wasted no time making an impact when her team desperately needed it. Puerto Rico was ice cold coming out of the gate against Mexico, starting off 0–5 from three-point range and falling into an early 11–0 hole. They needed a basket quick — so Pagan obliged by driving to the paint for the layup and drew the foul to finish off the three point play.
The quick basket set the tone for India dominating the contest. The center was the tallest player on the court, and used it to Puerto Rico’s advantage by knocking down shots and grabbing boards over defenders. Pagan shot 81 percent from the floor and led the game with a 20 point, 11 rebound double-double, commanding her team to a 72–71 upset victory.
Puerto Rico finished fourth in the standings and qualified for the 2017 U-19 World Championship in Italy. The World Championship helped establish Pagan as an anchor inside, finishing 10th overall and third among centers with an average of nearly seven rebounds per game.
Pagan added what she learned from international competition to her already extensive repertoire, utilizing it to great success on every court she’s stepped foot on since. The forward wrapped up her high school career by leading the New London Whalers to the Class LL state championship and Connecticut’s top ranking women’s high school team — earning Pagan ‘The Day’s 2017 All-Area Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year’. India was ready to represent Puerto Rico after an incredibly decorated year, this time, in the U-19 World Cup.
The opportunity was life-changing for India, who was about to enter her first year at Stony Brook. Although it postponed Pagan from meeting her Seawolves’ teammates, she learned about the intensity that was needed to succeed professionally.
“It was a big wake up call because while I would like to be at and get to know the girls at my school, I reminded myself ‘You are playing for your country,’” Pagan said. “You are playing the best of the best of other countries and older women. It was a wake up call and I’m so thankful I got the opportunity coming out of my senior year in high school.”
“Once in a while, late at night and in the morning, I would work on my moves — and not just my inside moves but my three-point shot. And it is something I can take back to Stony Brook.”
Pagan stepped up early with consecutive double-double games — including a 26 point performance in the 77–72 victory over Korea. India displayed exceptional scoring precision during the World Championship and converted 53 percent of her field-goals, finishing seventh overall. She also battled against incredibly talented players from other schools, leagues and countries.
“The Italy trip was a special one because it was the U-19 World Cup,” Pagan said. “That was a great experience because I got to see players like Chrysten Williams, who plays for UConn now. We got to play the best of the best from Russia [including Maria Vadeeva], who plays in the WNBA. Just playing against these really experienced and talented players was a great feeling.”
Although she was surrounded by teammates her age in prior years, Pagan is the youngest player representing Puerto Rico by nearly two years. While her teammates have teased India about it, the forward has taken the jokes in stride.
“It’s different,” Pagan said. “They call me the baby over here because I am the youngest but I don’t let it get to me. I play as hard as I can every time. I let them know, ‘Yeah I’m the baby off the court — but they can hit me, bump me, do whatever on the court.’ It just makes me better.”
India’s mental fortitude on and off the court is one of her strongest attributes. The forward does not only want to get better for her country, but also for her team back in Stony Brook. Pagan reiterated of extra training to improve every aspect of her game, including her three-point shooting.
“Honestly just getting in the gym, Coach always reiterates that,” Pagan said. “One form of motivation is when she says “Do the nonrequired work” — like when you don’t need to do it, you should do it. So once in a while, late at night and in the morning, I would work on my moves — and not just my inside moves but my three-point shot. And it is something I can take back to Stony Brook.”
And Stony Brook will look to Pagan to help lead the team to another successful season. The 2018–2019 season was a breakout year for women’s basketball at Stony Brook, posting a 23–8 overall record and an 11–5 record in the America East, both program bests at the Division I level. Pagan is the team’s top returning scorer this season, having contributed more than 12 points per game a season ago.
Pagan’s inclusion comes as the Puerto Rican national has adjusted to several injuries, retirements and opponents. While the team as a whole is younger compared to prior years — half of the team is 23 years old and under — it plans on capitalizing on its youthfulness and speed.
“We had about two or three of our pretty good players retire, but we are a younger team now.” Pagan said. “The other two posts [Sofia Roma and Isalys Quinones] just graduated college, so it is a younger team but we are going to use that to our advantage. We are a faster team, so we are going to be running hard on teams.”
The Puerto Rican national women’s basketball team will look to win the gold medal in the Pan American Games for the first time since 2011. Their preliminary contest was a comfortable 91–73 win over Paraguay on Tuesday morning, and will now face Brazil on Wednesday evening at 10pm EST in a game that will be streamed online by ESPN.
