Six players from Spain are on the roster. The team took on the Rice Owls on Saturday.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Islanders women’s basketball team was back in action this week at home, taking on the Rice on Saturday at the Dugan Wellness Center.
The Islanders ultimately fell to the Owls, 84-56.
On the women’s team is a group of girls that share a special bond, traveling from Spain to become a part of Islander Athletics.
“It helps you with the home sickness, obviously,” said sophomore center Bruna Anguera. “You have part of your culture right here. So, it’s been amazing to have all the Spaniards on the team.”
As one of six Islanders women from Spain, Anguera said she started playing basketball when she was 5 years old. She kept switching teams to be more competitive, eventually playing for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, which she feels is a good fit.
“Playing basketball, and the studies, ’cause in Spain, the resources to do that — they’re not as big. And here, they just — the combination of both is great,” she said.
Anguera said the Isles’ coaching staff and warm weather was another reason she came to South Texas.
Senior Violeta Verano also grew up in Spain, playing basketball just like her brother. She said she came to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi because of its proximity to Mexico and the cultural similarities to Spain.
Other Spanish players, such as senior Mireia Aguado, helped her feel welcome.
“I knew Mireia was here, and she speaks Spanish, too,” Verano said. “So, I was like, ya, I’m going to try to go there.”
Verano said despite being from different cultures and from countries thousands of miles apart, the Spanish and American team members are a big family.
She said she’s happy to be a leader on the team — which she admits plays a more physical style to the one she was accustomed to in Spain — and aims to be a leader just like the players she looked up to when she first got to A&M-CC.
“I’ve been there, you know,” Verano said. “I’ve been like them in my, my first year I came here. I had some examples from the seniors. So, I’m trying to just give them example and, you know, embrace them to, to keep going.”
Verano said she loves working with this special group of girls and has high hopes for the end of the season. She finished Saturday’s game with 4 points and a made 3-pointer.
Anguera tallied 9 points and 3 rebounds.
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