By Jake Trujillo
Former Cal Poly star athlete and International Basketball Player, Kristina Santiago, had her No. 12 jersey permanently retired by the Mustangs for her endless hard work and dedication. Santiago, a Santa Maria native, is now in her fifth season playing professional basketball overseas in Switzerland.
“There were so many emotions leading up to that day. Not many people know the dedication and sacrifice it takes to be one of the best. I gave up a lot for this sport, and I had a lot of people supporting me that did too. Whether it was time, money, helping me mentally or physically. I guess a good word to describe the honor I was given is appreciated. I felt like everything I did, all the late nights, all the injuries and rehab was all worth it because I felt so appreciated. One thing that is certain is I have never been so proud and so honored in my life”.
“There were so many emotions leading up to that day. Not many people know the dedication and sacrifice it takes to be one of the best. I gave up a lot for this sport, and I had a lot of people supporting me that did too. Whether it was time, money, helping me mentally or physically. I guess a good word to describe the honor I was given is appreciated. I felt like everything I did, all the late nights, all the injuries and rehab was all worth it because I felt so appreciated. One thing that is certain is I have never been so proud and so honored in my life”.
“I absolutely love my time overseas,” Santiago explains. “It’s one thing to visit other countries, but it's another to live there for majority of the year and really embrace the different cultures. I love learning other people's point of views on the world and America”. In a following question, Santiago discusses that she would rather play overseas than America, she claims to be the “ultimate dream job” being able to travel with all expenses paid.
When Santiago was asked about how she got the opportunity to play overseas, she emphasized how her junior and senior years of college helped her reach her goal. “Having a really good Junior year in college put me on the radar for a lot of agents to contact me and show their interest. After a really good senior year I ended up signing with one of the top agents for Women's basketball”. Santiago goes on to tell the reporter that she had quite the journey as well concluding her senior year at Cal Poly. “The journey began from there. I played for a USA team in China that summer, then Bulgaria, Israel, back to Bulgaria for two more seasons, and now I am in Switzerland for the second year in a row.”
Santiago expressed that nothing about her transition was easy, but for her having such a positive attitude, and having an open mind changed her game and her life style for the better. “It is a huge transition coming overseas. From the style of basketball, coaching, referees, basketball courts, fans, the lifestyle, food, etc”.
While attending the Righetti High School, in Santa Maria, Santiago was not highly recruited by many schools. Her junior year, she made an impression on scouts throughout the season, getting invited to play on teams and go to tournaments all over the country. Unfortunately, her season was cut short right before reaching playoffs after tearing her ACL. “I missed out on the biggest summer of my life basketball wise”, Santiago says. “Thankfully, I was back for my senior year to prove all the colleges that dropped me wrong, and ended up signing with Cal Poly who stuck by me from the second I got hurt”.
In her first year of being a Mustang forward, Santiago was already making a name for herself while averaging 7.1 points per game. Named to the Big West All-Freshman team, Santiago knew that if she wanted a bigger role she would have to improve on her game as best as she could.
And that she did.
In her next two years as a sophomore and a junior, she was named to the All-Big West First teams. In addition, while earning the honors of being the Big West Conference Player of the Year her junior year while averaging 19 points per game, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. The sky was the limit for her. “I was so pumped and ready to dominate my senior year. It was similar to high school in that I had agents and WNBA scouts interested”, said Santiago.
Unfortunately, one game into her senior season, Santiago came down on her knee very awkwardly and knew right away that the outcome was not good. She had suffered yet another ACL injury to the same knee as she did in high school. A lot of people ruled her out of ever playing the game again. How can someone come back to competition after two surgeries on the same knee? “There is no better motivation for me than hearing that people doubt me” said Santiago. “I was so motivated to get back and prove that I could be an even stronger, more dominant player. There were hard days for sure, especially the first couple months after surgery, when you think how much easier it would be to give up. But those thoughts don't last long with me. I'm a competitor and when it's my time to stop playing it will be because I'm ready to move on, not because of an injury”.
Santiago claims that “championships and individual awards aside, I think I have had a very successful career. I did not have an easy path, as many don't, and I think my success comes from overcoming those obstacles in my life and accomplishing the goals I set for myself. I am at a point in my life were I play basketball for a living, so for me that is a success in itself!”
Finally, when asked If you could go back and do anything different, would there be anything? Santiago had this to say, “I have been asked this question before, and the more and more I think about it, the more sure I am that the answer is no. I dedicated every second to this game. I leave everything on that court when I step out there, I always have. I would like to think I could go back and prevent my injuries, but then I would've never experienced life in the way I have. Everything good and bad has happened for a reason and I have no regrets about any of it!”
When Santiago was asked about how she got the opportunity to play overseas, she emphasized how her junior and senior years of college helped her reach her goal. “Having a really good Junior year in college put me on the radar for a lot of agents to contact me and show their interest. After a really good senior year I ended up signing with one of the top agents for Women's basketball”. Santiago goes on to tell the reporter that she had quite the journey as well concluding her senior year at Cal Poly. “The journey began from there. I played for a USA team in China that summer, then Bulgaria, Israel, back to Bulgaria for two more seasons, and now I am in Switzerland for the second year in a row.”
Santiago expressed that nothing about her transition was easy, but for her having such a positive attitude, and having an open mind changed her game and her life style for the better. “It is a huge transition coming overseas. From the style of basketball, coaching, referees, basketball courts, fans, the lifestyle, food, etc”.
While attending the Righetti High School, in Santa Maria, Santiago was not highly recruited by many schools. Her junior year, she made an impression on scouts throughout the season, getting invited to play on teams and go to tournaments all over the country. Unfortunately, her season was cut short right before reaching playoffs after tearing her ACL. “I missed out on the biggest summer of my life basketball wise”, Santiago says. “Thankfully, I was back for my senior year to prove all the colleges that dropped me wrong, and ended up signing with Cal Poly who stuck by me from the second I got hurt”.
In her first year of being a Mustang forward, Santiago was already making a name for herself while averaging 7.1 points per game. Named to the Big West All-Freshman team, Santiago knew that if she wanted a bigger role she would have to improve on her game as best as she could.
And that she did.
In her next two years as a sophomore and a junior, she was named to the All-Big West First teams. In addition, while earning the honors of being the Big West Conference Player of the Year her junior year while averaging 19 points per game, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. The sky was the limit for her. “I was so pumped and ready to dominate my senior year. It was similar to high school in that I had agents and WNBA scouts interested”, said Santiago.
Unfortunately, one game into her senior season, Santiago came down on her knee very awkwardly and knew right away that the outcome was not good. She had suffered yet another ACL injury to the same knee as she did in high school. A lot of people ruled her out of ever playing the game again. How can someone come back to competition after two surgeries on the same knee? “There is no better motivation for me than hearing that people doubt me” said Santiago. “I was so motivated to get back and prove that I could be an even stronger, more dominant player. There were hard days for sure, especially the first couple months after surgery, when you think how much easier it would be to give up. But those thoughts don't last long with me. I'm a competitor and when it's my time to stop playing it will be because I'm ready to move on, not because of an injury”.
Santiago claims that “championships and individual awards aside, I think I have had a very successful career. I did not have an easy path, as many don't, and I think my success comes from overcoming those obstacles in my life and accomplishing the goals I set for myself. I am at a point in my life were I play basketball for a living, so for me that is a success in itself!”
Finally, when asked If you could go back and do anything different, would there be anything? Santiago had this to say, “I have been asked this question before, and the more and more I think about it, the more sure I am that the answer is no. I dedicated every second to this game. I leave everything on that court when I step out there, I always have. I would like to think I could go back and prevent my injuries, but then I would've never experienced life in the way I have. Everything good and bad has happened for a reason and I have no regrets about any of it!”