SBU women, defending America East champs, favored to repeat
India Pagan of Stony Brook University poses for a portrait before practice on Thursday, November 4, 2021 at Island Federal Credit Union Arena in Stony Brook. Credit: Dawn McCormick
India Pagan called it "living the dream" and it sounds like she’s right on the nose with that.
Stony Brook’s 6-1 forward made Puerto Rico’s national team and helped it earn a spot in the field at the Olympics in Japan this past summer. There she met NBA stars like the Gasol brothers and Jason Tatum as well as renowned figures from other sports like tennis’ Novak Djokovic.
"I still can’t believe I was there," Pagan said. "There were NBA players and WNBA players and top athletes from every part of the world – and me. I was tearing up just walking through the (Olympic) village because it was so unbelievable."
Pagan returned to rejoin the Seawolves and has helped make them the team to beat in the America East. The defending conference champion and coming off a 15-5 season and its first trip to the NCAA Tournament, Stony Brook was tabbed as the favorite in a preseason poll of conference coaches. Pagan was also a member of the 2019-20 regular season champion that went 28-3 before the conference tournament was cancelled by the coronavirus pandemic.
SBU will open its season on Tuesday against Delaware State at Island Federal Credit Union Arena.
Pagan didn’t intend to play another season at Stony Brook, even after the NCAA granted student-athletes an extra year of eligibility because of the pandemic. Head coach Caroline McCombs departed to take a position at George Washington and James Madison associate head coach Ashley Langford was brought in to take over a talent-laden program.
"I had to re-recruit her because she wasn’t coming back and that started after I came in and before she left to play (with the national team)," said Langford, who also has been on the coaching staffs at Auburn, Old Dominion, Navy, Bucknell and Denver. "I am glad we built that relationship because she adds so much."
Langford said of Pagan "her hands are among the best I’ve seen in Division I and she is so skilled that I don’t think another player can stop her one-on-one." She averaged 9.0 points and 5.0 assists last season and is a preseason all-conference pick.
Pagan said she came back "with a new kind of confidence after seeing I can play with competition at that high level." Puerto Rico won enough to earn their place in the Olympic field – including the silver medal at the FIBA AmeriCup Tournament – but went winless in Japan.
There is still a lot of competition to be in the starting lineup, but Pagan figures to be in it with 5-8 guard Anastasia Warren and 5-10 Earlette Scott, two of the top four scorers last season. Guard Erin Turral, a 5-6 junior college transfer, could be a player to watch.
"Because we were picked first, we’re going to have a target on our backs, but I think we’re up to the challenge," Pagan said.
That Stony Brook didn’t have to be built from the ground up was attractive to Langford.
"We have a lot of team depth and versatility," she said. "We can score a lot of ways. They already know how to win. They are unselfish. . . . There’s a lot to like about this team."
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
