By Shane Donaldson
Associate Athletic Director, Communication and New Media

KINGSTON, R.I. - When Martina Borrellas decided to join head coach Colleen Mullen at Rhode Island, the Rams picked up an elite defensive player in the backcourt.

As a sophomore, Borrellas was one of just two guards named to the America East All-Defensive Team. It is an impressive honor, though not one the junior from Barcelona, Spain would have expected to earn before she began her college career.

"I was not a defensive-minded player when I got to UAlbany," Borrellas said. "As a freshman, it is really hard to get time on the court. So I focused a lot of my energy on defense, and then I just found the joy in impacting the game through defense. When I get on the court, I just know the person I am guarding is going to have a hard time. They are not going to get past me. Getting a defensive stop is more important to me than making a basket."

In her first season, Borrellas was a role player, appearing in 30 games with one start. She averaged 14.4 minutes, 2.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game for a Great Dane squad that won 26 games and reached the finals of the America East Championship.

After building her reputation on the defensive end, Borrellas became a full-time starter as a sophomore. She started all 30 games for UAlbany and saw her scoring average jump to 9.8 points per game while also leading the team with 6.9 rebounds per game. She was eighth in the league with 4.4 defensive boards per game as a guard.

For Borrellas, it is the coaching staff that first brought her to the United States to UAlbany, and then to Rhode Island, who have made the difference for her. 

"When they asked me to come here, I didn't really have to think about it," Borrellas said. "They were the first people who really showed trust in me when I was getting recruited. They are great coaches. Also, it was an opportunity to come with a bunch of my teammates, which was going to make it easier. When you combine those things with the opportunity to play in a league like the Atlantic 10, it made it easy to come to Rhode Island."

What was Mullen's message to Borrellas about her new basketball home?

"She told me I was going to love this place," Borrellas said. "She told me about the beach and the beautiful buildings. The people here are really nice. I was not expecting how nice the people in the community have been. They really seem to know about the team and about us as players. We are so lucky to be here."

Borrellas arrived at URI early in the summer, the first of the UAlbany players to come to campus. That allowed her to spend time with returning players Sophia Vital and Amori Jarrett, as well as Wofford transfer Queen Ikhiuwu before the rest of the team arrived.

"Soph and Amori spent time showing me around the school and the community," Borrellas said. "They have been driving me around everywhere since I don't have a car. For them to make that time to help me adjust was really nice.

"That time early in the summer helped me build relationships with them. When my teammates from UAlbany came a few weeks later, it was easier for me to help everyone get to know each other. That team chemistry was showing up quickly. We all spend time together, even after practice. It's a 24-hour thing. It's so fun."

Aiding with the adjustments was a two-way street.

"Having Martina here earlier and getting to know a player from UAlbany who already understood what would be coming helped," Vital said. "She knows the coaching staff pretty well. I was able to ask her questions and get myself ready for the transition."

Borrellas and Ikhiuwu will have a third native of Spain, incoming freshman Naiara Quintana, joining the team eventually. Quintana is currently competing for the Spanish national team.

"I met Martina a month ago, and immediately we felt like we were so tight," Ikhiuwu said. "She helped me a lot with feeling at home, even though we are so far from our home. Whenever Martina is around, it gives me a piece of home that I can keep with me. It really makes this special."

Fellow UAlbany transfer Amaya Stewart said having Borrellas serve as somewhat of an icebreaker between new teammates
 
"Obviously there is that little bit of awkward phase of really getting to know everybody in a new place. But Martina was here before most of us," Stewart said. "When you see someone that you know and trust building connections with other people, it makes it easier to get to know the new people. It makes it easier to open up and have deeper conversations a bit faster."

For Borrellas, the relationships that come out of playing basketball have always been a driving force. She has played the game her whole life, following in the footsteps of her parents, who both are basketball players.

"Basketball was the first sport I picked up as a kid, and it's the last sport I'm going to play in my life," Borrellas said. "Both of my parents play basketball. They love it. When we are together, we spend our weekends together watching games. I grew up with a ball in my hands.

"All of the experiences that I have lived are because of basketball. It is all of the teammates I have been around, all of the people who have worked with me to get better. As a young lady, all of the people and the experiences I have had because of basketball mean the world to me."

 

---

Catch up on the previous Summer Sessions features, written by Shane Donaldson:

Summer Sessions: Delanie Hill

Summer Sessions: Sophia Vital

Summer Sessions: Amaya Stewart