India Pagán

American basketball player
India Pagán
No. 33 – Stony Brook Seawolves
PositionPower forward / center
LeagueAmerica East Conference
Personal information
Born (1999-01-07) 7 January 1999 (age 25)
New London, Connecticut, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Career information
High schoolNew London
(New London, Connecticut)
College
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-America East (2020)
  • Second-team All-America East (2021–2022)
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing  Puerto Rico
FIBA Women's AmeriCup
Silver medal – second place 2021 San Juan Team
Pan American Games
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Lima Team

India Lee Pagán (born 7 January 1999) is an American college basketball player for the Stony Brook Seawolves of the America East Conference. She is also a member of the Puerto Rican national team.[1][2][3]

Pagán currently holds the Stony Brook program record for highest career field goal percentage at .512 (460-for-899).[4] She helped Stony Brook reach the program's first NCAA tournament in 2021.

With Puerto Rico, Pagán participated at the 2019 FIBA Women's AmeriCup and 2021 FIBA Women's AmeriCup, winning a silver medal in 2021.[5][6] She also played for Puerto Rico during the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

Early life and high school

Pagán was born in New London, Connecticut. Pagan began playing basketball at age 10 after her father signed her up to New London's local recreation league.[7] She went to high school at Marine Science Magnet High School but was allowed to play high school basketball at New London High School because Marine Science Magnet High School did not have a basketball team.[8] Pagán played for New London from 2014 to 2017. New London won a state championship in 2014 and 2017. In 2017, New London was the top-ranked team in the final Connecticut state polls and Pagán was named The Day's All-Area Girls' Basketball Player of the Year.[9][10] New London went 66–10 in Pagán's three seasons.

The city of New London held a parade in 2021 to commemorate Pagán's appearance in the Tokyo Olympics.[11]

College career

Pagán signed with Stony Brook on November 9, 2016.[12] She scored 8 points and 4 rebounds in her college debut against Manhattan on November 11, 2017.[13] She was named America East Rookie of the Week on December 18, 2017.[14] Pagán ended her freshman season averaging 5.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, starting in 15 of 29 games.

As a sophomore, Pagán started in all 30 games. She averaged 12.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, leading Stony Brook in rebounds, and scored over double digits in 23 games. Pagán scored 21 points against Vermont in the 2019 America East quarterfinals, then a career best, and was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 18.5 points on 72% shooting in the postseason.[15][16] Stony Brook finished 23–8 and lost in the semifinals to Hartford.[17]

Before Pagán's junior season, she was named to the America East Preseason All-Conference Team.[18] She was named America East Player of the Week on December 23, 2019, January 6, 2020 and February 3, 2020.[19] Playing in the Puerto Rico Clasico, Pagán had a double-double against Morgan State on December 20, 2019.[20] Pagán scored a career-high 26 points against Maine on January 5, 2020, making 13 field goals.[21] At one point, Stony Brook had a nation-high 22-game winning streak and a 26–1 record. Pagán missed three games towards the end of the season but returned against Binghamton in the America East semifinals. Stony Brook finished 28–3 and was set to play Maine in the America East championship game before it was canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[22] Pagán was named first team All-America East, leading Stony Brook in scoring with 13.4 points per game and leading the conference with a .506 shooting percentage.[23]

Pagán was named to the America East Preseason All-Conference Team again before her senior year.[24] She scored her 1,000th point against New Hampshire on January 17, 2021.[25] She was named second team All-America East, averaging 9.0 points per game and shooting .469.[26] Stony Brook reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time after beating Maine in the America East finals. As a No. 14 seed, Stony Brook lost to eventual runners-up Arizona 79–44 in the first round.[27]

Pagán was allowed to return to Stony Brook for a fifth year as the NCAA granted players an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[28] She was again an America East Preseason All-Conference selection.[29] She was named second team All-America East for the second straight season.[30] She ended the season averaging 12.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, shooting a career-high .582, 13th-best in the NCAA. Pagán ended her Stony Brook career with 1,418 points, the eighth-most in program history, and 729 rebounds, also eighth-most.[31]

Professional career

Pagán signed with the BC Pharmaserv Dolphins in Marburg, Germany after graduation for the 2022–23 season.[32]

For the 2023–24 season, Pagán signed with SBŠ Ostrava in the Czech Republic.[33]

National team career

Pagán played for Puerto Rico's U18 team in the 2016 FIBA U18 Americas Championships in Chile.[34] She played for Puerto Rico in the 2017 FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup in Italy as well as the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games.[35][36]

Pagán participated at the 2019 FIBA Women's AmeriCup and 2021 FIBA Women's AmeriCup as Puerto Rico's center, winning a silver medal in 2021.[5][6] Puerto Rico lost to the United States in the finals and Pagán combined to score 12 points in 5 games.[37] She also played for Puerto Rico during the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, becoming the third Stony Brook player and first while active to participate in the Olympics.[4] It was the first year that the Puerto Rican national team qualified for the Olympics. Puerto Rico was eliminated before the quarterfinals round, and Pagán combined to score six points and record six rebounds in nine combined minutes, playing in all three games.[38]

Pagán also played in the 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, where Puerto Rico advanced to the quarterfinals.[39]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2017–18 Stony Brook 29 15 17.9 .549 .000 .658 3.6 0.6 0.7 0.4 1.8 5.9
2018–19 Stony Brook 30 30 26.2 .524 .000 .671 6.0 1.6 1.0 0.6 1.6 12.1
2019–20 Stony Brook 28 27 26.8 .506 .000 .700 6.0 1.1 0.9 0.5 1.7 13.4
2020–21 Stony Brook 21 20 23.1 .469 .000 .691 5.0 0.9 0.7 0.3 1.8 9.6
2021–22 Stony Brook 27 27 25.9 .582 .000 .806 6.5 1.0 0.6 1.0 1.7 12.2
Career 135 119 24.0 .526 .000 .708 5.4 1.0 0.8 0.5 1.7 10.6

Personal life

Pagán's parents, Carmen and Moises Pagán, were both born in Puerto Rico.[40] Pagán has a younger sister named Taina.[41]

References

  1. ^ "India Pagan '21 Follows Hoop Dreams Around the Globe". stonybrook.edu. September 12, 2019. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
  2. ^ Fulkerson, Vickie (8 July 2021). "New London's India Pagan named to Puerto Rican Olympic women's basketball team". The Day. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  3. ^ "India Pagan - Women's Basketball". Stony Brook University Athletics.
  4. ^ a b says, This Month in Stony Brook Matters | Stony Brook Matters (2021-06-25). "Pagan Is the Third Seawolf to Compete in the Summer Olympics |". SBU News. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  5. ^ a b "India PAGAN at the FIBA Women's AmeriCup 2019". FIBA.basketball.
  6. ^ a b "Curtain Up on AmeriCup 2021 Women's Basketball". Archysport. June 11, 2021.
  7. ^ "Olympics, Stony Brook and Puerto Rico: A lot of firsts for Pagan". Newsday. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  8. ^ McGirl • •, Siobhan. "'The City is Behind Her': New London Cheers on Hometown Olympian". NBC Connecticut. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  9. ^ "New London proud: India Pagan playing for Puerto Rican Olympic women's basketball team". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  10. ^ "New London girls beat No. 1 Trumbull to win Class LL state basketball championship". The Day. 2017-03-18. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  11. ^ "New London To Honor Olympian India Pagan As She Returns Home". WSHU. 2021-08-13. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  12. ^ "Stony Brook signs five to National Letters of Intent". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  13. ^ "Johnson scores 20 points, Seawolves outlast Manhattan in 2017-18 season opener". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  14. ^ "India Pagan named America East Rookie of the Week". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  15. ^ "Stony Brook Punches Ticket to America East Semifinals". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  16. ^ "Maine Repeats as #AEHoops Champion, Earns Conference's NCAA Berth". americaeast.com. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  17. ^ "Stony Brook Falls to Hartford in America East Semifinals". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  18. ^ "Stony Brook Voted Second in Preseason Poll, Pagan Picked to Preseason All-Conference Team". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  19. ^ "India Pagan Named America East Player of the Week for Third Time". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  20. ^ "India Pagan Puts Up Double-Double to Lead Women's Hoops to Victory Over Morgan State". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  21. ^ "Pagan Scores Career High, Hilaire Returns as Women's Hoops Tops Reigning America East Champs". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  22. ^ "Cancellation of NCAA Tournament means Stony Brook women's season is over". Newsday. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  23. ^ "Caroline McCombs' Coach of the Year Honor Highlights Women's Hoops' All-Conference Awards". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  24. ^ Fermin, Kenneth (2020-11-10). "Pagan Makes Preseason All-Conference Team; Stony Brook Places Second in Coaches Poll". Axcess Sports. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  25. ^ "Pagan scores 1,000th point for Stony Brook women's basketball team". The Day. 2021-01-17. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  26. ^ "With AE Tourney Looming, Women's Hoops Scoops Up Conference Honors". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  27. ^ Amacher, Ezra (2021-03-22). "What Adia Barnes said after Arizona's first-round win over Stony Brook". Arizona Desert Swarm. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  28. ^ Portnoy, Jeremy (2021-11-14). "Pagan brings Olympic experience in fifth year at SBU". The Statesman. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  29. ^ "Stony Brook Women's Basketball Tabbed America East Preseason Favorite; Pagan & Warren Named to Preseason All-Conference Team". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  30. ^ "Annie Warren & India Pagan Earn All-Conference Honors". Stony Brook University Athletics. 2024-01-05. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  31. ^ "India Pagan and Annie Warren Earn All-Met Honors". Stony Brook University Athletics. 2024-01-05. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  32. ^ Dunaief, Daniel (2022-09-01). "SBU's India Pagan signs with German professional basketball team | TBR News Media". Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  33. ^ "Everything you need to know about the EuroCup Women Qualifiers". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  34. ^ "Pagan enjoyed her time with Puerto Rican U18 basketball team". The Day. 2016-07-20. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  35. ^ "Puerto Rico National Team Participants Nairimar Vargas-Reyes, India Pagan Reunite". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  36. ^ "India Pagan to Represent Puerto Rico in Central American and Caribbean Games". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  37. ^ "India PAGAN at the FIBA Women's AmeriCup 2021". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  38. ^ says, This Month in Stony Brook Matters | August 2021 | | SBU News (2021-08-18). "India Pagan Completes Her Landmark Olympic Journey |". SBU News. Retrieved 2021-12-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  39. ^ "Canada takes on Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2022". www.basketball.ca. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  40. ^ "New London's India Pagan named to Puerto Rican Olympic women's basketball team". The Day. 2021-07-08. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  41. ^ "The Garde livestreams Olympic game with hometown hero India Pagan". The Day. 2021-07-29. Retrieved 2021-12-16.

External links