Kristina Santiago was all-everything at Righetti High. The star basketball player was the most valuable player for three years in a row, averaged over 19 points a game in both her junior and senior seasons and made 53 percent of her shots as a senior.

It’s been a little different for “T” — as her friends call her — now that she plays at Cal Poly. She had a tough time early in her freshman year, understanding that she didn’t have to carry the team on her shoulders.

But after a slow transition, Santiago has found her niche and is doing quite well for the Mustangs.

Santiago improved throughout the year and scored in double figures nine of the last 12 games of the season, registering five double-doubles and also leading the Mustangs in field goal percentage at .497. For her late season surge, Santiago was named to the Big West All-Freshman team.

Now, as a sophomore, Santiago is starting for coach Faith Mimnaugh and is being counted on to be a major contributor on the team. So far early in the 2008-09 season, Santiago is averaging double figures. Things are rolling along smoothly right now with “T” and her teammates, but it wasn’t always easy.

“It was a struggle all around,” Santiago said after a recent game. “At the beginning of my freshman year it wasn’t much fun because it was frustrating for me trying to figure out how I can get in the right place and do this or that.

“And proving myself as a freshman — there were senior post players that I was playing over and there were some people who didn’t think I deserved that. It was hard trying to prove myself and finding ways to get it done.”

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Coach Mimnaugh knew Santiago had the talent to contribute early on, but she did have some learning to do.

“Last season she certainly had the offensive skill and firepower to start earlier in the season, but she’d pick up three fouls in a minute and we’d have to sit her,” Mimnaugh explained. “So she had to learn how to play defense before she could enter the starting lineup.

“She’s made some really good progress. Her post defense is the area that I’m very pleased with her development.”

Mimnaugh saw it and Santiago felt it as the season progressed.

“As the year went on I was definitely getting comfortable, finding my own groove and learning my role on the team,” Santiago said. “This year is clear — everybody has a role and everyone is stepping up to them. It’s easier to perform my role — which is crashing the boards and being aggressive.”

Her coach is continuously looking for ways for Santiago to utilize all of her skills on the court.

“She is so athletic that we can play her pretty much anywhere on the court,” Mimnaugh said. “We’ve slid her from simply playing the five-spot to giving her more room to operate at the three.

“You can see how she can slide to the bucket and score off the dribble. And she’s gotten good looks at 15 to 17 feet. She hasn’t really felt comfortable shooting the 17-footer or the three yet — but she had added that to her game as well.”

And Mimnaugh likes that even though Santiago was the main focus of the Righetti Warrior offense, she is not a selfish player.

“As far as sharing the ball there is no problem there,” Mimnaugh explained. “She has really good passing skills and wants to share the ball.”

But the most important aspect of being a student-athlete is the classwork. And Santiago has found her niche there as well.

“School is great — I love it,” Santiago said. “I’m getting into more of my major classes now and it’s awesome.

“Generally I was trying to get it out of the way, but I love kinesiology, I love my classes and I’m doing great right now.”

It wasn’t always like that, however. School was another big adjustment Santiago had to deal with as a freshman.

“Last year it was a little more stressful for me with school,” she explained. “Trying to find time to study for school and then basketball and learning all of this stuff — it was definitely hard for me.

“Last year that was part of my frustration — balancing everything as a player and a student.”

One of the good things that helped along the way was the fact that Santiago stayed near home.

“I’m so glad I stayed close,” Santiago said. “Having my family here for support and having people there for me at games is great.

“When I’m getting down, I can look up and see my parents, my family and my friends — then I can say OK let’s get after it. It helped me with the whole process.”

Now that Kristina Santiago has settled in, learned Mimnaugh’s system and has become an important tool for the team, what next?

“Athletically the sky is really the limit for her,” Mimnaugh said. “She is the quality of player that I feel is going to be Big West Player of the Year — maybe not this year, but soon.

“She is such a difficult match-up and she’s growing and expanding her game everytime she steps out on the court.”

November 30, 2008