Webmaster Note: Tanya was a Starter player in the mid-90's.

January 14, 2004

     Tanya Ramos remembers waking up early before going to school at Thomaston High, to practice her jump shot. Trying to control the ball as it bounced across her rocky driveway, Ramos dreamed of one day playing in Puerto Rico where her family originates.
     Now, the 25-year old Quinnipiac graduate is living that aspiration, playing professionally in Guayama, P.R., and in the running to be selected for the Puerto Rican National Team.
     This past fall, Ramos finished her second season with Las Brujas de Guayama (Guayama Witches), averaging a team-high 19 points per game. She describes the league, Baloncesto Femenino Superior, as more physical than basketball in the states, but not up to the skill level of the WNBA.
     Ramos has made an impression while playing with Las Brujas and has a good chance of being selected to play on the Puerto Rican National Team. The selection committee will make its decisions this spring.
     Basketball wasn't always the sport Ramos excelled in. As a child Ramos concentrated on soccer, playing basketball for fun with neighborhood boys. It was not until high school that basketball became her main focus.
     After playing an active role in Thomaston's state title run during her freshman year and the Golden Bears return to the finals the following year, Ramos began to recognize her potential.
     "It wasn't until my sophomore or junior year that I thought, '"I'm a little bit above average, maybe I can get a scholarship so I don't have to pay for school,"' said Ramos.
     A little bit above average is a strong understatement considering Ramos scored over 35 points in her first game during her junior year and was selected to All-State, All-Berkshire League all-star teams that same season. Colleges like Lehigh University, University of New Haven, and Bentley College immediately took notice.
     Ramos continued to practice hard, playing at local parks with boys that were bigger, faster, and stronger than her.
     "My father wouldn't let me go by myself," she said. "So he would drive me to parks like Lakewood and Hamilton Park, sit and watch me shoot around or play in pick-up games."
     She finished her career with the Golden Bears scoring 1,260 points, and was once again named All-State and All-BL.
     During the recruiting process, she found stacks of envelopes jammed in her mailbox daily and was even awakened at night by phone calls from recruiters. In the end, it was the coaching staff, and strong academic tradition of Quinnipiac University, that won her over.
     Despite being plagued with two torn ACL's throughout college, Ramos excelled as a team leader. She also succeeded academically, graduating with a double major, Health Science and Sociology with a minor in Spanish.
     Just before graduation, her coach received an e-mail from a scout looking for players with Puerto Rican heritage to attend a weekend tryout in Atlanta.
     "I thought, '"Yep, that's my ticket,"' said Ramos. "A lot of girls had dreams of playing in the ABL or WNBA, but mine was to play in Puerto Rico."
     In May of 2001, Ramos flew to Atlanta for the tryout where scouts from both national and international women's basketball leagues, including the WNBA observed.
     "It was brutal," said Ramos. "I must have slept for days when I came home."
     Her hard work paid off. In July, her agent notified her that Las Brujas wanted to sign her. Ramos began the three-month season, taking on an immediate leadership role, which at times was challenging.
     "The coach told the players to just pass me the ball, but how do you give confidence to the younger players when they're not allowed to shoot?" said Ramos.
     During the off-season, Ramos is the program director at the Boys and Girls Club in Wallingford. She has incorporated her athletic talent by teaching a basketball skills class every Wednesday to kids of all ages. Ramos is also a bilingual tutor at Parker Farms School in Wallingford.
     Having a positive influence on children is something Ramos hopes to continue in the future, perhaps as a youth officer. For now she is keeping her options open as she awaits the announcement of the Puerto Rican Women's National team.
     "A lot of people are pulling for me over there," said Ramos. "I think I have a good shot."           © 2004 Republican-American