Jacob Lauing
jacoblauing.md@gmail.com
There’s a common word people use when describing sophomore point guard Ariana Elegado: energy.
As a redshirt sophomore on the Cal Poly women’s basketball team, Elegado is full of it. From her flashy, crowd-pleasing moves to her vocal leadership on the team, Elegado’s entire playing style revolves around this excitement and intensity.
“I’m that person that gets really hyped, that’s super energetic, that’s always smiling and laughing and trying to get the team to be positive and have energy,” Elegado said. “Trying to get the crowd involved and get the team hyped, my style is an exciting style.”
Before the whistle even blows to start the game, Elegado uses this energy to fire up her teammates.
“Every game, we have a pregame speech,” Elegado said. “I’m always in the middle trying to tell everyone, ‘We got this, let’s go.’ I start a chant. I feed off everyone and that positive energy. I try to get everyone in a good mood.”
And once the game begins, Elegado tends to put everyone in a good mood with her performance on the court as well.
“She brings a lot of energy to the team just by her personality,” head coach Faith Mimnaugh said. “But then some of the sizzling types of passes she can make on the court are quite crowd pleasing.”
But for a point guard who had a career-high 27-point game with four 3-pointers at Pac-12 Oregon State on Nov. 12, Elegado’s talent stretches far beyond just her shot.
“She obviously has mad skills,” Mimnaugh said. “She’s really savvy and a real smart basketball player. She can shoot the 3. She’s smart. She can pass. They pretty much have to walk around her with their hands up because she’s going nail them in the head with a great pass.”
Success in basketball is nothing new for Elegado.
While attending La Jolla Country Day School in her hometown of San Diego, she received letters all four years in basketball, won three Coastal League Championships and three CIF-San Diego Section Championships and reached the State Championships in 2007.
“She’s an incredible player,” senior guard Kayla Griffin said. “She can drive, score and kick.”
Elegado was named the Player of the Year in the Coastal South League, CIF Division IV and the CIF-San Diego Section. ESPN named Elegado High School Player of the Week as a senior, before she came to Cal Poly in 2010 to study recreation, parks and tourism administration.
This season, Elegado averaged 10.4 points after playing in five of the six games, the third best in that category for the Mustangs. But, like a truly selfless leader, Elegado prioritizes the team over her own success.
“My strongest skill is my passing ability,” Elegado said. “I’m a passer. I love passing. I’m very unselfish. If I have my shot, I have my shot. But first of all I’m unselfish and I like to get my team involved.”
Elegado’s resurgence and unselfishness this season couldn’t come at a more perfect time.
The Mustangs graduated five seniors last year, including reigning Big West Player of the Year Kristina Santiago, who averaged 23.4 point per game, as well as Ashlee Burns and Kristine Martin, two more of last year’s top scorers.
“I want to fill their shoes,” Elegado said. “(Them leaving) prepared me mentally and physically. I wanted to come back earlier. Shoot more. Run more. Me coming into school earlier to work out made me more physically and mentally prepared.”
After finishing 12-4 in the Big West last season, the Mustangs are streaking, winning their second straight Big West title and reaching at least the semifinals of the Big West Tournament for the third consecutive season.
“We didn’t want to let our coach down or anyone to think that just because we had the top scorers leave that Cal Poly wasn’t going to be good anymore,” Elegado said. “All the haters that think that Cal Poly is not going to be good anymore, that motivates me and my team as well.”
And without star players such as Santiago, the Mustangs have had to alter their strategy, with underclassmen stepping up and veterans like Elegado, stronger than ever before, coming into this season with a plan.
“My role on the team is to step up as a leader and help out my team in whatever I can,” Elegado said. “I wanted to be a role model for our incoming freshmen and be that person where people look to me and say, ‘Hey, Ariana is our leader,’ and just be that person the team looks for on and off the court.”
And just like in the pre-game huddles, Elegado will be at the center of it all this year, hoping to ignite her fellow Mustangs toward another strong season.
“She is one of the best teammates I’ve had since playing basketball,” Griffin said. “She’s full of energy, she brings life to the team. She can do it all.”