GCU’s Trinity San Antonio driven on court by Olympic experience

A summer in Paris was an experience of a lifetime for Grand Canyon senior women’s basketball player Trinity San Antonio.

She played for Puerto Rico’s women’s national team in the Summer Olympics, taking memories she’ll cherish and use this season as the 5-foot-10 guard tries to get GCU’s women’s team to a place it’s never been — the NCAA Women’s Tournament.

GCU has come close during coach Molly Miller’s tenure, but, to break through, the Lopes know they’ll need San Antonio’s leadership and experience.

“It was very competitive, but it was fun,” San Antonio said about her Olympics experience. “Seeing people that you wouldn’t normally see every day, competing against people you normally wouldn’t compete against every day. It was a good learning experience.”

Her first Olympics game, a 58-55 loss to Serbia, was an eye-opening moment for San Antonio, who had 11 points on 5 of 9 shooting and four steals in the game.

The point guard averaged 7.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and two assists in the Paris Games.

“I think I developed a bit of wisdom,” San Antonio said. “Like when things are on the line, what to do, what not to do. That experience helped.

“I think my biggest ‘holy cow’ moment was when we were playing Serbia. We went into a timeout. It looked like we had a pretty good chance at winning. And you could just hear the whole stadium cheering for us. That was the biggest moment.”

Miller caught all of San Antonio’s Olympic moments on TV.

“Whether it was 2 am, or 11 am, we were watching her, we were cheering for her, we would pause it,” Miller said. “My little boy and my little girl would go by the TV, and take a picture with them with Trinity in the background.

“I think it was special for the GCU community, but it also held a special place in my heart as her coach, and in my family’s heart.”

San Antonio, who is Puerto Rican on her father’s side of her family, said her father was always asking her if she made the Puerto Rican national team during her process of qualifying for the Olympics.

After she found out she made it, she called her dad, and he said, “Let’s gooooooo.”

“Something like that,” she added.

Even though Puerto Rico is a US Territory and its residents US citizens, it has a separate team because the International Olympic Committee (IOC) considers it an independent entity.

Since the Olympics ended, San Antonio has been back at the GCU practice gym, getting ready for the 2024-25 season, which begins with an exhibition Oct. 30 against Benedictine Mesa, before the team opens at home at 4 pm, against Cal State Bakersfield on Nov. 4.

She led the Lopes in scoring last year with 11.5 points in a game. He also averaged four rebounds. She was second on the team with 99 assists and 99 steals in 28 games. She made the All-WAC Defensive Team.

GCU went 24-8 last season, losing to Stephen F. Austin 66-63 in the WAC Tournament. GCU lost its last three games to end the season. That’s the driving force for San Antonio and the rest of the Lopes to finish strong this season.

“The biggest thing is chemistry,” San Antonio said. “Some of us know each other prior to playing with each other. Just knowing our tendencies, how we play, when we like to cut to the basket, when we like to get the ball, where we like to get the ball, it’s all about coming together.”

It’s also all about the hard work, which led San Antonio to Paris.

“What you put in is what you get out of it,” she said.

She felt loved by everyone at GCU as she went through the games.

“We’re all human and we want to feel loved, supported and encouraged,” San Antonio said. “That’s what I felt.

“Even underdogs like me can perform at the highest level.”

Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. He also covers Grand Canyon University athletics and the Arizona Rattlers. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert