Aprovechando el momento

Athens, Tenn. – They competed against each other before coming to the United States.

So it is only appropriate that Yeika Jimenez Diaz and Linaysha Pagan dress out in opposing uniforms today.

Their story is unlike any you have ever heard. The bond between the two sisters is stronger than ever (and to address the elephant in the room right off the bat: no, they are not technically related, but just so we are clear, they are sisters – and that’s the bottom line, because they said so. Ok)?

Growing up an hour apart in Puerto Rico – Diaz a former resident of Morovis, Pagan in Juncos – it was inevitable that the two would eventually square off on the hardwood. Diaz and Pagan were both five when they began to dabble with the dribble and have not looked back since.

Today, you can find them in the same college-basketball division – the Appalachian Athletic Conference, a collection of 15 NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) schools that are peppered across the Southeast. Pagan walked on two years ago and impressed enough with her skills to join the Bluefield University (Va.) Rams; Diaz signed with nearby Tennessee Wesleyan in Athens last spring. Both are making the most of the experience.

But more importantly, both are closer than ever before – despite the 4-plus hours that currently divides them.

“We’re more in touch now than when we were in high school,” Diaz chuckles.

“I think we definitely talk more now than ever before,” Pagan chimed in.

Humble beginnings

“She doesn’t really remember me as much as I remember her” – Pagan, on her first impression of Diaz.

Pagan knew from the first time she was matched against Diaz, the 5-foot-9 forward was a force to be reckoned with. The two were introduced on the hardwood, in the summer of 2017.

“I had to defend her, because she was the point guard for her team and I was the point guard for mine,” Pagan recalled.

Basketball in Puerto Rico is – in a word – unique. If you’re lucky, you get to play a game indoors in the muggy climate. Most of the time, you have a roof over a cement court and … well, that’s it. No walls to block out the heat. No bleachers for the fans to sit on.

Youth teams are assembled separate from the schools the athletes attend. Programs usually pop up wherever and whenever a community can drum up enough interest in the sport. Teams do not compete against each other in “conferences” – instead, 3-day tournaments determine who has bragging rights.

So, they had met.

Both were attracted to the sport at a young age because their siblings played.

“We all got to watch it growing up,” Diaz noted.

They both had to get tough, quick; at a young age, the only available teams were a mixture of boys and girls.

“There was one tournament where you could play against girls and boys,” Pagan said. “I played in that tournament twice and then they started building girls teams, so that’s when I moved up.”

“That’s a basic thing in Puerto Rico,” Diaz added of the mixture.

And it’s not like Pagan’s skill-set was lost on Diaz – the duo just had no idea how interlinked they would become. In time, Diaz and Pagan became more than players assigned to defend on opposing teams: they became teammates. Sisters.

Even if the pieces all fell in place some 1,600 miles from home.

Coming to America

“I had always wanted to go to the United States” – Pagan.

The first time Diaz and Pagan formally played against each other, a link to their future home was watching.

For many growing up in Puerto Rico, traveling to the United States was more like a bucket-list item. Pagan and Diaz saw it as countless others have for centuries: a land of opportunity.

“I was always telling my parents that I wanted to go to the United States. I knew I needed a better education and I wanted to play ball here,” said Pagan. “The coach for the varsity team at my school was always looking out for me. He told me, ‘I heard you want to go to the United States. I have an opportunity for you; this guy is going to come watch you practice.

“The man came up to me after practice and said, “I have a place in North Carolina and a place in Miami – but I think the best option for you is North Carolina.”

The man was Jorge Melendez, who Pagan endearingly referred to as an “agent” for Brandon Lovin, a Robbinsville-based entrepreneur that operates Lovin Contracting, Lovin Equipment & Sales, and Lovin Farm & Garden. In reality, Melendez is a former player for Tommy Johnson, a mutual contact of Brandon’s.

At the time, Brandon and his wife Haley were watching their daughter Cambrie play for the Lady Knights. A prolific outside shooter (she connected 307 times from beyond the arc, which is third all-time in North Carolina), Cambrie broke the state girls basketball record for most 3’s made in a single game (11) and finished her career with 1,339 points.

Make no mistake: Robbinsville’s girls were talented: roster depth was not an issue. But the addition of Diaz and Pagan provided even more weapons in the Knights’ arsenal.

But for Cambrie (who is now married to Rylee Anderson, the all-time Robbinsville football rushing leader), it provided the bond she had longed for since she was a child.

“I was shocked when I first heard that I was getting two sisters,” Cambrie said. “It was funny; when I was little, I always prayed for a sister. That prayer was answered almost 10 years later – with not only one sister, but two.”

So, the wheels were set in motion. But as Melendez told Pagan, “I need a tall player.”

All one had to do was observe.

“I think the tallest person on the court was Yeika,” Pagan said with a smile. “One thing about Puerto Rico: we’re not tall, we’re little.”

“I remember that day very well; it was the same practice (when Melendez talked to Pagan),” Diaz laughed. “My dad was the assistant coach, so they talked to him.”

Hurricane Maria would soon tear through Diaz and Pagan’s homeland, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Coupled with their life-long desire to see what America had to offer, both families gave the approval for the Lovin’s to serve as legal guardians.

Fearful of flying, Pagan’s mother stayed behind. Otherwise, immediate members of both families accompanied Diaz and Pagan for their first exploration of the United States: a 4-day visit to Graham County.

Becoming Knights

“I told my mom at the airport that I really wanted to come back and stay” – Diaz.

The two can quickly recount their first meal in Robbinsville, which took place at – where else, but Lynn’s Place?

It was the 4th of July weekend. On the square adjacent to the dining staple was the annual Graham County Heritage Festival, with all its pomp and pageantry on full display.

Immediately, Diaz and Pagan knew they had made the right choice. “I met Halee (Anderson), Desta (Trammell), Kensley (Phillips); we met a lot of people,” Pagan said. “It was very exciting. My dad could not speak English, so I was trying to translate things Haley and Brandon were explaining to him about Graham County and how things were going to go.”

With both growing up in Puerto Rico, English obviously was not their first language. In fact, when they first came to Robbinsville, Pagan could understand English, but was not able to speak it fluently; admittedly, Diaz had a way to go.

“Meeting them for the first time was definitely awkward,” Cambrie recalled. “We communicated through Google Translate. But I could tell they were sweet girls and I knew we would get along just fine.”

Still, despite all the excitement moving to the states stirred inside, leaving all they had ever known was understandably heartbreaking.

To this day, the distance remains tough to bear.

“It was definitely hard, because I was the baby of the family,” Diaz explained. “After I decided to come to the United States, it was like a dream come true. But when I found myself trying to get used to the language and different people, I wanted to give up. I literally told my mom that I couldn’t do it anymore.

“But she told me, ‘If you really want it, you can’t give up that quick.’ That really stuck with me and helped a lot.”

“I had always wanted to go to the United States, so my mom and dad told me to go ahead and do what I needed to do,” Pagan added. “When I moved here, I was in shock. New people, new school, new language: everything was different. But it was great; I didn’t have any trouble.”

So while one adjusted quickly and another had to turn to support before enjoying her decision, there were no signs of homesick when they did what they came to do: kick butt on the court.

Diaz became a middle hitter for Robbinsville volleyball, plus a track & field competitor; Pagan stuck with track as her offseason choice. Both competed at regional and state track meets for the Knights, showing their athleticism was not limited to the hardwood.

But their basketball talents were the focal point. Diaz became a dangerous inside threat and ended her career at Robbinsville with 982 points. Normally a point guard, Pagan entered the ranks at the same time that Liz Ayers – and later, Trammell – were manning the quarterback role. Anytime she was summoned to the scorer’s table to check in, it did not take long for observers to see why she was highly touted for her hoops acumen.

Perhaps it was the comfort they felt from that initial visit in July 2018.

“I love the way we were treated. From the first day we came to Robbinsville, everyone made it feel like home,” Diaz said. “It’s my second home.”

“The first time playing basketball with Lina and Yeika is when I realized how protective I was over them,” Cambrie revealed. “It was like I had known them my whole life.”

Moving on

“I love saying that I’m from Puerto Rico, but now I love saying that I’m also from Robbinsville” – Diaz.

As quickly as it began, however, it was over.

Pagan graduated in 2021 and visited Bluefield, where she walked onto the Rams’ women team and made a splash.

“The former coach text me after seeing my highlights and said he thought I’d be a good fit,” Pagan explained. “The day after graduation, my parents had came over – as well as my boyfriend and my sister – so we took the rental car and drove to Virginia.

“I also visited Truett McConnell (another Appalachian Athletic Conference school in Cleveland, Ga.), but I really wanted to go to Bluefield. They ended up offering me more.”

Diaz received a scholarship to play basketball at Tennessee Wesleyan and is in her freshman campaign with the Bulldogs.

Carson-Newman University, Montreat College and Young Harris College all expressed interest in bringing her aboard, but the proximity to Graham County and cozy feel of Tennessee Wesleyan won out.

“(Robbinsville head) coach (Lucas) Ford really helped me out by reaching out to (Tennessee Wesleyan head) coach (Jeff) Rice, but once I came here with Haley and Brandon, I just fell in love,” Diaz said. “It felt like home.”

Diaz and Pagan both knew playing at the collegiate level would require a level of dedication neither had ever experienced, whether it be 5 a.m. (Pagan) or 6 a.m. (Diaz) workouts, 9-hour bus rides or unplanned logistical nightmares (the Bluefield team bus was recently clipped by a passing driver. All the damage was limited to the loss of a side mirror – an essential part of the operation). The Rams were left scrambling to find transportation.

In all truth, absolutely nothing can fully prepare you for the next level.

The only true comfort is that for freshmen, it is an experience you learn alongside other debuting hopefuls.

“They give you a week, but once you get your schedule set for the semester, you start working out,” Pagan said. “We run at the football field, lift weights, shoot-around.”

“Our team is really, really close,” Diaz added. “We hang out all the time and that’s a really good thing.”

A journey fulfilled

“When you get to college, you have to treat this like it’s a job” – Pagan.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Jan. 17, the two were reunited – albeit for the second time this year. They both laugh when the odds of unintentionally picking universities in the same conference are pointed out.

“I tried to keep it a surprise, but I was texting her during her (senior) track season and asking if she had decided where she wanted to go yet,” Pagan said. “I knew she would log into the conference (portal) and see me in there.”

“She was the one that inspired me to play basketball in college,” Diaz explained. “I was very undecided on whether I wanted to just go to college, or play basketball. Lina told me, ‘It’s very hard and it’s definitely a different life, but it’s a lot of fun.’”

“I told her the truth, but I knew she could do it,” Pagan added.

But it was all business when Tennessee Wesleyan traveled to Bluefield on Dec. 3.

Diaz has proved her worth already, but one of her standout performances this year was at “The Dome;” a monster double-double of 23 points, 12 rebounds. Pagan had perhaps her most balanced collegiate showing so far: five points, five boards, three assists and two steals.

The programs stayed neck-in-neck in the first half – the Bulldogs had 17 points across both quarters, the Rams were just behind, at 16 apiece – but Bluefield finally edged ahead 52-51 in the waning seconds of the third and the Rams lit up the score column with 26 in the fourth, defeating Tennessee Wesleyan 76-69.

So the Bulldogs had something to play for when it was their turn to host Jan. 17. Diaz corralled 12 rebounds, but only had nine points; Pagan recorded two assists and one rebound.

No matter, though: the night belonged to Tennessee Wesleyan (12-6, 10-6 in Appalachian Athletic Conference-play). The Bulldogs swished a whopping 13 shots from beyond the arc, eventually building a 33-point lead in the fourth before closing out a 77-55 win over Bluefield (8-12, 8-9).

Diaz and Pagan spoke in hushed tones to each other before and during the game – no smack-talk, just well wishes.

“When we’re on the court, we have to act like we don’t know each other, because we’re playing for our team, against each other,” Diaz pointed out. 

“I think it’s fun,” Pagan said. “It’s fun whenever we’re playing against each other and they announce, ‘Yeika Jimenez!’ and I go, ‘I know her! That’s my sister!”

“And I’ll go, ‘That was my roommate!,’” Jimenez jokingly replied, as both erupt in laughter.

During The Graham Star’s hour-long interview with Diaz and Pagan, that was the overarching theme: it was like the two had not missed a beat from their time as Lady Knights. Instant camaraderie and love upon seeing each other, bubbling with positivity and most importantly, simply enjoying the fruits of their labor. Visiting each other in passing will have to do for now.

“I’m so proud of Lina and Yeika,” Cambrie beamed. “The adjustment of moving to Robbinsville was definitely a struggle at first for them, but they are some of the strongest girls I know. I’m so proud of how far they have come.

“I definitely miss having them around all the time.”

Their geographical pilgrimage to college basketball – from Morovis and Juncos, and of course, Robbinsville – is unlike any other and will likely never be replicated.

It’s ok if you had to do a double-take Jan. 17. For a moment, it was almost like the two were back in their native Puerto Rico: Pagan guarding Diaz as she drove into the paint. A slender forward in Diaz, pulling down rebounds; a speedy defender in Pagan, making sure if anyone was getting a shot off, it was not because of a mental lapse on her part.

Diaz and Pagan are two prime examples of making the most of an opportunity.

Two prime examples that just 4 ½ years ago, simply needed a chance to prove themselves.