On Thursday, Littlfield’s Arianna Cruz signed her Letter of Intent to continue her Basketball and Academic career at Wayland Baptist University.
Cruz signed her letter at 55 Buckets Gym in Lubbock.
Cruz talked about what it means to her to be able to have this opportunity, stating, “I feel beyond blessed for all of the people I’m surrounded by, such as family, coaches, and friends.”
The recent Littlefield graduate talked about what the recruiting process was like for her, explaining, “The recruiting process for me was very challenging but I knew if I could commit myself to doing what I love, I would love the outcome of my commitment.”
Cruz was a four-year varsity player for the Littlefield Lady Cats’ basketball team where she helped them earn four consecutive Bi-district championships from 20202021 to 2023-2024, as well as backto- back undefeated District Championships her junior and senior year.
During her senior year, she was a 3A All-State selection, Lone Star Varsity Super Team Honorable Mention, 1st Team All-District selection and her team’s Most Valuable Player.
Cruz said that her decision to play college basketball came when she first started picking up a basketball.
“Of course I had some moments where I didn’t think I had the potential to play at the next level as I got older; but Wayland is giving me a chance and I’m not willing to give up easy.
Cruz talked about what stuck out to her about WBU over other schools saying, “They made me feel like I was one of theirs before I even tried out to play for them, and that is something most colleges don’t give you.”
She added, “Yes, there were some other schools that I had in mind, but I also wanted to stay close to family and when I heard that Wayland was having try outs I was so happy and I trained with my AAU coach, Juan Martinez, and he helped me train within two weeks to get where I am right now and that is being a Flying Queen.”
Cruz talked about how she feels her time as a Lady Cat has helped prepare her for the next level, saying, “Littlefield was a good time but it unfortunately had to come to a close. The time as a Lady Cat has prepared me to play my best even when I’m not feeling the best.”
Cruz joins a WBU Flying Queens team that finished the 2023-2024 season 23-9 overall and 16-6 in conference play. The Flying Queens went two rounds deep in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament before falling to Langston and they went two games deep in the NAIA National Tournament before falling to Concordia University out of Nebraska.
The former Lady Cat explained that her favorite memory from being a Lady Cat, was when she saw and won her first gold ball during her freshman year.
She talked about the support she has received from her family throughout her career, stating, “My family are such great people. They’re loving and supportive, you name it and they are it. I can’t put into words how grateful and blessed I am to have the family that I have.”
She added, “It’s not only just my general family, but my expanded family as well. I’m just so thankful for all of the love I’m surrounded by.”
Cruz plans to major in Criminal Justice: Forensics.