Being able to represent your country on the international stage is a tremendous honor for any athlete, and playing some of the best athletes in the world provides invaluable experience. Point guard Taija Sta. (Santa) Maria has used those experiences to elevate her performance during her first season on the Fresno State women’s basketball team.

Sta. Maria was a member of Canada’s U16 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Americas Tournament team in 2021, where she earned a silver medal, and Canada’s U17 FIBA World Cup team in 2022, where she finished in fourth place.

Around the globe

Sta. Maria said she learned important lessons while playing for Canada on both a personal and basketball level.

“On a personal level, being able to represent yourself and where you came from, the importance of that,” Sta. Maria said. “Then in basketball, I think just how important it is to be a smart player. Everyone and every country has different playing styles, and everyone is equally as skilled, so really it comes down to your game plan and being smarter than the other team.”

Sta. Maria noted the differences in play style between international and college basketball, particularly the pace of the game.

“I think international basketball, when you’re playing against a bunch of different countries, like from Europe and Asia, they all have their different style,” Sta. Maria said. “Whereas when you play in college, it’s kind of a U.S. style and just different versions of that. Also, the pace, it’s much faster I’ve noticed playing college.”

Sta. Maria’s teammate Mia Jacobs, who played in her home country of Australia before playing at the collegiate level, pointed out the differences in play styles between international and college basketball.

“There’s less swiping in Australia, a lot of kickouts,” Jacobs said. “But here it’s a lot more inside the post and things like that.”

Before her time at Fresno State, Sta. Maria played at Crestwood Preparatory College in Toronto, Ontario, just 50 minutes away from her hometown of Vaughan, Ontario. While at Crestwood, Sta. Maria earned Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association Second Team All-Star and Biosteal All-Canadian in 2022.

Becoming a Bulldog

With those accolades, and her experience playing for Canada’s national team, Fresno State invited Sta. Maria for a visit during her junior year at Crestwood.

“They really made it feel like a place where I was wanted and where I could grow as a basketball player, as a person, get a good education,” Sta. Maria said. “All of those factors, like picking a place where I’d get an opportunity, and I saw that last year, so that was really cool to just become the best version of myself.”

Last season, Sta. Maria made the most of her opportunities as a freshman, averaging 32.6 minutes per game, the highest on the team and seventh in the Mountain West. She took on the responsibility of running the offense, much like Sue Bird, the player Sta. Maria watched growing up.

“She was one of my favorite players. I try to play like her because she’s just so smart and she uses her IQ really well,” Sta. Maria said. “She’s a great passer and I think that that’s someone that I kind of try to emulate my game after.”

Like Bird, Sta. Maria shines at passing the ball. Last season she led the team in assists with 3.7, ranking fifth in the Mountain West. Sta. Maria described herself as a pass-first point guard, keeping the offense running smoothly, involving all her teammates and being a leader on the court.

Fresno State women’s basketball head coach Jaime White also sees shades of Bird in Sta. Maria’s game, specifically in her selfless style of play. With new players on the team this season, Sta. Maria is going to have to continue her strong performance.

“She’s totally unselfish. She can handle the ball, she takes care of it really well and she’s playing a lot of minutes,” White said. “We have a lot of new kids, so everybody has got to be able to play off each other.”

Cooking on and off the court

To build chemistry with her teammates, Sta. Maria and the team enjoy relaxing and cooking together after practice to take a break from basketball.

“When we get home, we just relax, watch TV, take some time away from basketball to help balance that,” Sta. Maria said. “We also like to cook together… Our favorite thing right now is shrimp alfredo.”

Between the two, Jacobs said Sta. Maria is the better cook because she can cook a variation of meals, whereas Jacobs can only cook a select few.

“She has more variety, whereas I have one or two specialty dishes… Chicken alfredo, that’s really my main one, and salmon rice bowls,” Jacobs said.

Balancing life with basketball

Taking time to unwind with her teammates helps Sta. Maria balance life outside of basketball. But her interest in the game is undeniable as she watched the Toronto Raptors win the National Basketball Association Finals in 2019. Sta. Maria and her family even went to the parade in downtown Toronto to celebrate with the city.

Growing up in a basketball family, moments like these were just one part of how the sport became important in her life. Sta. Maria became motivated to play after her younger sister and her played together in Filipino leagues. Now Sta. Maria, her sister and her brother all play basketball, following in the footsteps of their dad who also played at the collegiate level at York University in Toronto, Ontario.

Being both Filipino and Canadian is something that Sta. Maria takes an immense amount of pride in it, and during her first basketball camp, which she hosted over the summer back home, she experienced first-hand how important that kind of representation is.

As Sta. Maria embraced her unique position; she understood the challenges that come with being the only Filipino on the team and welcomed the opportunity to ask questions and work hard.

“I think for a lot of Filipino athletes, they’ll probably be a little bit undersized or oftentimes the only Filipino on the team, but I think that you just have to take pride in it,” Sta. Maria said. “Work hard and look up to people and be open to advice. I think the biggest thing for me was asking questions, I asked people so many questions every day because I’m always trying to get better.”

There will be plenty of opportunities to catch Sta. Maria and the Bulldogs at the Save Mart Center with 17 home games slated for this season.