The Ryan Center isn’t the only place where people know junior Tayra Melendez got game.

Last summer, the 20-year-old was the youngest member of Team Puerto Rico, representing the country she left as a child to move to Mattapan, Mass.

Held in Monterrey, Mexico, the 2014 Centrobasket Championship for Women featured teams from Central America and the Caribbean. Melendez, a psychology major who appeared in all five of her team’s games, helped PR place second and qualify for the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto.

Melendez, who has been the Rams’ leading scorer the past two seasons, was the lone amateur on her side of the court. Her 11 professional teammates taught her lessons that will stay with her, she says: “As a young player, at times I get impatient. But with these ladies, I learned that staying calm not only keeps you stay in control, but also lets you read the game better.”

But mostly, she remembers feeling honored. “I played with a jersey that had not only the name of my home country, but also the name of my family,” she marvels. “An amazing feeling.”

—Shane Donaldson