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Paris Lauro still has to pinch herself occasionally when she suits up for UNM women鈥檚 basketball summer workouts.

She did not see this coming.

Others did, including Lobos coach Mike Bradbury, who was delighted to land Lauro 鈥� a highly recruited 6-foot wing from Dallas鈥� Highland Park High School. Her final two seasons there drew plenty of attention. As a senior Lauro averaged 21 points, 8 rebounds and claimed district MVP honors.

But Lauro鈥檚 emergence as a top recruit was sudden. Growing up, most of the time she spent on basketball courts had little to do with the sport.

鈥淚 was in competitive cheer from fourth grade to eighth grade,鈥� Lauro said. 鈥淎fter eighth grade I decided I didn鈥檛 want to do high school cheer so I just went out for basketball instead. I made the JV but I wasn鈥檛 very good.鈥�

That could have been where the story ended. One season into Lauro鈥檚 basketball career, COVID-19 tossed a monkey wrench into everything. She tried to make the most of it, honing her skills on a basketball hoop in the family鈥檚 driveway.

鈥淭here was nothing else to do,鈥� Lauro said, 鈥渟o I just started practicing a lot. I got better and made the varsity as a sophomore but I still didn鈥檛 play that much.鈥�

That鈥檚 when things began to turn. A strong summer in club ball boosted Lauro鈥檚 confidence and she blossomed as a junior, averaging 17 points and 8.3 rebounds for Highland Park鈥檚 Lady Scots.

By the summer of 2022, college recruiters were gathering to watch Lauro and liked what they saw: quickness, athleticism and a good shooting touch to go with her length.

鈥淵ou could see right away how athletic she is,鈥� Bradbury said, 鈥渁nd she can really shoot it, too. Paris hasn鈥檛 played a ton of basketball, but the skills are there. We were really high on her.鈥�

As scholarship offers began to roll in, Lauro decided to make a campus visit to New Mexico. Having grown up in San Antonio and Dallas, she enjoyed the new sights, sounds and tastes.

鈥淚鈥檓 a big fan of Mexican food,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 different here but I like it. sa国际传媒官网网页入口 just looks different from Dallas, too. The buildings, the signs, everything is lower and you can just see over it. I鈥檓 still getting used to that.鈥�

Lauro said her decision to become a Lobo came down to basketball, something she takes seriously.

鈥淎bove all I just wanted to be in a competitive area,鈥� she said. 鈥淏asketball is big here, they have great fans and the Mountain West is very competitive. I liked how it was very straight-forward, too. The coaches were up front, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e coming here to play basketball.鈥� It鈥檚 kind of more business-oriented and I like that.鈥�

Lauro is now adjusting to a full-time perimeter role after playing inside extensively in high school. Bradbury said he has already seen considerable improvement.

鈥淒efinitely,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he works at it and is getting more and more comfortable handling the ball and driving. She could already shoot, so that obviously helps.鈥�

Lauro smiled when asked how her competitive cheer background has aided her transition to basketball.

鈥淚 could flip but I couldn鈥檛 twist,鈥� she said. 鈥� ... I actually have a strong upper body from competitive cheer, so I have some advantages there. But there are also disadvantages because there are a lot of things I still have to learn as a freshman.鈥�

Lauro also feels she鈥檚 stepping into a good situation at UNM, which has a host of newcomers and young players on this season鈥檚 roster. Playing time is there to be earned, she said, and Bradbury was quick to agree.

Still, Lauro knows she is inexperienced compared to her new UNM teammates and she鈥檚 determined to keep evolving as a player. Asked about her basketball highlights to date, Lauro didn鈥檛 hesitate.

鈥淕etting an offer from UNM,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ecause it really was a such a turnaround. Two years ago today I didn鈥檛 have any hope that I could play at this level and it was only about a year ago that I started getting offers. It鈥檚 kind of amazing how everything happened at once. I have to make sure I make the most of it.鈥�