USF senior Carla Brito turns senior night into family affair
TAMPA, Fla. - Michelle Woods-Baxter remembers getting to know Carla Brito before she ever put on a USF Bulls basketball jersey.
"It was a fun process because we got to talk a lot on the phone so she could practice her English before she came over here," the Bulls' interim head coach remembers.
But over the last four years, the forward from Puerto del Rosario, Spain has let her game do most of her talking.
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What they're saying:
"She's meant a lot," Woods-Baxter said. "Even from the time she came on her freshman year she has been huge for our program. She's been a starter since her freshman year."
Over that time, Brito has cemented her legacy both on the stat sheet and by helping the Bulls reach the NCAA Tournament twice in three years.
"It has been really special," Brito said. "I think I made the best decision coming to USF. I've been here for four years because I love USF, I love the people and I love the culture that we have."
Playing so far from home, Brito came to see Tampa Bay as a second home and Bulls nation as a second family.
"I love Bulls Nation," she said. "They supported me. I see them 24/7. They gave me a lot of support."
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The backstory:
Despite returning home in the summer to see her family and play for the Spanish national team, Brito has never played a collegiate game in front of her family.
That, however, changed when the Bulls celebrated Senior Night this week.
"I was like 'It's my senior night, I need you guys here.'" At least for one week," Brito remembers telling her family.
In the summer, Brito convinced her family including her twin brother, her mother and father to make the trans-Atlantic trip from their home in the Canary Islands to Tampa for Carla's senior night.
"I pushed them a little bit," Brito joked. "I was like 'Guys this is the last year. You guys need to come.'"
And that's exactly what they did as one of the Bulls staples over the last four seasons was escorted onto the court for senior night with her entire family; cousins included, at her side.
"It was really exciting," Brito said. "They're very happy to be here. It's their first time in the U.S."
It was a trip four years in the making for the Britos, but one Carla was willing to wait for and to play for.
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What's next:
The Bulls wrap up the regular season Saturday at Tulane before playing in the American Conference Tournament starting on March 10.
The Source: The information in the story below was gathered by FOX 13 Sports Reporter Sean Barie while on assignment at USF women's basketball senior night.