SAN ANTONIO– The UTSA women’s basketball team and the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation team have forged an alliance as of late, with the Roadrunners serving as a pipeline for the 12 Magníficas in the form of former point guard Nina De Leon Negron and current rising sophomore Adriana Robles. De Leon Negron has become a fixture on the nation’s senior squad, while Robles recently received a call-up to the U20 team.
“We are proud of Adriana and Nina,” said head coach Karen Aston. “It is a privilege to even be invited to the trials of any kind to represent your country and for them to also be chosen to play on the respective teams is a phenomenal accomplishment. I am proud to have had the opportunity to coach Nina, and Adriana has also been a joy. I cannot wait to see her growth after this experience. She is the third point guard I’ve coached from Puerto Rico so you could say I am fond of the way they play and lead their teams.”
In addition to De Leon Negron and Robles, Aston mentored Carla Cortijo when she was an associate head coach/recruiting coordinator at Texas. Cortijo later went on to become the first Puerto Rican to play in the WNBA, joining the Atlanta Dream from 2015-17. She currently serves as an assistant coach on the Puerto Rican national team.
De Leon Negron has represented her nation twice since attending UTSA at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifiers in March of 2026 and helping Puerto Rico win the 2026 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup Centrobasket Qualifiers title in Managua, Nicaragua, earlier in July.
“It was crazy,” said De Leon Negron on the team’s title. “It's something that I dreamed of since I was a kid. So just being up there as one of the best 12 players on the island was just amazing. It's just a blessing. It’s like everything I went through, all the hard work paid off.”
No stranger to lifting a trophy, De Leon Negron helped UTSA to a record-breaking 2024-25 season in what was her lone campaign with the squad, earning American Conference Newcomer of the Year and second-team all-conference honors, while leading the team to a regular season championship. She appeared in 30 games with 29 starts, averaging 9.0 points and 5.1 rebounds with 149 assists and 46 steals.
The Roadrunners posted a 26-5 record that year, including a 17-1 mark in league play, en route to the title for the most wins and most conference victories in program history. With De Leon Negron running point, the squad went 13-0 at home, finishing undefeated for the first time since the 1984-85 campaign, which saw the team go 9-0 in the Convocation Center. The conference championship was UTSA’s first since the 2008-09 season in the Southland and was the Roadrunners’ fifth in school history.
“Playing at UTSA prepared me big time,” De Leon Negron continued, “because the conference is tough and there’s a lot of good teams. Just being with Karen (Aston), and the way she runs the practices, gets you ready for anything. So, I think the confidence that I built up while playing against good teams, and with a good team, in a good conference, helped me a lot, so it's not much different. Since I had already played against really good players, I was already comfortable going against the best.”
De Leon Negron was first called up as an 18-year-old after representing Puerto Rico at the Centrobasket U17 Women's Championship, where she averaged 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. She accomplished a lifelong objective when chosen for the senior squad.
“It was always a goal since I started playing basketball,” De Leon Negron said. “I used to always watch them and go to their games as a fan. It's crazy that now I'm playing with players I used to watch as a little girl. So, it was definitely a goal of mine and a blessing. When I was 18, I was just happy to be there. I didn’t get much playing time, but being in practice every day with the vets was amazing because I learned a lot. Every time I get called up to the team, I feel the same excitement as the first time.”
De Leon Negron was the first Puerto Rican in UTSA women’s basketball history, and she followed in the footsteps of one of the men’s team’s all-time greats in Jhivvan Jackson. Jackson, who also holds Panamanian citizenship and has represented both nationalities on the world stage, is the men’s program’s all-time leading scorer, charting 2,551 points and becoming the first Roadrunner to exceed the 2,000-point threshold. The 2025 Bundesliga MVP, Jackson has had an illustrious professional career after becoming UTSA’s career record-holder in scoring average (22.2), field goals (868) and 3-pointers (367). In terms of single-season marks, he set the bar in points (856, 2019-20), scoring average (26.8, 2019-20) and field goals (290, 2019-20), while tying for 3-pointers with 121 in 2019-20. He was a 2019, 2020, 2021 USBWA All-District honoree, a 2019 and 2022 NABC All-District First Team selection and a four-time All-CUSA performer.
“It means a lot to build on the legacy he left,” said De Leon Negron. “He left a lot of history behind, and I wanted to keep the trend going and leave my mark on the program. Us Puerto Ricans play with a lot of heart and give our all when we step out on the court. We don’t get a lot of exposure on the island so the ability to leave a lasting legacy at UTSA isn’t something to take for granted.”
Now, Robles keeps the trend going, getting chosen for the U20 squad that will represent the nation at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The tournament will span from July 25 to Aug. 2. Group stage contests will see Robles and company play El Salvador on July 25, Panama on the 27th and Costa Rica on the 29th.
“It’s not only a blessing from God but an honor putting on the jersey to represent Puerto Rico,” Robles said about the call-up. “Not many people get to do it and being one of the few is truly special and something I never take for granted because I don’t know when it’ll be the last, but it’s such an amazing opportunity. I’ve represented in previous years, but this one feels different and special because it’s more Olympic oriented – many other sports will be there and we all are staying in a village together. I’m super excited and looking forward to it.”
Robles has been climbing up the ladder of international play, performing well at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup, where she posted 10.3 points per game, 3.7 rebounds per game and 2.5 assists per game en route to the quarterfinals. A year prior, at the U17 World Cup, she tallied 14.9 points per game, 4.3 rebounds per game and 3.6 assists per game.
“My ultimate goal with the national team would be to keep representing and go to the Olympics – that’s always been a dream of mine since I’ve made the teams and it’s something every kid wants to be a part of,” Robles continued. “It’s something very special that not many people have the chance to accomplish, but it’s something I want to make happen.”
Robles is coming off her freshman campaign at UTSA, one where she made 17 starts across 34 total games played. She averaged 5.0 points per game with 2.5 rebounds per contest, 72 assists and 34 steals. Her assists total represents the eighth most by a freshman in program history, and Robles was twice named American Freshman of the Week. She played a pivotal role in UTSA’s improbable run to the 2026 American Women’s Basketball Tournament Championship, winning four games in five days to claim the title and punch UTSA's ticket to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2009.
“I would recap my freshman year as a learning experience, adjusting to the system and understanding how coach Aston likes things to be done,” Robles said. “I embraced every obstacle that came, but overall, it was a really good and fun first year. Training at UTSA really prepared me to focus on the little things and the details that come with basketball. I think it requires a lot of focus and effort to do that. Our coaches stress defense a lot, and I think my level of intensity has really helped me make an impact on the court. I’ve also grown as a leader, bringing the team together and being positive even when things get hard.”
Both De Leon Negron and Robles were familiar with each other’s game but hadn’t met until Robles came to UTSA on her official visit.
“When she came to visit, I was trying to get her to come to UTSA so bad because I knew how good she was going to be for the program,” De Leon Negron reflected.
“I didn’t really have a relationship with her prior to UTSA, but I did know of her because she played with the Puerto Rican team,” Robles replied. “I really got to know her once I came to San Antonio. Getting to watch her is incredible because she’s a talented point guard, so watching her play and how she leads is something that I strive to match.”
The pair stay in contact now, as De Leon Negron plays professionally for El Calor in the Mexican LNBPF following her first professional season with Pollitas de Isabella in Puerto Rico. She was the third overall selection in the BSNF, before winning the league’s Rookie of the Year and All-Star Game MVP honors.
“We actually see each other pretty often and I love having her around as someone I can go to for advice,” Robles said about their relationship.
De Leon Negron hopes to be a positive mentor for Robles.
“I try to help her a lot and be there for her the ways that I wish someone was there for me when I was going through the same process. It’s really cool seeing her walk a similar path as me. I’ve watched her practice a couple times, and I will go up to her and give her tips. It’s like she's family in a certain way, and just seeing how good she is, how much she listens, how coachable she is. She's a great person with a really bright future ahead of her.”
After hearing the news of Robles being selected for the U20 team, De Leon Negron was excited.
“It’s amazing. I just feel really happy for her. It's well deserved. When she was at UTSA last year as a freshman, she proved herself, and showed a lot. A lot of freshmen don't do that, and it shows her resilience. It’s something in Puerto Rican blood that you really attack things, and I know she's going to make the most out of it.”
Robles hopes to set a strong example for young Puerto Rican players in the same way De Leon Negron has.
“I would love to inspire the next generation and give back to the community because that’s what basketball is all about. I want to not only motivate young girls but encourage them to chase their dreams and the people that say you’ll never make it, prove them wrong.”
It is safe to say that UTSA and Puerto Rico have a unique connection, establishing a point guard pipeline that sends the island’s growing stars to San Antonio.
“Yup, I think that’s an amazing idea,” De Leon Negron concluded.
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