Sophomore transfer Cabral makes quick impact for UTEP women
Three and a half years ago, Eliana Cabral made the decision to go from the suburbs of Lisbon, Portugal to UTEP because she felt the women's basketball program related to her on a personal level.
From May 2018, when she signed a letter of intent to become a Miner, to this summer when she finally completed her trip to El Paso, Cabral learned what that meant. She learned about loyalty, about being more than a number, about perseverance on her part and the part of the program, the family, she wanted to join.
More: C-USA women's basketball
That all led her to the Don Haskins Center, though she’ll have to wait a bit more for the next game as Saturday afternoon’s contest with Utah State was cancelled.
Cabral never made it to UTEP in 2018 because academically she was a class short. Then she ended up serving another stint for the Portuguese national team, but coach Kevin Baker never gave up on her. With that letter of intent at that point meaning nothing, he steered her to New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs in 2019.
As Cabral flourished for two seasons, the bond between her and UTEP didn't waver.
"It was hard," Cabral said of the long journey to El Paso. "But they didn't stop caring for me and trying to help me. I went to New Mexico so I could come back here. (UTEP was) always on top of it, always checking with me, seeing my games, seeing how I was doing. I knew they cared about me.
"I wanted to come here from the beginning because I knew they cared about all of us, not just as athletes. That's why I wanted to come here."
To be sure, there was something in it for UTEP as well, which has been on full display in Cabral's first six games as a Miner. Forced into a starting role this past week in the Las Vegas tournament because four players were unavailable, Cabral averaged 11 points, five rebounds and two steals in a split of two games.
That pushed her season scoring average to 7.3 points and gave a taste of what had UTEP so excited in 2018.
"We stayed in touch, we formed a relationship, we let her know no matter what, we wanted her here both as a person and as a player," Baker said. "We never gave up on her, we stuck with her, she stuck with us. I think in a couple of years, when she's done here at UTEP, we're all going to be glad she became a Miner."
She was needed last weekend and will be again in the future as UTEP deals with the uncertainty of COVID positive tests. When the Miners need points, Cabral is a place where they will start the search.
"We knew going to Vegas we were going to need her to play well and she did," Baker said. "What I told her afterward is that she's going to need to do that the rest of the year.
"That trip to Vegas was tough for us, but I said all along it was going to make us better. It's a long season and we're going to be better because of what it did for players like Eliana Cabral.
Cabral said what she learned on the road trip was the same thing she learned traveling the path from Portugal to El Paso: be strong mentally.
"Yeah, it was tough, but we did our job, we tried to do our best no matter the circumstances we were dealing with," Cabral said of playing two games in Las Vegas without four players. "That's it, we had a job to do."
That's also the attitude she took when she arrived here in the summer and had to learn a new team.
"It's hard, but if you listen to the coaches and try to do your best, we are able to do whatever they ask us to do and learn," she said. "Listening. Take what they say in practices and do it. Sometimes I don't fit in on the floor like I'm supposed to, so listen to them and then fix it."
Cabral fits in best when she's sprinting down the floor. Her quickness and her motor are her assets and that's led to some easy baskets this year, often on the end of long passes from Katia Gallegos. Cabral gives UTEP a dimension the open court the team hasn't always had in the past.
"It's really exciting to play with somebody who knows how to run the floor," Gallegos said. "She's a very smart player on and off the court, she's always a good time to be around. It's the chemistry that's helped us along the way, she and I have been playing well together.
"It's the energy. The energy she brings to the team helps us a lot."
Baker said to expect more of that.
"She's really good on the open floor," Baker said. "She's instinctive, she has a lot of natural ability, she has good court vision and she's an exceptional passer. We like to play that way too."
"Another thing, she has the potential to be a fantastic defensive player. She's not there yet, she has a ways to go, but she plays so hard and with so much energy. When it all comes together, she's going to be good on the defensive end."
That's Cabral's goal.
"I bring my energy to the team and defense, trying to run the floor," she said. "And running. Fast breaks, we have to run.
"When we start running, we get going and it's hard to catch a team that doesn't quit running."
Cabral has been on the move for the last three years and finally found a home in El Paso.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at 915-546-6359; bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.
Utah State women's basketball at UTEP
What, when, where: A non-conference NCAA women's basketball game, 1 p.m. Saturday, Don Haskins Center
Records: Utah State is 4-3, UTEP is 5-1
TV, radio: CUSAtv, UTEP Miners app
Tickets: $8-$12
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Sophomore transfer Eliana Cabral makes quick impact for UTEP women
