Lauro hopes to give UNM fans something to cheer about

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

She did not see this coming.

Others did, including Lobos coach Mike Bradbury, who was delighted to land Lauro — a highly recruited 6-foot wing from Dallas’ 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’s 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.

“I was in competitive cheer from fourth grade to eighth grade,” Lauro said. “After eighth grade I decided I didn’t want to do high school cheer so I just went out for basketball instead. I made the JV but I wasn’t very good.”

That could have been where the story ended. One season into Lauro’s 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’s driveway.

“There was nothing else to do,” Lauro said, “so I just started practicing a lot. I got better and made the varsity as a sophomore but I still didn’t play that much.”

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

“You could see right away how athletic she is,” Bradbury said, “and she can really shoot it, too. Paris hasn’t played a ton of basketball, but the skills are there. We were really high on her.”

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.

“I’m a big fan of Mexican food,” she said. “It’s different here but I like it. Albuquerque just looks different from Dallas, too. The buildings, the signs, everything is lower and you can just see over it. I’m still getting used to that.”

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

“Above all I just wanted to be in a competitive area,” she said. “Basketball 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, ‘You’re coming here to play basketball.’ It’s kind of more business-oriented and I like that.”

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.

“Definitely,” he said. “She works at it and is getting more and more comfortable handling the ball and driving. She could already shoot, so that obviously helps.”

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

“I could flip but I couldn’t twist,” she said. “ ... 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.”

Lauro also feels she’s stepping into a good situation at UNM, which has a host of newcomers and young players on this season’s 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’s determined to keep evolving as a player. Asked about her basketball highlights to date, Lauro didn’t hesitate.

“Getting an offer from UNM,” she said, “because it really was a such a turnaround. Two years ago today I didn’t have any hope that I could play at this level and it was only about a year ago that I started getting offers. It’s kind of amazing how everything happened at once. I have to make sure I make the most of it.”