Nan Garcia is a graduate student on the Toledo women's basketball team and entering her fourth season as a Rocket after transferring from Penn State. Born in Puerto Rico, she moved to Jeffersonville, Ind. at two-years-old and has competed for Puerto Rico's U17 and U23 national teams. She has been a part of 86 wins in three seasons at Toledo, scoring 612 points, grabbing 347 rebounds and dishing 63 assists in 94 games as a Rocket.
 
On growing up playing sports
"As a little kid, I was always attracted to sports and not just basketball – I loved watching baseball and other sports. I picked up a basketball when I was four or five years old, but I didn't really get into it until I was around 10. Then I just fell in love with it. I also played softball through my senior year of high school."
 
On traveling the world thanks to basketball
"The competitiveness and how much you get to travel the world was appealing to me. That little orange ball has taken me all over the place – Greece last year, Puerto Rico multiple times and all over the U.S."
 
On how she's developed as a player
"I've developed my three-point shot a lot more since I've been in college. I love being able to shoot the three, especially as a post player, as not all post players are able to have that in their game. It's cool to be able to stretch out the floor and give my team different opportunities."
 
On choosing between basketball and softball
"I was choosing between playing basketball and softball at the next level when I began high school. My high school coach, Michael Warren guided me in the direction of basketball. He's been a great mentor to me, even now. I give him a lot of props and he helped me and developed me into going to college."
 
On what drew her to Toledo
"The atmosphere, the culture, the family and this community are all one of a kind. This community is truly inspiring, and for all of these fans to show up for women's basketball and women's sports in general means I'm part of something special playing here."
 
On her family
"I'm in a family of four with my mom Nancy, my dad Noel and my older brother Noel. We just welcomed my first nephew to the family about two months ago with my brother and my sister-in-law. My parents make it out to almost all of the games, especially when we're at home. They never missed a game until I was a freshman in college. My family is everything and they are the reason I am who I am today."
 
On her family traditions and culture
"I always call my mom before every game and say a prayer. That's something I carry with me every day and trace back to my roots in Puerto Rico, a very religious atmosphere. As I've gotten older, I've started to appreciate the Puerto Rican culture more. I try to get back there as much as I can in my free time. I'm proud to be Hispanic and I'm proud to be Puerto Rican, I think it's a special place that not a lot of people appreciate."
 
On what people might not know about Puerto Rico
"It's a U.S. territory, so you don't need a passport to go there. You can just go there, vacation, and you'll have a fun time."
 
On playing for the U23 Puerto Rico national team in 2023
"When I was in high school, I played for the U17 national team. They called me up and asked if I would play for the U23 team, which just happened to be playing close-by in Canada. It's a different type of pride when you put on your country's jersey. You get to play with girls you've never played with before and even communicate in Spanish."
 
On the growth of women's basketball in the U.S.
"I think it's everything. When I got to college, women's basketball wasn't this big, but to see the game grow throughout these years has been unreal. Women's basketball has always been good, people were just late to see that. Players like Caitlin Clark have changed the path for all of these women that are coming up. That's what it always should have been. It's cool that people are starting to fall in love with the game as much as we love the game."
 
On the family environment at Toledo
"I've been playing with some of these players for four years and I've played against Hannah Noveroske and Khera Goss in high school, so there have been some full-circle moments. We have an incredible sisterhood and an incredible culture here. We spend almost every single day together, so you get to build these great relationships with great people. They're your best friends and will be your best friends for the rest of your life. These are the people you'll invite to your wedding."
 
On building a family with her Rocket teammates with a new coaching staff
"I always knew that I had a family here. The coaches might be new, but the family and the culture that we've built is the same. So my teammates and I want to keep building this culture for the next generation to come."
 
On Toledo's success on the court
"The connection we have and the way we interact off the court builds what we have on the court. The wins are great, but the way we play as a team, the chemistry and the connection is amazing. Every given night, somebody else will be the top scorer. No matter who it is, we're just as excited for them as if it were ourselves."
 
On building as a team through the off-season
"Spending time together and team bonding is a really big thing. We always try to spend one day a week together doing something that isn't basketball. Whether that's getting food, watching The Bachelorette – which we joke around about – we always do stuff together that's just us being us."
 
On the Toledo basketball community and having high attendance every game
"It's something that a lot of people don't get to experience. These fans are once in a lifetime. They're incredible people and you know that they genuinely care about you. These are people that if you ever need anything in your life, they're there for you and that's a special thing. It's one thing for somebody to be at your game, but for somebody to care about you and for you to know little pieces about them, that's a connection and a relationship you get to build. Our fans aren't just fans, they're family and it's incredible to experience."
 
On what she's enjoyed about the City of Toledo
"Anywhere you go, you're likely to run into a fan. The city is not too big, not too small."