Moving places is not new to Irene García.
At 14, the Urnieta, Baque Country, Spain, native resettled in Barcelona to chase her basketball dreams. There, she played for Segle XXI Academy, a renowned government-backed elite female basketball academy.
That further commitment to the sport strengthened her goal of becoming a professional.
“It was exciting. Thanks to those experiences, I met lots of people, lots of friends. That made me more mature and I appreciated the opportunity to accept that offer. I think that, thanks to that, I’m now here,” García said.
After that first opportunity, García did not stop. In 2022, she was selected for the U14 Spanish National team. Following that, the Spaniard went on to play for the Catalan Junior League (2022-24) and the Spanish Women’s Second Division (2024-26).
“I think that my motivation is knowing where I can reach as a player, and I think basketball has made me a better person,” García said.
This year, the forward decided to take a chance with another big move, this time to another country.
When trying to decide which university to commit to, García couldn’t do a recruitment visit due to commitments in Spain. However, she used calls as her “recruiting tool.”
Her ultimate decision was impacted by the coaching staff at Penn State. They assured her that joining the Lady Lions would be a great opportunity to improve individually, while also highlighting “the spirit of college athletics” and the academic opportunities she would get.
However, she is still getting used to Happy Valley and being farther away from her family than she has ever been.
“It's different, but it's nice. There are a lot of green places,” García said. “The distance that I have to walk, because I don't have a license, is not very long. My longest walk is 20 minutes.”
One of the things that stood out to the freshman in the first practices was the fast-paced style of American basketball.
“Here they play faster, and in European basketball, we play slower,” García said.
Another difference García experienced are Penn State’s famous football tailgates.
“In Spain we love soccer a lot, but it's not the same. Here they start at nine in the morning to prepare for the game,” García said. “In Spain, we go to the game and that's it. That’s a great difference that I have noticed.”
García played her first match with the Lady Lions, Tuesday, in the exhibition game against Pitt-Johnstown. The freshman contributed eight points to the team’s dominant 84-47 victory.
Now, she looks forward to an even greater performance during the team’s home opener at 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2 at the Bryce Jordan Center.
“We will compete very hard. We will give 110 % every practice, every game,” García said. “So we can return Penn State to the success it deserves.”