Brittney Cedeño’s Professional Career is Rooted in Heritage

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By: Andrea Aruino

Brittney Cedeño always knew she wanted to play professional basketball. With that she set two goals, being half Mexican and half Puerto Rican, those were the two locations she had in mind when it came to playing professionally. These past two years, she accomplished both those goals and quickly learned how to pivot her style of play to adapt to the changes of a new team and league, let alone a new location. 

During her final season in 2022-2023 at Dominican University, she found herself making a game plan. There was nothing that was going to stop Cedeño from continuing her basketball career. Her brother, Michael Smith, who currently plays for Diablos Rojos in Mexico had connections and was able to have his agent assist Cedeño in getting a deal with Abejas de León which was her first team out of college. 

“It was exciting and it was nerve-wracking having to move to a different country and figuring out everything on my own made it a bit scary but I was also really excited because this was something that I'd wanted to do for so long,” Cedeño said. 

Joining a team like Abejas de León gave Cedeño leverage in joining a winning and competitive year. Just the season before she joined, Abejas de León had won the league’s championship. Cedeño was ready to compete but encountered some challenges that came with playing in Mexico including the language barrier where both her coaches did not speak English. She was also surprised by the physicality of the league, it seemed as though referees were not calling fouls as often. Despite these challenges, Cedeño found a way to do what she does best which was play basketball. 

Cedeño quickly adjusted to the style of basketball in Mexico thanks to her teammates and coaches who were there to help every step of the way. In one game against the Adelitas de chihuahua she finished with a game high of 12 points where she went 3-4 from the three point line. As a guard she knows how to take advantage of her size and speed to be a scorer for the team. While at Abejas de León, she finished the season with a team high of 40% from the three point line. Something that she is continually developing. 

Following her 2023-2024 season at Abejas de León she went back home where she coaches afterschool programs for UPBasketball. While at home, the discussion of her playing basketball in Puerto Rico came up between her and her uncle. The same day, she saw an ad on Instagram promoting a combine that was three days away. In less than 48 hours, Cedeño submitted all of her paperwork and found her way to Puerto Rico. She entered that combine having no agent, no relatives, and no familiar faces. 

Cedeño had no expectations of being drafted. After the combine no coaches had contacted her about playing. A day before the Baloncesto Superior Nacional Femenino Draft, she received a call from one of the league’s heads to tune into the draft. Low and behold, Cedeño was selected in the second round as the eight pick to the Las Gigantes Carolina team. The adjustment to this team was a whole lot smoother for her because more of the team and staff spoke English. She was able to communicate with her team and understand what they needed from her. 

“It meant a lot because I am Mexican and Puerto Rican, so playing in these two places and getting to experience the culture out there and the life out there was special. The language barriers were frustrating at times but still being able to be in a place where the language is different was different but beautiful,” Cedeño said. 

One of her biggest games was against Leonas de Ponce where her team was up four points in the third quarter with 9.8 seconds left on the shot clock. The ball was inbounded and with 5.1 seconds left on the clock, Cedeño went in for a euro step that put the team up by six points going into the fourth quarter. This momentum pushed the team to win against Ponce 65-55. During her first season at Las Gigantes Carolina, she averaged 11 minutes per game and had the third highest field goal percentage at 53.8% as well as the highest free throw percentage at 100%. She averaged nine minutes per game and 2.5 PPG. These are things she hopes to work on in the upcoming season if given the chance to return which is something she is looking forward to. 

Although Cedeño has reached two of her biggest goals playing for Puerto Rico and Mexico, she has goals of accomplishing more as an athlete. Going into the next season which does not start until August 2026, she hopes to become a better leader on a professional team. She has experience being a leader as a coach and a teammate at the collegiate level but wants to see how that can translate and effect a team in a different region. Something she knows she will be able to achieve as time goes on.