For Riley Saldaña, a commitment to play college basketball at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, brings together several parts of the future she hopes to build. It offers the Pahrump Valley High School senior an opportunity to continue competing in a sport she has grown to love, attend the university she considers her dream school and pursue an education that fits her longtime interests in aviation and military service.
It is an opportunity she once doubted would come—and, for a time, one she was not certain she wanted to pursue.
After a difficult junior year, Saldaña considered stepping away from basketball and taking a different route after graduation. She thought about enlisting in the military rather than attending college. But summer workouts and basketball camps helped her rediscover the enjoyment that had made the sport such an important part of her life. With encouragement from her mother, she reopened a recruiting conversation with Embry-Riddle, setting in motion the phone call, campus visit and eventual offer that would lead to her commitment.
“I’ve played basketball my whole life, and I don’t think I could see myself not playing in college,” Saldaña said.
That realization took time. Her decision reflects months of thinking about what she wanted from college, how basketball fit into those plans and which school could help her move toward goals that extend well beyond the court.
Saldaña’s interest in Embry-Riddle began before her recruiting process gained momentum. She first contacted the basketball program in February, during a period when she was uncertain whether she wanted to continue playing after high school. The response left her discouraged: the coach had only two available spots, and offers for both were already out.
With those opportunities seemingly spoken for, Saldaña stepped back. At the same time, she was working through a demanding stretch of school and sports that had affected how she felt about basketball and college altogether.
“There was a point in time where it was like this past February, I was like, ‘I don’t want to play,’” she said.
Her junior year had presented challenges across several areas of her life. Academics were difficult, basketball had become frustrating and volleyball brought an adjustment when she moved to the right side, a position she said was not her usual one. Softball also had its difficult moments, even during a season that ended with a state championship.
Saldaña recalled feeling overwhelmed before softball regionals. Looking back, she described a year in which the demands of school and multiple sports had accumulated, leaving her uncertain about what she wanted next.
“Academics were hard. Basketball was hard,” she said.
The uncertainty was particularly significant in basketball because she had reached a point where she was no longer enjoying playing. Continuing into college seemed less appealing when the sport itself had become difficult to look forward to.
Over the summer, that began to change. Saldaña kept working on her game, attended camps and spent more time playing. As she prepared for another basketball season, she noticed excitement returning. Those experiences gave her a chance to reconsider her future while enjoying the sport again.
“I was playing during the summer, and I was playing in these camps and stuff,” she said. “And I was like, ‘Wait, I actually do enjoy this.’”
She described that change in a way that reached beyond basketball.
“I feel like I got myself back, basically,” Saldaña said.
As she continued thinking through her options, the possibility of ending her basketball career after high school became harder to accept. Eventually, she knew she wanted to keep playing.
Her mother encouraged her to contact Embry-Riddle again. In September, Saldaña followed that advice and reached back out to the program.
This time, the conversation moved forward. The coach wanted to arrange a phone call, and that discussion led to a campus visit.
“Phone call went great,” Saldaña said. “He wanted to set up a visit.”
Even as the process progressed, she tried to keep her expectations measured. She remembered the earlier conversation about the two offers and understood that the program was still working through its recruiting decisions. According to Saldaña, the coach thought one of those recruits might commit, while the other remained uncertain.
She arrived at the visit knowing she wanted an opportunity, but unsure whether one would be available. She thought she might leave with a request to wait while the program determined what would happen with its outstanding offers.
Instead, she received an offer of her own.
“I didn’t think I was going to get that offer,” Saldaña said.
The moment brought an unexpected answer to a question that had followed her through much of the year. A school she had wanted to attend was offering her a place in its basketball program.
“He gave me an opportunity that I never thought I was going to get,” she said.
Embry-Riddle was one of approximately four schools involved in Saldaña’s recruiting process. Each offered something for her to consider, but her decision involved more than finding a team that wanted her to play.
The United States Merchant Marine Academy in New York was among the schools that expressed interest. Saldaña said its coach contacted her through FieldLevel around the beginning of October. Given her interest in military service and becoming a pilot, she saw considerable value in the opportunity.
Still, distance mattered. New York would place her far from home, and she had similar reservations about a school in Kansas with which she was communicating.
A junior college in San Diego was another possibility. However, Saldaña preferred the idea of beginning at a four-year university, where she could pursue the college experience she envisioned from the start.
Saldaña also drew recruiting interest in volleyball and softball, with schools reaching out about opportunities to continue in both sports. By that point, however, she knew basketball was the sport she wanted to pursue in college, helping her narrow her focus as she considered where to attend.
Embry-Riddle remained the school she most wanted.
“Embry-Riddle is my dream school, for sure,” she said.
Saldaña took an active role in creating those recruiting conversations. Rather than relying on a recruiting service to handle outreach, she researched schools, found coaches’ email addresses and contacted programs herself.
FieldLevel served as her main place to post basketball videos and other recruiting material, and she also used Instagram. While the Merchant Marine Academy coach found her through FieldLevel, Saldaña said her own outreach generally involved learning about a school and emailing its coaches directly.
That work allowed her to explore several possibilities while considering how each one fit her athletic, academic and personal priorities. Reaching out to Embry-Riddle a second time ultimately proved especially important, giving the program another opportunity to consider her and giving Saldaña a chance to revisit a school she had never stopped wanting to attend.
The campus visit strengthened that interest. Saldaña spoke enthusiastically about the setting, the university’s aviation resources and the possibilities available to students interested in flying.
“The campus is gorgeous,” she said. “Everything about it, I love it.”
Her commitment is to the Prescott campus, whose athletics program is affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, or NAIA. Saldaña came away impressed by the basketball program and excited about the level of competition she would have an opportunity to join.
The financial support accompanying the opportunity also matters. Saldaña said she will receive both athletic and academic scholarships, with each contributing substantially toward the cost of attending.
Her work in the classroom has played a significant role in that package. She said her grades, GPA and class rank helped her earn the highest merit scholarship level available to her through the university’s review.
For a student balancing three sports and additional extracurricular commitments, that academic recognition adds another meaningful part to the achievement. The offer reflects both the basketball work that helped her draw recruiting interest and the classroom performance that made academic assistance possible.
Saldaña is continuing to apply for outside scholarships. She hopes additional awards can help cover the remaining cost of her education, though that funding is still something she is pursuing.
“I’m applying for all the ones I can,” she said.
While her college choice is settled, her exact academic path remains under consideration. Saldaña has looked at aviation, global security and intelligence, and engineering. At the time of the interview, she was leaning toward global security and intelligence as she considered how her degree could fit with her longer-term plans.
Embry-Riddle’s Prescott campus offers a bachelor’s degree in Global Security and Intelligence Studies. For Saldaña, that area of study is appealing because she hopes eventually to pursue military flight training, allowing her college education and her aviation ambitions to complement one another.
Her ultimate goal is to become a Marine Corps pilot.
Flying has interested her since childhood. Long before she was deciding whether to play college basketball, Saldaña imagined a future in aviation. She remembers that ambition being a constant even as her interests in sports changed.
“Pilot, pilot, pilot,” she said. “That’s all I wanted to do.”
Military service is another goal she has thought about for years. The possibility of combining the two has helped her identify a direction she wants to pursue.
“If I can combine the two and do both, that would be great,” Saldaña said.
She has begun looking into the Marine Corps’ Platoon Leaders Class and learning about possible routes toward flight training. In discussing her research, she pointed to physical requirements and testing as considerations in pursuing a flight contract. Those possibilities remain part of her future planning as she prepares for college.
Her interest in the Marines also has a family connection. Her uncle, Harry Reed, is a Marine Corps Veteran, and conversations about his experiences have helped shape her admiration for the branch. Saldaña has also spoken with a Marine Corps recruiter and said she has long leaned toward pursuing that route
“He’s always talked to me about his experiences and stuff like that,” Saldaña said. “I always admired Marines.”
At the center of that interest is a desire to contribute to something beyond her own individual goals.
“Serving something bigger than myself is my main thing,” she said.
For now, Saldaña’s schedule is already full. Along with her sports, she said she participates in three other extracurricular activities, leaving limited room to add another commitment such as Civil Air Patrol. Her aviation interests remain an important part of her plans, even as school and athletics occupy much of her time.
Basketball’s place in those plans developed gradually. Saldaña did not begin playing with a college commitment in mind. She remembers joining Junior Trojans basketball around fifth grade and initially approaching it as something fun to do.
“I did not take it serious,” she said. “It was just fun for me.”
At that age, soccer occupied much of her attention. She played for approximately six or seven years and, for a time, imagined becoming a professional soccer player alongside her interest in aviation.
As she grew older, her feelings about soccer changed. What had once been a favorite activity became something she no longer wanted to continue. Basketball moved in the opposite direction, becoming more enjoyable and more important as she reached middle school.
The pandemic interrupted an early opportunity to play, but Saldaña went on to earn a starting role in seventh grade and continued starting in eighth grade. Those seasons helped her develop an appreciation for the full experience of being on a team.
She remembers the travel, the time with teammates and the enjoyment of playing together as important parts of those years. She also credited Coach Odegard with making her eighth-grade season a positive experience.
“I loved having those moments with my teammates,” Saldaña said.
Her freshman year at PVHS brought another memorable introduction to what basketball could offer. She joined a strong team with a large senior class and experienced a trip to the state tournament.
The season remains a favorite memory, even with the disappointment of its ending. Saldaña recalled a state semifinal loss decided by a buzzer-beater, a result that still stands out because of how close the team came to advancing.
“It was really heartbreaking,” she said.
That first high school season gave her an opportunity to be part of an experienced team and share in a postseason run. The years that followed brought more difficult stretches, but those earlier experiences remained part of a basketball career she ultimately decided she wanted to extend.
Throughout that career, Saldaña said several coaches have helped her improve, supported her decisions and made opportunities available.
Coach Hopkins was the first she named.
Saldaña described his willingness to open the gym at 6 a.m. so she and other players could work on their games. Those early mornings gave her access to practice time beyond the regular season schedule and reflected the consistent support she said he has provided.
“He’s always been there, super supportive,” Saldaña said.
She also appreciates being challenged. While she acknowledged that Hopkins can be demanding, she views that coaching as part of what helps her improve. His expectations, paired with his willingness to show up and provide opportunities to work, have made him an important figure in her development.
Her appreciation extends across sports. Saldaña credited Coach Lugo with encouraging her to pursue the college opportunity she wanted, even though Lugo would have enjoyed seeing her continue in volleyball.
That support mattered as Saldaña decided which of her sports she wanted to carry into college. She said Lugo encouraged her to follow her own interests and pursue the direction that felt right for her.
Coach Hayes, her softball coach at PVHS, also received an enthusiastic mention.
“Coach Hayes is a big one, too,” Saldaña said. “I love Coach Hayes.”
She additionally credited her PGC and other camp coaches with helping her grow. Those experiences provided instruction and opportunities to improve, and the summer camps became especially meaningful when they helped her rediscover how much she enjoyed playing.
When asked who deserved the biggest acknowledgment, however, Saldaña returned to her parents.
“They’ve supported me so much throughout my entire career,” she said.
Their involvement has extended across basketball, her other sports and the demands that come with keeping up a busy school schedule. Saldaña said her father is willing to work with her on basketball whenever she wants to practice, providing another source of help as she develops her game.
Her mother has made sure she can get to practices and attend camps, adjusting her own schedule to make those opportunities possible. Saldaña spoke openly about the financial investment her parents have made, including thousands of dollars spent on summer camps.
“She will drop anything to get me to practice,” Saldaña said of her mother.
Those contributions have given her more chances to train, learn and compete. They also provided support during the periods when she was uncertain about her next step. Her mother’s encouragement to contact Embry-Riddle again became a particularly meaningful example of how that support helped move her toward an opportunity she might otherwise have left unexplored.
“They do a lot for me, and I really appreciate them,” Saldaña said.
As she prepares to finish high school, Saldaña can look ahead with a clearer sense of direction. She has a college basketball opportunity at the school she most wanted to attend, scholarship support that recognizes her work in athletics and academics, and room to pursue interests she has held since childhood.
Her commitment follows a year in which she had to think carefully about what she wanted and give herself time to find enjoyment in basketball again. Summer workouts, camp experiences, conversations with her family and a renewed recruiting effort all contributed to the decision.
Now, the next stage of her basketball career can be part of the education and future she wants to build. For Saldaña, it begins with a realization she reached before the offer ever arrived.
“I don’t want to stop playing.”
