Photo by: Darrell James
Tech Triumph: Daria McCutcheon
3/30/2019 8:18:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Junior guard's road went from the balance beam to the court
RUSTON -- After being born in Arizona, moving to Florida when she was two months old and then settling in Texas as a first grader, Daria McCutcheon has found yet another place to call home in Ruston, Louisiana.
A budding basketball star at Plano East (Texas) High School – she was named the Plano East HS Female Student-Athlete of the Year as a senior – Daria was recruited by a number of Division I programs, including Seton Hall, UALR, Northwestern State, Sam Houston State and Boston University.
When she first signed a National Letter of Intent to play Division I basketball – a dream of hers since middle school – her plan was to continue following a family legacy at Northwestern State. At the time, Brooke and Scott Stoehr were co-head coaches for the Lady Demons in Natchitoches and Daria's late uncle (Ryan Bundy) was a former Demon himself for the men's basketball program at Northwestern State.
However, things changed very quickly for the Plano, Texas native in April of 2016.
"I got a call from Coach Brooke when I was in stats class my senior year of high school and she told me she was going to be moving back to her alma mater," said Daria, who is affectionately known as Dede by her teammates and coaches. "I was freaking out because I really loved them and the program.
"Another main reason I signed with Northwestern State was because my late uncle went there, so I thought I would make my family proud. I was really excited about it. Eventually, I decided to get my release and come to Louisiana Tech instead."
After Daria officially became a Lady Techster, the rest fell into place for the junior guard. She recently completed her third season at Louisiana Tech and is on pace to graduate with a degree in biology next spring.
Although basketball is at the forefront of her mind these days with senior year on the horizon, the sport used to take a backseat to Daria's first passion – competitive gymnastics.
"When I moved from Florida in the first grade, that was the first thing I did and I loved it," said Daria, whose parents Dadario and Melanie religiously make the trip down I-20 to Ruston to watch their eldest daughter play. "I did it up until seventh grade, but it was just very time consuming and I wasn't as into it anymore the older I got.
"I started playing basketball in the fifth grade and when middle school started, that's when I really got into it and loved it. So I kept playing it from there on out. I played volleyball, ran track and did different things in middle school, but high school was solely basketball. I wanted to play Division I basketball. My cousin played for the University of Miami, and she is who I looked up to. I wanted to play DI basketball just like her, so that was my plan and I did it."
Since coming to Louisiana Tech, Daria has done her part both on the court – she has played in more than 80 games for the Lady Techsters – and in the classroom as she has twice been named to the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll. She plans to attend pharmacy school once she finishes her undergraduate degree.
"Looking back on it, I am so glad I came to Louisiana Tech because I can have my own legacy and did my own thing here," said Daria, whose younger sister Maya has signed to play collegiate soccer at Oklahoma starting this fall. "I don't feel like I am one of 200 students when I am in class. You can really have deep relationships with professors and even students around campus and other athletes.
"I know other colleges will have football, basketball, volleyball and can be very cliquey. At Louisiana Tech, everyone is just one big family. That's what I really like about it. The relationships you build here make it 100 times better."
A budding basketball star at Plano East (Texas) High School – she was named the Plano East HS Female Student-Athlete of the Year as a senior – Daria was recruited by a number of Division I programs, including Seton Hall, UALR, Northwestern State, Sam Houston State and Boston University.
When she first signed a National Letter of Intent to play Division I basketball – a dream of hers since middle school – her plan was to continue following a family legacy at Northwestern State. At the time, Brooke and Scott Stoehr were co-head coaches for the Lady Demons in Natchitoches and Daria's late uncle (Ryan Bundy) was a former Demon himself for the men's basketball program at Northwestern State.
However, things changed very quickly for the Plano, Texas native in April of 2016.
"I got a call from Coach Brooke when I was in stats class my senior year of high school and she told me she was going to be moving back to her alma mater," said Daria, who is affectionately known as Dede by her teammates and coaches. "I was freaking out because I really loved them and the program.
"Another main reason I signed with Northwestern State was because my late uncle went there, so I thought I would make my family proud. I was really excited about it. Eventually, I decided to get my release and come to Louisiana Tech instead."
After Daria officially became a Lady Techster, the rest fell into place for the junior guard. She recently completed her third season at Louisiana Tech and is on pace to graduate with a degree in biology next spring.
Although basketball is at the forefront of her mind these days with senior year on the horizon, the sport used to take a backseat to Daria's first passion – competitive gymnastics.
"When I moved from Florida in the first grade, that was the first thing I did and I loved it," said Daria, whose parents Dadario and Melanie religiously make the trip down I-20 to Ruston to watch their eldest daughter play. "I did it up until seventh grade, but it was just very time consuming and I wasn't as into it anymore the older I got.
"I started playing basketball in the fifth grade and when middle school started, that's when I really got into it and loved it. So I kept playing it from there on out. I played volleyball, ran track and did different things in middle school, but high school was solely basketball. I wanted to play Division I basketball. My cousin played for the University of Miami, and she is who I looked up to. I wanted to play DI basketball just like her, so that was my plan and I did it."
Since coming to Louisiana Tech, Daria has done her part both on the court – she has played in more than 80 games for the Lady Techsters – and in the classroom as she has twice been named to the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll. She plans to attend pharmacy school once she finishes her undergraduate degree.
"Looking back on it, I am so glad I came to Louisiana Tech because I can have my own legacy and did my own thing here," said Daria, whose younger sister Maya has signed to play collegiate soccer at Oklahoma starting this fall. "I don't feel like I am one of 200 students when I am in class. You can really have deep relationships with professors and even students around campus and other athletes.
"I know other colleges will have football, basketball, volleyball and can be very cliquey. At Louisiana Tech, everyone is just one big family. That's what I really like about it. The relationships you build here make it 100 times better."
Players Mentioned
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