South City graduate Brittney Cedeno captures Division II regular-season women’s steals crown

Not only did Cedeno play in all of Dominican’s 29 games in 2022-23, she achieved her lofty goal by finishing the Division II women’s basketball regular season as the national steals leader with 118, shattering Dominican’s single-season record in the process.

“I did a lot this past offseason … I took care of things both mentally and physically, just to make sure it was the best version of myself going in, because I also knew this was going to be my last season,” Cedeno said. “I was working out like crazy, probably even more than I should have been. But I knew what I wanted, and I kind of had to make sure that I got it.”

A 5-9 guard, Cedeno transferred from the Division I ranks at Cal Baptist, where she never played a game in 2018-19 due to injury. It was a likely destination for her, as her older brother Michael Smith was a Cal Baptist great while school’s athletics still resided in Division II.

In returning to the court the next season, two factors loomed large in Cedeno’s transfer. First, Dominican is located in San Rafael, much closer to home where her family could come watch her play. Also, it was a chance to win a starting job right away.

“You could tell she had a really good feel for the game,” Dominican head coach Tim LaKose said. “I think she just wanted to play more right away, and she had a better chance to do that for us at the time.”

For Cedeno, though, the game of basketball has always been more about the guts than the glory. That helped her persevere what came next, as the world was interrupted by the COVID pandemic, the ups and downs of which were unlike anything she has encountered in her roller coaster basketball career.

“I went from never playing a minute of college basketball to starting,” Cedeno said. “So, it was a big adjustment. And I think it was a big year of growth not just for me individually, but also for the program, and just the team. And moving forward going into the next season, I’m thinking: ‘Hey, I’m used to this now. We have a chance. I know some of the girls that are coming next season. It could be something really special.’ And then COVID hit.”

In high school, Cedeno overcame plenty. A transfer from Sacred Heart Cathedral, she returned to her hometown to put South City girls’ basketball on the map. Despite suffering two concussions during her varsity career, she still earned three straight Peninsula Athletic League North Division MVP awards. She also led the Lady Warriors to the Central Coast Section Division III championship game her senior year but couldn’t play due to a season-ending knee injury.

South City still went on to win the program’s first CCS crown that season, thanks in large part to a young freshman point guard, Alex Salise, who took over for Cedeno and scored 15 points in the 66-50 win over Aptos on the championship stage.

Last season, history kind of repeated itself when Salise — who transferred from South City to spend her last two high school seasons at Notre Dame-Belmont — landed at Dominican.

“I’m like: ‘Cool, here we go again,’” Cedeno said.

Along with Alaiyah San Juan and Olga Faasolo, Salise was one of three NDB graduates on roster for the Penguins for the past two seasons. And during a three-game stretch in 2021-22 when Cedeno was forced to miss time with another concussion, Salise took her spot in the starting five.

“She came in and she filled in for my role,” Cedeno said. “And it was fun to watch her play.”

The injury proved costly in Cedeno’s pursuit of the program record. Playing in just 21 games last season, she finished the year with 69 steals, just one shy of the Dominican single-season record, set by Salonika Quewon-Owens in 2013-14 with 70.

“That killed me,” Cedeno said.

It also lit a fire under the already fiery guard.

“She’s not the quickest or biggest player but she anticipates really well, knows where to be, studies scouring reports … and that really paid off,” LaKose said. “This being her last year, she really worked hard to make it our best. And she was a great leader for our team.”

Cedeno was far from just a defensive specialist. She closed out her career leading the Penguins in scoring (13.9 ppg), rebounds (8.3 rpg), assists (3.1 apg) and minutes (34.1 per game) on the season. She was also one of just two players, along with San Juan, to start all 29 games.

“It was a healthy season, I couldn’t complain,” Cedeno said.

In addition to watching a lot of scouting film to prepare for opponents’ passing styles, allowing her to anticipate where the ball would be, Cedeno said the key to her record-breaking performance was her offseason dedication.

“I just wanted to be faster,” Cedeno said. “I knew, just trying to read passing lanes, and being able to cover so much ground, I knew I had to get faster. So, I did that.”

Cedeno said it was a successful year for the Penguins, who finished in second place in the PacWest Conference and recorded an 18-11 overall record. Dominican was eliminated in the PacWest Championships opener in a 71-62 loss to Concordia, but the tournament had a silver lining as it was held at Chaminade University in Honolulu.

Now, Cedeno is considering a pro career. She said she is looking at opportunities to play overseas. Her brother, Michael Smith, currently plays with Sesi Franca of the Novo Basquete Brasil premier professional league in Brazil.

“My goal, my plan for this very near, near future is to sign with his agent and just go from there, see what we can make happen,” Cedeno said.