A bigger, faster and stronger Bruce ready for UNO

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Christmas is about to come a little bit early for South Lafourche High School graduate and UNO freshman guard Traya Bruce.


In the coming weeks, the standout guard will officially be able to take the floor with her teammates, playing the sport that she loves.

Bruce is enrolled at UNO and is enjoying the process of being a collegiate student-athlete.

The Lady Tarpon great said she’s been in the city since June 2 and is adjusting well to life as a Lady Privateer.


She posted photos of herself in her jersey this past week and she looks noticeably stronger than she was at South Lafourche — bad news for opponents, because Bruce is a floor general point guard who can also score all over the floor.

“College life has been an adjustment,” Bruce said this past week. “I’ve been here since June 2. I went to school, had weights and practice. It took a few weeks to adjust to the schedule, but I’ve gotten the hang of it.”

An offseason in a college women’s basketball program is hard work.


Bruce said official practices don’t start for a couple weeks, but added that the Lady Privateers are working hard to make sure that they’re ready for the season.

On the average day, Bruce said she has weights and conditioning in the morning. Then, she attends classes for the day. In the afternoon, the team gets together and has group workouts. Time is limited because of NCAA rules, but the work is productive.

In the social media posts this past week, Bruce’s arms and shoulders appear noticeably bigger than when she was at South Lafourche High School.


When asked, she confirmed that she has added muscle to her core.

“Since the summer, we have been in the weight room every morning,” Bruce said. “At first, I was struggling because it was a lot more than I was used to. But as the weeks passed, I became stronger. It’s great to have my teammates on my side pushing me and encouraging me to get it done. The conditioning wasn’t as bad and didn’t take me long to get used to, because I’ve always enjoyed running.”

Another thing Bruce enjoys is scoring the basketball.


And she’s done that at every, single stage of her storied athletic career.

Bruce was a four-year starter at South Lafourche High School — unquestionably the best player in the history of the Lady Tarpons’ program.

In her time in Galliano, Bruce led the team to the playoffs for four-straight seasons, including a bid in the Class 4A Quarterfinals as a junior and a spot in the Class 4A State Semifinals this past year.


Bruce played her best on the biggest stages. In the 2017 Playoffs, she averaged closed to 40 points per game for the Lady Tarpons. This past year, she was just as lethal, scoring points in bunches for a team that was loaded with talent.

Lady Tarpons coach Rainie Terrebonne said coaching Bruce was an experience she will never forget.

“She was just a wonderful player and an even better person off the court,” Terrebonne said. “We asked her to come in and take on a lot of responsibility early in her career and she and her teammates never backed down from anyone. They always did the best that they could and they made school history.”


Bruce had several offers out of high school, but chose UNO because she felt like the program had the family-like feel she was looking for.

Now on campus, nothing has changed.

Bruce said it’s been a little awkward meeting and getting to know new teammates after playing with the same people throughout Biddy, middle school, then high school.


But she said her new teammates are great, adding that they’ve made her transition to the next level flawless.

UNO is an upstart program in the Southland Conference.

Their 2018-19 season will be the program’s fifth-straight with a local on the roster, as Houma native Randi Brown starred there the past few seasons. The team also has Houma Christian athlete Dee Thomas on its roster.


“My teammates and I quickly built a close relationship,” Bruce said. “In weights and workouts, everyone has energy to push each other and encourage each other to give our all each time we are together. We do a lot of community service and I feel like that brings us closer, also. On our off time, we are always together.”

But while workouts and making friends are fine, Bruce knows that she’s at UNO to play some basketball and she said she’s ready to get rolling.

She said she’s counting down the days to practices and is already ready for her first game. On Signing Day, the Lady Privateers said that Bruce would have an opportunity to see early playing time.


Bruce added she’s willing to play whatever role necessary to help the team win.

“I am very anxious to start playing,” Bruce said. “I’m ready to start playing with my team and start a new chapter together. I’m ready to get out there and just do what I love.”

Traya Bruce


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