In 2009 the announcement was made that Faulkner University was adding a Women’s Basketball Program. Coach Reed Sutton and his family moved to town from Texas and started building the team. The very first commitment was from Leticia Cuellar. The Lady Eagles would begin competing in the NAIA Southern States Athletic Conference for the 2010-2011 season.
At his first press conference Sutton stated, “We look forward to recruiting student athletes that the campus community can take great pride in. We plan on recruiting young ladies who will compete hard every time they hit the court and the classroom; and who will strive to be servant leaders in the community.”
When asked what helped Cuellar decide to commit to the brand-new Faulkner Women’s Basketball Program as it was being built, she answered, “One person – Coach Sutton! I was lucky enough to have him as my high school basketball coach. The impact he had on my life during high school heavily influenced my decision to attend Faulkner. I knew Coach Sutton would always support me and my goals as not only a basketball player but as an individual.”
Cuellar went on to say, “building a program from scratch is comparable to forming an identity and essentially laying down a foundation for the future.”
When asked about her favorite memories of playing as a Lady Eagle, Cuellar shared, “My amazing teammates! Coach Sutton would tell us, ‘you’ll never remember how many assists or points you had, but you’ll remember the relationships you’ve created and built with your teammates.’ I can agree! I couldn’t tell you any stats from any games. However, I can tell you some of my favorite memories are from our Christmas breaks when it was just us on campus playing basketball.”
Cuellar reflects that she wanted to play basketball and obtain an education and was grateful to have the opportunity to play collegiate basketball with Coach Sutton. She earned her bachelor’s degree and graduated in May of 2014.
Cuellar was considering medical and dental school and ultimately decided on dental school. She attended four years at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. She is now specializing in oral and maxillofacial surgery at Carle Foundation Hospital in Champaign, Illinois treating patients with head and neck cancer, cleft lip and palate babies, facial trauma, and also extracting teeth and implants. She says, “Although school and residency have occupied the majority of my time these days, Coach Sutton is never far from my thoughts.”
Cuellar shares this advice to current and future Eagles, “Enjoy your teammates! I know you all spend so much time together, but don’t take for granted the opportunity to hang out with your teammates. It really is such a special thing to be a collegiate athlete and having someone always have your back.”
