At this moment, Puerto Rico has yet to announce their final roster for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin, Germany, which tips off Sept. 4.
After getting to know her, you’ll certainly be rooting for Denise Solis to make the cut.
Born in Windsor, CT, Solis competed for Puerto Rico in the 2025 Women’s AmeriCup, and this summer she helped Puerto Rico qualify for the 2027 AmeriCup, playing in five qualifying games.
Collegiately, the 6-foot-1 forward spent three seasons at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell (2019-22), where she was selected to the All-American East Team and All-America East Defensive Team in 2021, before suiting up for Temple for two seasons (2022-24). She’s now one year deep into a pro career in Puerto Rico.
On top of all that, she’s also worked as a nurse.
Solis took the time to talk to Swish Appeal about playing for the Puerto Rican national team, the disadvantages of being “sneaky good” and serving as a nurse during the pandemic. Here’s a peak at our conversation:
On being a “sneaky good” player:
I feel like I’m a player who contributes a lot more than points and rebounds. I do a lot more than shows on the stat sheet. I feel like I can have little points and I still will do well because I contribute in so many other ways. And I think that’s a very special thing about me as a player. I can’t control how others view me. I know that when I get on that court, I’m going to give it my all. And I know that I can impact the game and impact my team in good ways.
So, I know who I am as a player and I know that I can do more to improve and get better as a player, from preparation to taking care of my body, my diet. I know that there’s a lot of things that I can do to get better and I know that I will get there one day, I just need to keep working and taking it one day at a time. I would say overall, I’m okay with that. I know that like I said I have more work to do and I know that the impact that I have as a player and on a team. I know that it makes me very special and unique.
On working as a nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic:
I would say that drew me more towards nursing because I saw the impact that nurses have on people. The COVID year was a tough, difficult time and they were the ones who were the first responders in and during such a tough time. So I know that they had an impact.
There was a shortage of nurses during that time, so I know that I could be of help that way and I really enjoyed nursing and I knew that I could contribute in some way and impact the healthcare field.
A special thank you to Decorey Jones of Dreamcatch Management for arranging the interview.