There is no mistaking northwestern Oregon for central California.

The environment is different, the people are different and the basketball is different.

Given all of that, a person could be forgiven for having trouble adjusting. But Sacramento State guard Cindy Alldrin has made the adjustment easily.

“The game has been so much quicker,” said Alldrin. “It’s definitely been a transition, but this is my fifth college so I’m kind of used to the new school.”

Previously Alldrin has played at Clackamas Community College, Whatcom Community College, Central Oregon University, and Clark College.

Alldrin is averaging 7.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and a team-leading 2.6 assists per game. Not only has she been arguably the team’s most consistent player, she has also made a great case for being considered its best.

Since scoring only five points in 18 minutes on Dec. 8 against the University of Ohio, Alldrin has averaged 9.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. She has also been clutch, nailing the game winning shot in overtime against UC Irvine and contributing two of the Hornet’s 13 points in an overtime win against Montana State.

There is room for improvement though, head coach Dan Muscatell said, especially in ball handling. Currently, Alldrin leads the team in turnovers, with 53 for the season, an average of 3.3 a game.

“When a player fills the stat sheet, they are going to have the ball in their hands a lot,” Muscatell said. “She’s been having to make adjustments as we go along, as everybody does, to get the most out of her ability.”

Alldrin believes that the key to improvement is experience.

“I think it’s been experience. I experienced finally getting used to the speed of the game. I’ve been putting in some extra work because I wasn’t used to it. It was time for things to click,” she said. “I have been trying to make better decisions as we go along.”

Despite her great fit on the team, Alldrin almost didn’t come to Sac State.

“I was initially kind of reluctant to come down here because other schools were recruiting me and I was looking at a lot of different places, but I talked to my teammates and we decided what we wanted to do,” Alldrin said.

She was also recruited by the University of Portland.

Those teammates, junior forward Ashley Cadotte, junior guard Lindsay Calmettes and redshirt forward Ashley Storms, formed the core of the Clackamas team that won last years Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges title.

“Collectively, we wanted to either all go to different schools or come down here and turn a program around,” Alldrin said.

While Storms has redshirted and Calmettes has seen limited playing time, Cadotte has started every game alongside Alldrin with both of them helping to turn around a program that has historically been weak.

The Hornets have been lucky that Alldrin decided to come to Sac State, but even Muscatell admits that he wasn’t sure what to do with her.

“I didn’t know what position she was going to fill. But I knew that she could score and that, at 5-foot-10 and built solid, she would be able to post up smaller guards. She brings so much to the table. She can rebound, score, defend and has a high basketball I.Q.,” Muscatell said. “Cindy Alldrin is a kid who was the MVP of both the northern and southern region of the NWAACC.

“I’d seen her play in high school and so there were some connections, but it was a position and a fit that we needed.”