Cindy Blodgett didn’t even have 24 hours to sit down with family and friends and celebrate her graduation Saturday from the University of Maine.

The former Black Bears basketball star attended Saturday’s graduation ceremony at Alfond Arena in Orono. Sunday afternoon, Blodgett boarded a plane bound for Cleveland.

UMaine’s all-time leader in points, assists and steals graduates from the college ranks into the pros today. Blodgett and the Cleveland Rockers begin preparations for the 1998 Women’s National Basketball Association season when training camp opens at Gund Arena. Opening day for the Rockers is June 11.

Blodgett, the sixth pick overall in last month’s WNBA draft, will have a month to learn coach Linda Hill-MacDonald’s system and adjust to a new group of talented teammates.

“It’s going to be tough, because I’m going to have a short amount of time to get settled in,” Blodgett said.

The basketball part, Blodgett is excited about. She now has an opportunity to test her considerable skills against some of the best players in the world, on a daily basis, and get paid for it.

The Rockers have tried to make the transition easier for Blodgett, setting her up with a furnished apartment in downtown Cleveland and providing her with a car.

Throw in a per diem for meals and incidentals and Blodgett likely will make out nicely on a base salary reported to be around $44,000.

It’s being so far from home, in a city of approximately 505,000 people, that could make her new life more of a challenge.

“I’m sure I’ll go through a bit of culture shock at first,” Blodgett said of the move. “Most people I’ve talked to say that with a city, you break it down to the areas you’re going to be around, so it’s not like you’re dealing with a whole city.

“The season’s short, so you’re not going to have a lot of time to go gallivanting around anyway,” she added.

While the WNBA season ends in late August, Blodgett is expected to stay on in Ohio during at least part of the off-season. The plan may include an effort by the team and the league to market Blodgett in hopes of building community support in Cleveland.

Aside from the basketball aspects of going pro, Blodgett appears to have worked through most of the other attendant issues. The next major decision is to choose an agency to represent her interests.

While Blodgett has moved through the early phases of the process with the assistance of Waterville attorney Tom Nale, she is aware it is in her best interest to procure a professional agent.

“Right now I feel very confident with [Nale], but there’s going to come a time when I’m going to need to get an agent,” Blodgett admitted. “I just don’t feel like that’s something I need to rush into. I want to take my time. I don’t want to get someone too quick and then have to get rid of them and get someone else.”