By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
The Porter Cowboys have seen opposite ends of the basketball spectrum during the past two seasons.
The Cowboys experienced their most successful campaign in 2012-13, going 33-6 and advancing to the Region IV-5A Tournament for the first time. Then came the disappointment of last season as Porter went 4-18 and came nowhere near the playoffs.
Such a subpar showing opened the eyes of the Porter coaches and players.
“Going through what we went through last year and not being as successful as we wanted to be is something that I think is really going to help us,” said Porter coach Luis Garza, who is assisted by Brian Nicholson. “I think our players have learned to appreciate that you just don’t win by stepping on the court. Sometimes you need to fail to learn how to be successful.
“Our seniors, the ones who have been with us for three or more years now, have gone through a great season, so they know what it’s like to be a contender, and then they’ve gone through a bad season, so they also know what it’s like to be not very successful when you don’t focus on doing the little things well,” Garza added. “This group is focusing on doing everything well.
“I think any time you go from the top to the bottom, it’s really humbling, and what it has done is make us realize that we have to come out every single day, 24/7 and 365 days a year, ready to get better. We thought because we had been such as successful program that had made the playoffs nine out of the last 13 years (prior to last season) that we couldn’t fail. The years that we haven’t made the playoffs have been years that have caused the coaches and players to step back and look at the things we’ve done wrong and look at the things we’ve done right. I think it’s going to help us. We’ve seen the good, we’ve seen the bad, and we can fix all of those things.”
There are four starters back for the Cowboys along with four other players with varsity experience to help the team bounce back in District 32-5A this season.
The returning starters are posts Eli Martinez (sr., 6-foot-6) and Jesus Garcia (sr., 6-5), point guard Mikey Reyes (jr., 5-5) and wing Oscar Ramos (sr., 6-1). Also back are posts Tommy Torres (sr., 5-11) and Albert Garza (jr., 6-0), guard Ernie Martinez (jr., 5-6) and wing Frank Alvarez (jr., 6-0).
Newcomers include wing Luis Garza II (soph., 6-1) and guard Joel Gracia (soph., 5-8). Albert and Luis II are sons of the head coach.
“I’m feeling confident that we can get either first or second place in our district,” said Eli Martinez, a four-year member of the varsity who at times has been hampered by injuries during his Porter career. “Since we didn’t make the playoffs last year, I didn’t like the feeling of February coming around and knowing we could have been practicing (but we weren’t). I definitely want us to come back and have the enthusiasm that we had my sophomore year when we went to the regional tournament.”
Added Torres, “I think our chances are pretty good. We’ve been working hard in the mornings (and in the afternoons, too). Everyone is giving a lot of effort and putting a lot of energy out there. We’re going to come out (and play) hard this season.”
With the season starting this week, here is a team-by-team look at the boys basketball squads in The Brownsville Herald’s Metro coverage area:
PACE
The goals have been upgraded for the Vikings as Jose Luis Ramirez enters his fifth season guiding the squad.
“With the number of players we have back from last year’s team, you would hope that now we’re making a turn,” Ramirez said. “We (now) are not (just) fighting to be last, we’re fighting to be first. That changes everything about the goals we have in mind. It isn’t not to lose (anymore), it’s to win. Our guys kept wanting just one win last year, and we got two or three of them. This year, it’s about getting to the playoffs, and going deep in the playoffs. Things have gone from level one to level 10 as far as expectations go.”
The Vikings will play in 32-5A along with Porter.
The three starters back for Pace are forward Esteban Garza (jr., 6-1), wing Andres Salgado (soph., 5-9) and point guard Alex Acosta (soph., 5-5). Also on hand to help out will be wing Angel Muñoz (jr., 5-6), shooting guard A.J. Medrano (sr., 5-9) and point guard Michael Cuellar (sr., 5-9). Muñoz, coming back from injury, is expected to return to action in December.
BROWNSVILLE VETERANS MEMORIAL
While standout post L.B. Hernandez has graduated for the Chargers, coach Larry Gibson said the team returns a good group of players to pick up the slack.
“We relied on L.B. for four years, and I’m very excited about the team we have now,” Gibson said. “We’ve had some good practices, and we’re ready to go.
“I think we’ll be quicker and able to push the ball up the court more because of the style of ball we’ll be playing,” he added. “It should be a little more exciting.”
Playing in District 32-6A, the Chargers’ three returning starters are guards Isaiah Torres (sr., 5-11), Joseph Guerrero (sr., 5-10) and Aaron Villarreal (soph., 6-1). Also back are forward Manny Perez (sr., 6-1) and guard David Anaya (jr., 5-10).
A newcomer for the team is forward Alex Marquez (soph., 6-0).
HANNA
The Golden Eagles, playoff qualifiers one season ago, have the makings of another solid ballclub for coach Todd Barckholtz.
Hanna’s three returning starters are point guard Alex Herrera (sr., 5-7), guard Andrew Briseño (sr., 5-9) and forward Ed Messbarger (sr., 6-1). Other players back with varsity experience are guard Andy Lopez (jr., 5-10) and post Lou Garcia (sr., 6-4).
Newcomers include post Adrian Barron (sr., 6-5) and guard Jaime Gonzalez (soph., 5-9).
“I expect our seniors to feed off our double-overtime loss in the playoffs last year (and use it as a motivation to do better),” Barckholtz said. “We know it’ll be a very tough District (32-6A). I see our seniors looking to lead and helping the other players fill in with their roles.”
RIVERA
Also playing in 32-6A will be the Raiders, who are directed by veteran coach Saul Villarreal, now in his 35th year of teaching and coaching in Brownsville ISD. The past 27 of those years have been spent at Rivera.
“We’ve got a senior ballclub, so I’m hoping this year they’ll all step up and we’ll have a great season,” Villarreal said. “Most of them have three years of varsity experience, so I think we’ll be ready to compete a lot better this season.
“We finished on a winning note last year, but we still missed the playoffs by, like, one game, and we hope that will be a stepping stone for us this season,” the Rivera coach added. “We want to go to a higher level. I think all the teams (in 32-6A) have a lot of returning players, so it’s going to be pretty interesting.”
The four returning starters for the Raiders are shooting guard Chris Vasquez (sr., 5-9), forward Jesse Reyes (sr., 6-1) and posts Edward Rubio (sr., 6-1) and Joey Silva (sr., 6-0).
Contributors off the bench last season were shooting guard Alex Rangel (jr., 5-8) and point guards P.J. Solitaire (sr., 5-6) and Sammy Orive (jr., 5-7).
LOPEZ
Neil Schuster, previously an assistant for the Lobos, now enters his first season as the head coach at Lopez.
Schuster welcomes back two starters in shooting guard Michael Vasquez (sr., 5-6) and guard/forward Darren Gonzalez (jr., 6-1).
Also back with varsity experience for the Lobos, who will play in 32-6A, are forward Edgar Amaro (jr., 6-1) and guards Julio Jimenez (soph., 6-0) and Akeem De Los Santos (sr., 5-7).
Newcomers include guard Giovanni Barrientos (soph., 5-8) and post/forward Marco Medrano (sr., 6-0).
“I’m excited for the opportunity we have, although it’s not going to be easy (in 32-6A),” Schuster said. “Our expectations are always to win. It’s been nine years since we’ve made it to the playoffs, and our kids are hungry and willing to learn. They’re eager to play.
“It’s going to be a dogfight in district,” Schuster added. “There’s not a weak team in 32-6A. We’re excited to get the season going and we’re hoping for the best.”
LOS FRESNOS
A playoff team one season ago, the Falcons are expecting some new players to step up this year as only one starter is back for second-year coach Marco Hinojosa.
The lone returning starter is point guard Hugo de la Cruz (jr., 5-10). Another player back with varsity experience is forward Roy Quesada (sr., 6-1).
Newcomers include post Jose Mansilla (sr., 6-0), forward Johnny Gomez (jr., 6-1) and shooting guard Lupe Aldrighetti (jr., 5-10).
“It’s a brand new team,” Hinojosa said. “We’re going to be young. Our expectation is to at least get to the playoffs (in 32-6A). Right now we’re still in the learning process and building team chemistry.”
Nathan Janak takes over as the Tarpons’ new coach. Port Isabel will play in District 32-4A.
At this point, Janak said, the players who appear to be the team’s most reliable contributors are point guard Jose Atkinson (jr., 5-6), shooting guard George Oceguerra III (jr., 5-8) and post Raul Villarreal (jr., 6-1).
“Those are the three that are supposed to be there, and we’ll see what happens,” Janak said.
ST.JOSEPH ACADEMY
The Bloodhounds have a new coach in Samuel Lucio, who coached the SJA freshmen last season.
Lucio has one returning starter back and three other players who came off the bench last season. The returning starter is center Julio Garcia (sr., 6-1), while the other returnees with varsity experience are point guard Sean Cantu-Rudder (soph., 5-10) and guards Jorge Villarreal (soph., 5-10) and Andres Borrego (jr., 5-9).
Up from the junior varsity are center Jose Martinez (jr., 6-1) and forward Sean Humphreys (sr., 6-1).
“These guys are pretty energetic, and I have some high expectations for them,” Lucio said of his team’s prospects in TAPPS district play. “There are a lot of new faces. Yes, we’re young, but we have that energy. These guys want to prove that they can play basketball.
“We’re focusing on defense and emphasizing that our defense can lead to (opportunities for) our offense,” Lucio added.
IDEA FRONTIER
The Chargers are playing in District 32-3A this season, and with their returning group of experienced players they believe a playoff spot and maybe even the district title are viable goals.
Coach Jerry De La Garza, now beginning his fifth season guiding the team, has a nucleus of nine players back, including four who were starters last season.
The returning starters are post Danny Cisneros (sr., 6-3) and guards Victor Castillo (sr., 5-10), Xavier Garcia (sr., 6-1) and Jovan Baez (sr., 5-5). Back with varsity experience are posts Antonio Gracia (sr., 6-1) and Ludwig Cox (jr., 6-1), guards Angel Alanis (soph., 5-7) and Brandon Esquivel (soph., 5-10), and point guard Andrew Ong (sr., 5-7).
A newcomer is point guard David Vera (fresh., 5-7).
“It’s a veteran team, so we have high expectations,” De La Garza said. “I like their experience and their energy. They’ve got the potential to be one of our best teams. We’ll see how things go.”