By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
A month before the start of the year, Juan Diego Academy coach Vic Garza had doubts.
He wanted his team to do well, perhaps make a push for the playoffs and see how far they could go from there. But the image of his team in the TAPPS 1A District 6 cellar the previous year stood with him as he pondered what lied ahead for his Lions.
“My concern was that we came from a season in which we got beat down,” he said. “I didn’t know what to expect (after that). I knew we were bigger, stronger, but I didn’t know how they were going to respond.”
Soon enough, his team put those issues to rest. They ripped off a 21-6 record, including a 10-2 mark in district to claim the title, and made their first playoff appearance in the program’s three-year history.
On Friday, they’ll be competing in the state tournament, one win away from the championship showdown.
“It’s been amazing,” junior forward Matt Lee said of his team’s turnaround. “I think we grew as a team. We got bigger, stronger, more skilled. We learned the game a little better. We just started bonding more. Every game we play, we play for each other.”
In a matter of months, Juan Diego Academy took a giant leap forward, from (tied-for-)worst to first. Garza credits experience. Initially, his freshmen were going up against juniors and seniors. And with two years of experience, the found themselves playing on a more even field.
Taking their lumps, starting 2-7 in district the previous year, “lit a fire in their belly,” Garza said.
“It helped us,” he added. “Even though it was hard being in last place in district, it definitely helped us last year. And I’m glad they responded to it.”
The Lions knew they were making strides when they beat rival Brownsville First Baptist in the first round of district. Shortly thereafter, though, they lost to Harvest Christian Academy. And it wasn’t even close.
“When that happened, it brought us down,” sophomore center Ray Thomas said, “but we knew we had to get back up.”
That moment, Garza said, “That’s when I knew we were either going to sink or swim.”
Juan Diego Academy responded with an hour-long team meeting, dissecting what they could have done differently. When that was over, Garza shared a story about the University of Michigan’s Austin Hatch, who survived two plane crashes eight years apart, claiming his parents, stepmother and two siblings.
“It puts things into perspective,” Garza said. “Life could be taken away from you fast. They know (losing a game) it’s not the end of the world and we need to have fun and play ball.
“They were very, very humbled at that time and I think they started to realize they were lucky and blessed to play the game they love. Something clicked and I’m not sure what it was, but we’ve been playing very good basketball from that point on.”
The Lions have won six straight games now, including a 51-49 win over Houston Southwestern Christian Academy off Johnny Bodden’s game-winning 3-pointer on Saturday. Now they’ll take on Humble Northeast Christian Academy in Mansfield at 9 p.m. Friday.
If they win, they’ll play at 2:30 p.m. Saturday for a shot at the state title.
“I’m just very proud of this team,” junior forward Matthew Mercado said. “I’m really surprised at what we’ve done and it really excites me to see what we could do in the future.
“The atmosphere’s been totally different (in the playoffs). There’s a lot more people. Teams are a little bit taller, they’re a little bit tougher. But I think we’ve just had really good persistence and we don’t give up. Without our team playing as a team, we wouldn’t have gotten as far as we did.”