By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer
Andres Salgado has flourished as a young varsity athlete.
As a first-year starter, he averaged 14.4 points, 2. 7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 3.1 steals per game as the Vikings finished second in District 32-5A. For his impact, Salgado has earned The Brownsville Herald’s 2014-15 All-Metro Boys Basketball Newcomer of the Year award.
“I want to thank my teammates for putting me in the position that I’m in today,” Salgado said. “Without them I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish this. I also want to thank the coaches. Coach Ramirez hasn’t been only my coach,he’s been like a father to me.”
Last season, Salgado was consistently outplaying his competition as a freshman. Now a sophomore, he not only fits in among his elder teammates but has become a leader as well.
“He does get after teammates for not pulling their weight,” Pace coach Jose Luis Ramirez said. “We’ve always preached team and not individual. He always encourages others to do better. He understands that it’s not just him, it’s everybody around him.
“His leadership on the floor and his willingness to do whatever it takes to win a ballgame, hopefully everybody else feeds off of that. That’s ultimately what we expect, for everybody else to do what we know they can.”
Salgado was scheduled to play Saturday in the Rio Grande Valley All-Valley Showcase alongside the top basketball athletes in the Valley. Being named a member of the team came as a surprise to Salgado.
“Most of the time in an all-star game, your best players are seniors,” Ramirez said. “To be chosen as a sophomore, he didn’t understand. He thought it was like (the rising stars competition) in the NBA. His first question was, ‘Well, who else from Pace?’ And I said ‘Nobody, maybe only a couple from Brownsville. They’re talking about the best of the best.’”
Having a young leader bodes well for Pace’s future. After a turnaround season this year, the future looks bright for the Vikings with Salgado entering his junior season.
“We are excited about having him for two more years. We’re working on getting ourselves better and improving his game as well because he has a lot, but there’s room to grow.”
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.