After the Lady Greyhounds’ state tournament run in 2013, many figured that that whole thing was a fluke. Dumb luck. An aberration. The well had run dry and it would be a cold day in the Valley when such an occurrence would ever happen again.
Despite the naysayers, the 2015 Lady Greyhounds cruised to a near-perfect regular season, losing only one meaningless tournament game early in the season to Mercedes.
Once in the postseason, the Lady ‘Hounds faced some challenges, but in the end found themselves back where they were in 2013. Fluke? Luck? Aberration? Not likely.
And while some of players from the 2013 squad remained in play this time around, the only thing that truly remained the same for the Lady ‘Hounds was their unquestionable leader – Elias Martinez, the 2015 RGVSports.com All-Valley Coach of the Year.
“It’s great news and I’m totally honored to get this award,” Martinez said upon hearing that he had been named Coach of the Year. “It was a team effort with the girls and my fellow coaches. I share this honor with all of them.
“For me the most challenging part this season was dealing with all the behind-the-scene actions while still trying to win a district championship and make a long playoff run.”
This is the latest award bestowed on the Martinez and his Lady ‘Hounds. In addition to being named the All-Valley top coach, he was also named the District 32-6A Coach of the Year and was the top skipper at the annual RGVSports.com & Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame Awards ceremony earlier this month.