DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
The search for 1,000 is back on.
The Edcouch-Elsa ISD school board approved the hire of Robert Capello as Edcouch-Elsa boys basketball coach on Wednesday night, allowing the veteran leader to return to his alma mater for his second coaching stint at the school in search of career win No. 1,000.
Capello has a career record of 982-475 (.674 winning percentage). Capello coached from 1965-2012, the last 30-plus years of that tenure at Edcouch-Elsa. He made the playoffs in 20 of his last 25 years.
When he left coaching in 2012 “because going in another direction was the right thing to do,” he said, Capello ranked 14th in all-time career victories in the National Federation of State High School Associations record book.
If Capello is to notch win No. 1,000, it could come in the same Edcouch-Elsa gym that has bared his name — “Robert M. Capello Sr. Gymnasium” — since May 2005.
“Really, I’m not so interested in records,” Capello said. “I’m more concerned with helping kids realize their potential in sports. I have a lot of patience and I love the game and I have a passion for it. I would like to coach a few more years if possible.
“If (win No. 1,000) happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, I’m not going to make a big deal about it. I’m just so happy the school board gave me this opportunity to come back.”
Capello has built his stellar career with teams that emphasize outside shooting and man-to-man defense. Having learned under Hall of Fame coaches like John Wooden, Bobby Knight, Dale Brown and Nolan Richardson, among others, Capello said he will stress fundamentals, conditioning and teamwork in more of an “advisor/counselor” role as coach.
“I don’t think the game has changed any,” Capello said. “The attitudes of parents and student-athletes have. But the game itself is simple. You take the round ball and put it in the basket in the easiest way possible.”
Capello, 75, is a Lasara native who was a football and basketball star for the Yellowjackets during his high school days. He has coached at Mission High, Lyford and Donna High in the Valley, and also had coaching stays at Barbers Hill, Uvalde and Port Arthur.
Capello was recommended to the school board by Edcouch-Elsa athletic director Christian Navarro, who was looking for a coach after Rick Treviño left for the same job in Mercedes late last month.
“I wanted to give the man his due respect and finish out his career the way it should,” Navarro said. “Get those 1,000 wins. The tradition he brings back, I’m looking for nothing less than a district championship.
“When Rick decided to take the job in Mercedes, I couldn’t counter what he was being offered over there. I decided to give Coach Capello a shot. The man is basketball in this era. He’s won so much and he has the respect of the community.”
The school board also approved the hire of Daniel Richardson as girls basketball coach. Richardson, a 2012 graduate of UTPA and former standout at Edinburg Economedes High, spent last season as an assistant coach under Homer Garr for the Rio Grande City boys basketball team.
“He brings a lot of energy and passion,” Navarro said. “He brought us the best opportunity to continue the trend of moving kids to the college level.”
Richardson said he learned time management and structure under Garr. Richardson’s expertise lies in basketball training. He owns a training facility with his brother in Pharr and has worked with athletes from the high school level to the pros for the last eight years.
“I got to play against Edcouch-Elsa in high school,” said Richardson, who will build his teams around speed and defense. “I know they’re big on tradition. I want to be a part of that.”