By JOSHUA McKINNEY, Staff Writer
It’s hard for a team to recover after losing all but three players from the previous year.
But sophomore point guard Oscar Lozoya helps the Rivera Raiders by leading at basketball’s critical position, point guard.
“(Lozoya is) the point guard,” Rivera coach Saul Villarreal said. “It’s like being the quarterback in football. He directs traffic, and takes the team and guides it on offense. He’s doing pretty good in terms of what we need him to be on the court because of his leadership and the way he directs the team on the court.”
Lozoya claimed the point guard spot at the start of the season despite playing freshmen and junior varsity basketball last season.
The jump to a higher level of basketball has been an adjustment of sorts for him.
“It’s hard,” Lozoya said. “My position has to run everything, like the offense, and sometimes Coach (Villarreal) gets on me but it makes me better.”
But his coach thinks the first-year varsity player has handled the transition from sub-varsity to varsity as well as anyone.
Heading into the season, Villarreal knew the underclassman would be a special player.
He just didn’t expect him to adjust as smoothly to running the floor for Rivera.
“He handles the pressure pretty well,” Villarreal said. “I’m surprised he’s handled it the way he has. For him to be a sophomore and to take that challenge and leadership role is very good. It’s difficult for a sophomore to come onto varsity and take the role. He’s taken it very well. He handles it with no pressure at all.”
Lozoya leads the team with 17.8 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game, and he also averages 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals.
It’s not every day that a rookie point guard leads a team in points and rebounds, but Lozoya has elevated his game and adjusted to a quicker pace of play.
“For him to be a sophomore point guard and still hit the boards on rebounds and still be able to score, it’s says a lot about him,” Villarreal said. “He also distributes the ball very well. He always finds the open man.”
Lozoya doesn’t see himself as the team’s superstar and says his teammates push him to play better during practice and in games.
“When I’m in the game, it’s whatever comes to me,” he said. “If I’m having a good game and I’m scoring, I’ll take the shot. But I’ll look for my teammates. It’s a team. It’s not about me.”
Joshua McKinney writes for the Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @joshuabvherald.