By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Nadia Mendoza has a motor that doesn’t stop.
The Pace junior has used that drive and spread it to her team, helping the Lady Vikings to a great start in District 32-5A girls basketball this season.
“There’s no pause,” Pace coach Kris Metzmaker said. “Nadia’s very vocal, and she never stops. If they knock her down, she’ll get right back up.
“That’s what makes her a good leader now, because she’s out there running and encouraging the kids to go, go, go.”
Mendoza sets the tone for her team offensively and quite often on defense as well. At times she’ll recognize things before Metzmaker has a chance to let her team know a shift needs to be made.
“She’s calling things out to the kids, she does it on her own, a lot of the times I don’t even have to tell her,” Metzmaker said. “We’ll be in one defense, and she’ll change them to another. She’ll see something and move everyone else.”
Metzmaker has noticed the type of player Mendoza was since she was a freshman. The Lady Vikings’ coach saw Mendoza was going to be an impact player; much like her older sister was.
Mendoza doesn’t take the credit for herself. She said she plays like she does because her coaches and teammates constantly push her to be better.
“My coach motivates me a lot, she pushes me,” Mendoza said. “When I don’t feel like I have confidence, she tells me I can do it. My team has always been there for me. They’re like family, like sisters to me. We have a really good bond.”
The Lady Vikings have become even more bonded this season with the help of Mendoza. She is a constant vocal leader and the one who won’t let her team get down, encouraging her teammates to keep working hard.
“I have a passion. When I want something, I want to achieve it,” Mendoza said. “Coach (Metzmaker) told us alone we’re fast, together we’re unstoppable. We’re trying to reach our goals together.”
Those goals have risen since last season. Pace reached the postseason last year for the first time in a while, and the Lady Vikings aren’t content with just another trip to the playoffs this year.
“Our goal is to be district champs,” Mendoza said. “We don’t want to just make it like we did last year. We want to go deep into the playoffs.”
Being a leader comes naturally for Mendoza, but the drive that pushes her is her teammates and the goals they’ve set.
“We want Pace to make a difference,” she said. “We all have a passion and I see it in the girls too.”
Those teammates are drawn to Mendoza and her constant enthusiasm. Metzmaker said she’s become a leader without really trying by doing what comes naturally.
“She’s become a leader on the court. But I don’t even know that she realizes she is a leader,” the Pace coach said. “The seniors have kind of overshadowed her at times. But she found her niche. When she got her opportunity, she’s taken full advantage.
“She doesn’t hear the outside noise, she gets in a zone and just goes.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.