BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR
EDINBURG — Any time Edinburg Vela senior guard Trey Chavana faces Edinburg North, the game has an added meaning that motivates him.
His cousin Noah Chavana is a guard for Edinburg North but was injured early in the season and is out for the rest of the year.
“That’s my dad’s alma mater, and my grandpa works there,” Trey Chavana said. “He’s real big time in Edinburg North. He always told me to go to Edinburg North. So, I guess it’s kind of like, I can show him this is where I belong.”
Edinburg Vela (12-13, 4-1 in District 31-6A) will host Edinburg North (17-10, 4-1) at 6 p.m. today.
Trey Chavana has faced North before, but this time is different, because he is finally starting and able to show his full potential. For years he worked to earn a spot on varsity, and last year was supposed to be the year he broke through. But, things didn’t work out quite like he intended.
“I was part of the team, and then I quit, because I felt like I was being treated unfairly by the coach,” Trey Chavana said. “It took a big emotional toll on me mentally and physically. It was tough.”
After he stepped away from basketball, Trey Chavana wasn’t sure what he was going to do.
“I had thoughts about leaving,” he admitted. “I was considering going to North to play with (his cousin Noah Chavana) or to McAllen Rowe, because my grandmother lives there. I was considering both options, but ultimately I decided to stay and focus on my academics.”
Trey Chavana said the hiring of coach David Keith really helped him, adding that Keith was a big factor in his decision to stay.
“He’s probably one of the best coaches I have worked with, other than (Rick) Treviño in Mercedes,” Trey Chavana said. “Coach Keith has treated me awesome. He’s been fair and upfront about everything. No lies or anything. It’s been really good.”
More than ease or comfort, what Trey Chavana really wanted was a coach who recognized his talent and allowed him to flourish on the court.
“He has kind of surfaced as our primary ballhandler,” Keith said. “It didn’t start out that way. It’s been an interesting discovery year for these kids, finding new roles. Trey had done it in the past. You could tell he had some skills. He’s really come into his comfort zone with it, I think. It’s fun to watch him get better.”
What separates Trey Chavana from other players on the court is his vision and ability to pick out the open man in any situation.
“I started realizing I had that when I started to play with the South Texas Hoopsters in sixth grade,” he said. “They put me at point guard, because I had real good vision, even when I was younger, but it was just raw talent, and I had to work hard to progress over the years.”
Vela junior Noah Sekinger has been playing with Trey Chavana since his freshman year. The two have watched each other mature and grow. As Trey Chavana described it, “we have been on a long journey together, but it has definitely been a good one.”
“Trey is a good guy,” Sekinger said. “He’s a real good passer, and he has a real good feel for the game. I like playing with him, because he makes things a lot easier. He will look for me in transition. Especially in the zone, he’ll look for me a lot. And then once people start doubling down on me, it gives him an opportunity to get shots open and for him to find everyone else. He has a real good vision for the ball and likes seeing where everyone else is going to be.”
This week is tough for the SaberCats. After they face off with North, they will face Edinburg High (22-6, 5-0), which leads the district, on Friday.
“Edinburg has its own brand of basketball,” Keith, who previously coached at Sharyland High, said. “You have to be ready to play every night. You can’t underestimate anybody. There is a lot of emotion when it’s Edinburg-Edinburg. We didn’t have that at Sharyland. We never saw that, because Pioneer was pretty new. Seeing the emotions pop up, we have had to learn how to settle the kids down. They get so amped up and excited.”
Vela suffered its first district defeat on Friday at the hands of Edinburg Economedes, while North is coming off a win over PSJA High. And for Trey Chavana, the extra bit of motivation for Tuesday’s game is going to fuel him through the week and on to the second round of district play.
“This week is pretty important to improve our ranking and standing within the district,” he said. “We want to have bragging rights in Edinburg. … It gets pretty physical in the Edinburg rivalry games. There is a lot of emotion to it. You can tell. There is a lot of tempers flaring. It is fun to play in.”