BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR
DONNA — The last time Donna High made the playoffs was in Anthony Moreno’s freshman year — 2015. He’s a senior now, which means no one else on the team has tasted the playoffs.
Donna is in good position to get all of those fresh faces to the postseason, thanks in large part to Moreno, the team’s only senior.
Donna is 6-5 in District 32-5A play, which puts the team in a tie for third place with Brownsville Veterans and Brownsville Porter. Edcouch-Elsa is in second at 8-3, undefeated Brownsville Pace sits atop the district, and Mercedes (4-7) is still in the hunt in sixth place.
“We control our own destiny,” Donna High coach Manuel Epperson said. “The kids know how important it is. We win some games, (and) we can get in.”
Epperson was an assistant at Donna the last time the team made the playoffs, and the team is hungry to get Epperson his first playoff berth as the head coach.
Donna faces Vets at 7:30 tonight. The team finishes the season by hosting Mercedes on Friday, then visiting Edcouch-Elsa on the season’s final night, next Tuesday. Donna can possibly get in with just one win over the last three games, but two wins will alleviate some of the reliance on other teams’ results.
“Vets switches a lot, so we have to slip,” freshman guard Eddy Epperson said of today’s matchup. “They like to post up, so Ant (Moreno) should post up. We just need to score.”
Moreno didn’t get to play much during his freshman year, especially during the playoff push, but he did learn a lot.
“The reason we carried him, which I have re-emphasized to him recently, was to let him learn about the leadership we had in that group,” Manuel Epperson said. “That group could literally coach themselves. I wanted him to learn how to be a leader. Earlier this year, Ant sacrificed, as far as his points, to get these young guys involved.”
“That first year was a good experience, just to be a part of the winning culture,” Moreno added.
This season, Moreno has done a little bit of everything. He leads the team in scoring at 12.7 points per game. He leads the team in rebounding, averaging 7 per game, and is second on the team with 1.5 steals per game.
“I have been working to be an all-around player,” Moreno said. “Because there are going to be times where I have to be down low, and there are other times where I need to have the ball in my hands.”
Moreno even leads the team in blocks (24) and charges taken (15), stats that Epperson said show his basketball savvy.
“Usually I will go for the block if I am chasing,” Moreno said. “I know I can jump higher than the person I am chasing. When it’s a charge, I try to stay up high as long as possible, to see if the other player is out of control at all, and that’s how I determine if I will go for the charge.”
“For him to show the rest of the team, ‘Not only am I the best guy on the team, but I can take charges,’ that shows a lot,” Manuel Epperson added. “Because, a lot of times, your best offensive players aren’t going to rely on defense that much.”
Surrounding Moreno is a loaded junior class, supplemented with talented freshmen and sophomores. Junior guard Derik Medrano can also carry the offensive load, as evidenced by his 10.7 points per game. Junior guard Eric Garza brings the defensive presence on the perimeter, leading the team with 2.2 steals per game.
Garza will likely miss the game against Vets as he battles the flu, but the team is hoping he can return for the final two matchups.
And then there is Eddy. Eddy Epperson, the freshman guard and son of coach Epperson, has had an up-and-down season this year. He has broken into double-figure scoring four times, but he has been held scoreless five times.
“It’s been a fun journey,” the younger Epperson said. “I just have to keep looking forward. I just keep supporting my teammates.”
What he brings to the team is poise, good passing (he is tied for the team lead with 1.8 assists per game) and energy.
“He’s a little spark plug,” Manuel Epperson said of Eddy. “If he’s on the bench, he’s a cheerleader. And if he is on the floor, he gives it his all.”
A lot of the younger players on the team have been playing basketball together for years. This year alone, they played in summer leagues together, and they ran cross country together.
“We are a real tight team,” junior forward Carlos Bowen said. “We have a lot of chemistry. We hang around (each other) a lot. I don’t think that bond can ever be broken.”
That bond leads to a general enjoyment: enjoyment of the game, enjoyment of practice and even an enjoyment of being around each other after so many hours together.
On Monday, Moreno was asked if a certain group of players was developing into leaders.
“Yeah, they are,” Moreno said, before pausing to look at his teammates. “Except Bowen,” he chuckled.
“What?” Bowen retorted.
Bowen’s question was met with a chorus of laughter.
“No, Bowen is a great leader,” Moreno clarified. “He helps out a lot on defense.”
Eddy Epperson believes Moreno is the best big man in District 32-5A,
“No one can stop him,” Eddy Epperson said. “He’s an athletic post, and he is fast. He can shoot. No one can stop him.”