By ANDREW CRUM | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
After Brownsville Veterans Memorial lost a talented senior class last season, it needed a new leader. Hannah Meyers took the reins and led the Lady Chargers to another successful season.
Meyers, the team’s second leader scorer last year, increased her scoring average and took more of a leadership role to a younger squad. She still led Brownsville Veterans to another District 32-5A title and a return to the second round of the postseason.
For her leadership and successful senior season, Meyers — also named the district’s top player — has been named The Brownsville Herald’s 2018 All-Metro Most Valuable Player.
“I’m proud of myself,” Meyers said. “I’m happy.”
The senior forward averaged 13.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.3 steals, 2.3 assists and 1.9 blocks for the Lady Chargers that advanced to area round of the playoffs for the fifth straight season. Meyers also earned a couple of All-Stars nods to go with her other accolades.
“She was our leader without a doubt, but she would sacrifice for someone else,” Brownsville Veterans coach Valentin Paz said. “Great leaders lead by example and she did that. But she did it by voice and by sacrificing of herself (as well). We’ve been blessed to have great players in the past five or six years and she’s definitely among those … she embodies the sacrifice for the good of the team.
“I’m glad she got those recognitions because she could have gone out and scored 20 points a game. She was always trying to make sure everything she was doing was to build up the rest of her teammates for what’s coming ahead.”
That’s what Meyers did to become a leader, whatever was best for the team. But at times Paz saw that her selflessness was sometimes a detriment.
“It’s a testament of not only the type of player, but the type of human being that she is,” Paz said. “(I told her) you are putting the team above all else. We want to win, but we don’t want to sacrifice your legacy and what you can do and accomplish.”
With a young team, it wasn’t easy for the Lady Chargers to start the season. But Meyers saw how much the team came together because of the competition.
“It started out rough, we were losing a lot of games,” she said. “We were playing teams which helped us out to get ready for the season and building up the younger girls.”
Meyers said winning a district title was a little sweeter this season.
“I’m proud of our team and everything we accomplished after losing so many good players the last few years,” she said. “It was nice knowing that the work we put forth, all of our effort, we could continue the tradition, a five-year tradition (of making the playoffs).
“To let people know we can still do it.”
Meyers won’t be continuing to shine on the court after her high school career ends. Instead she plans to focus on college by studying biology at the University of Houston and going to medical school.
“(However) basketball will always be a part of me,” she said.
Paz is already trying to get used to his top scorer being gone. Offseason work has already begun and he is reminding his team of Meyer’s work ethic and what she accomplished in four years in the program.
“Everyone needs to become more assertive,” Paz said. “We need to step up. The legacy she left is that our DNA is you gotta work. It doesn’t matter who you are. You can be the best player, but you have to work. If you don’t work, it’s not going to happen.”
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.
The Brownsville Herald’s 2018 All-Metro Girls Basketball Team
MVP
Hannah Meyers, Sr., Brownsville Veterans Memorial
Offensive Player of the Year
Mia Paz, Jr., Hanna
Defensive Player of the Year
Rosa Salinas, Jr., Pace
Newcomer of the Year
Sofia Espinoza, So., Pace
Coach of the Year
Rebecca Valdez, Los Fresnos
First Team
Lizzie Garza, So., Brownsville Veterans Memorial
Arianda Gallardo, So., Los Fresnos
Lexy Arce, Pace
Sabrina Garza, Jr., Port Isabel
Sabrina Gonzalez, Fr., Port Isabel
Second Team
Jovanna Adame, Jr., Los Fresnos
Britney Ruiz, Sr., Los Fresnos
Jackie De La Rosa, Sr., Hanna
Gisele Sampayo, Jr., St. Joseph Academy
Nora Espinoza, Sr., Lopez