By ROY HESS | The Brownsville Herald
District competition figures to be pretty intense this season for Metro-area boys basketball teams.
The Metro area includes Brownsville, Los Fresnos and Port Isabel.
Conference games in Districts 32-6A, 32-5A, 32-4A and 32-3A have just begun or are getting ready to start soon during the new year. Also, some Brownsville teams compete in TAPPS or in a charter school league.
The area boasts defending district boys champions in Los Fresnos (32-6A) and Pace (32-5A).
There are several other teams on the rise such as Brownsville Veterans Memorial that are expected to challenge for a district title this season as well.
Here is a look at the boys teams in the Brownsville area and how coaches view their ballclub’s prospects at the mid-point of the 2018-19 season:
DISTRICT 32-5A
BROWNSVILLE VETERANS CHARGERS
The Chargers are 17-5 and coming off a runner-up finish to Weslaco High at last weekend’s PSJA Tri-City Classic.
“We went 5-1 at the tournament, and I feel we beat five really good teams,” Chargers coach Larry Gibson said. “I think we’re playing pretty well. We’re starting to come together and jell as a team.”
When asked what he likes most about his team at this point, Gibson said, “Without a doubt, it’s the way we’re playing defense. (Assistant) coach Neil Schuster has been working with the guys (defensively), and they’re busting their butts out there on the court.”
The Chargers open 32-5A play at noon Saturday at Mercedes.
Top players for Brownsville Veterans thus far are junior forward Damian Maldonado, senior guard Justin Anaya and sophomore point guard Matt Maddox.
PACE VIKINGS
The Vikings are defending champions in 32-5A. There are five players back from last year’s squad, including lone returning starter A.J. Anzaldua, a senior team captain. Jose Luis Lozoya, the sixth man a season ago, now starts and is also a team captain. The other returning players from last season are Emilio Padron, Baltazar Hinojosa and Rafael Recio.
New members to the varsity squad are Abraham Rincon, Matthew Cuellar, Esequiel Hernandez, Domanique Diaz, Cristian Guajardo, Elias Fortaneli and Alexander Agado.
Anzaldua has the ability to light up the scoreboard. He had 32 points, including seven 3-pointers, to decide the Brownsville Tournament championship during a 69-66 win over Brownsville Veterans on Nov. 17.
“Our team is maturing each day and has shown growth in the preseason,” Pace coach Jose Luis Ramirez said. “We expect to compete each and every night with a combination of seasoned veterans and new players.
“As far as standouts, it’s so hard to say, because at this point, each player has showcased significant contributions,” Ramirez added. “We like to say that our MVP is the team. If you look at our scorebook, it’s hard to say who our leading scorer is. Each night it has been someone different.”
The Vikings will be at home at 1 p.m. Saturday to open 32-5A play against Lopez.
PORTER COWBOYS
“We are coming together,” Porter coach Luis Garza said. “It’s been trial and error with different lineups, and several sit outs or sit downs (of players) to refocus on our goals. But so far, I am happy with the results.”
The Cowboys have a solid post player in Benji Eckersley and an accurate shooting guard in Christian Orozco, who Garza said are the standouts so far this season.
“Everyone on this team is more than capable (of doing well),” the Porter coach said. “Daniel Morales and Kevin Garcia are handling the ball well for us, and the return of Mundo Martinez has added some senior leadership and scoring.
“We’ve got some good wins against an all (Class) 6A (list of opponents) on our preseason schedule. Hopefully it pays off (in 32-5A competition for us).”
LOPEZ LOBOS
The Lobos have a new coach in Erick Quintero, an Edinburg native who comes to Lopez from Progreso, where he was the head coach the past five years and an assistant for four years prior to that.
“There’s a lot of teaching and learning taking place right now,” Quintero said. “Discipline is being taught and the players are learning to be coachable. There’s a lot of work to do. I think we’ll be fine. It just takes time.
“I like to play man-to-man defense and I want to play an uptempo game,” Quintero added. “I like our chances. I think we’ll be competitive this season. We’re building team chemistry on the fly with a young bench that is mostly sophomores. They’re hustlers.”
The Lopez coach said a returning starter who is leading the team with between 18 to 20 points per game is senior guard Hiram Matovich. Two other players with varsity experience are senior point guard Angel Gonzalez, who scores between eight to 10 points per game, and senior shooting guard J.J. Briones.
“I think we’re headed in the right direction,” said Quintero, whose team opens 32-5A action Saturday at Pace.
DISTRICT 32-6A
RIVERA RAIDERS
Injuries are a key factor for the Raiders right now as they get ready for their 32-6A opener Jan. 11 at home against Harlingen South.
“We’ve got three returning lettermen injured right now,” Rivera coach Saul Villarreal said. “We hope the holiday break will help us get them healthy so we can get them back (for district).
“We’re still a little young,” added Villarreal about his team. “We have a couple of players without (previous) varsity experience. They’re doing well, they’re just lacking the experience.”
The Rivera coach said his top players at this point of the season are team captains Johan Morales, a junior guard/forward, and Dylan Lustick, a senior point guard.
“It’s going to be a tough district,” Villarreal said. “All the teams are going to be tough.”
HANNA GOLDEN EAGLES
At this point of the season, the Eagles are playing .500 ball as they prepare for their 32-6A opener Jan. 11 at San Benito.
“We are still a work in progress,” Hanna coach Fermin Lucio said. “We are playing six football players, and with their great run (in the playoffs), our team has only been together two weeks, so they’re still getting their basketball legs under them.
“We’re still trying to install everything we need for this team by the time district comes around,” Lucio added. “The players are working hard. They’re motivated to get it together and be ready for district.”
Top scorers so far for the Eagles are returnees Fernando Camacho and Victor Campos, who quarterbacked the football team.
Lucio said other key contributors have been Bryan Duran, Cris Torres and Isaac Iracheta.
LOS FRESNOS FALCONS
The Falcons have gotten off to an 11-5 start and are gearing up for their 32-6A opener Jan. 11 at Harlingen High.
“The team at this point is still trying to get better every single day,” Falcons coach Marco Hinojosa said. “We have played a tough (non-district) schedule, so with that being said, we are off to a good start in our coaches’ eyes. By the time district starts we are hoping to get better at certain things we know we need to get better at.”
Los Fresnos is going after its fifth straight district championship, either outright or shared.
“Right now, John Martinez is leading the team in scoring,” Hinojosa said. “We have Elian Gonzalez and Ricky Altamirano leading us in rebounding. They each have about four ‘double-doubles’ this season.
“At the end of the day, the guys are starting to play better as a team,” Hinojosa added. “For example, against Edinburg Vela (a 64-57 overtime win), it took a team effort on both ends of the court to take Vela down. Our players know it’s not (just) one guy that leads us, it’s the team.”
OTHERS
PORT ISABEL TARPONS
The Tarpons began District 32-4A competition last week with a 66-57 victory at home against Raymondville in a game that was decided during the final minute. The Tarpons improved to 2-0 in district and 15-2 overall thanks to Friday’s 51-36 win at La Feria.
“All of our games in district are going to be dogfights,” second-year Port Isabel coach Mike Hazelton said. “Our guys have a pretty good camaraderie right now (and that helps). There are nine players back from last year, so they’re used to what we’re doing. We’re becoming a player-led team, which is a great thing. That’s what you want.”
Hazelton said the Tarpons have a playmaker in junior forward/guard Daniel Rinza, who averages about 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. There’s also senior guard Tommy Zurita, who was a Region IV-4A all-star selection last season.
Other key contributors for the Tarpons are senior point guard Emilio Galvan, junior guard Dennis Lozano and sophomore forward Cole Pinkerton. Zurita, Galvan, Lozano and Pinkerton all score around 10 points per game, Hazelton said.
“We’ve got some good ones on our roster,” the Tarpons coach said. “The scoring is getting spread out pretty good.”
ST. JOSEPH BLOODHOUNDS
The Bloodhounds play in TAPPS Division II, and their district starts Jan. 9.
“I see our team getting better every day in practice and during our non-district games,” SJA coach Sam Lucio said. “We have played some real tough competition. We graduated 13 seniors from last year’s team, so it has taken our new players some time to get used to playing varsity ball and get a feel for the speed of varsity competition.
“I have seen a big improvement by our young players from the beginning of the season to now,” Lucio added. “I see us hitting our stride once our district schedule starts.”
The SJA coach said his top players right now are seniors Jacob Esparza, Jon Magallanes and Mauricio Rodriguez, along with juniors Victor Salinas and Neto Garza.
IDEA FRONTIER CHARGERS
Jerry De La Garza returns as coach of the Chargers, who are on track to continue their past successes competing in District 32-3A. The Chargers are off to a 4-0 start in district and a 9-3 overall record.
“We’re looking to make the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year,” De La Garza said. “We’re fighting for a district title and hoping for a good playoff run.”
De La Garza said the team’s top players are juniors Tyrese Arellano and Rodrigo Vasquez, and senior Gustavo Recio. Arellano is averaging 17 points per game, while Vasquez averages 13.6 points and 7.1 rebounds. Recio is averaging 13.8 points and 6.9 rebounds. The Chargers are coming off a 71-56 district win at Monte Alto.
Another member of 32-3A is Brownsville IDEA Riverside. The Rockets have a program that is just getting started.
JUBILEE BROWNSVILLE TITANS
The Titans play in the Texas Charter School Academic and Athletic League. Thus far they’re off to a 4-1 start in district and stand 8-3 overall.
“We’ve played several Class 4A schools and come out victorious against La Feria and Raymondville, with a loss to Port Isabel,” Jubilee Brownsville coach Jose Moreno said. “We travel to Kingsville during the holiday break for two games and play at Los Fresnos on Jan. 4.
“Our standouts to this point are senior Derick Lara, sophomore Cameron Davila, and Damian Noble and Fabian Noble, who are also sophomores,” Moreno added.
FIRST BAPTIST CRUSADERS
The Crusaders play in TAPPS Division III District 5. First Baptist played Hebbronville on Dec. 6 at the Progreso Tournament and lost 49-29. The Crusaders went to the TAPPS playoffs in 2017.