BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Sharyland Pioneer junior Lavar Lindo has never taken losses well.
“I hate losing,” Lindo said.
When Lindo was younger, the anger from losing would lead to foul trouble, aggression and sometimes even rage.
Lindo’s mom, Angela, played a big part in breaking him of those bad habits.
“When I was a kid, I used to take that anger out on people,” Lindo said. “She taught me to just use it on the scoreboard. Don’t take the anger out on anybody else. When I get angry, just take a breath, calm down, and just put it into the points.”
Lindo never noticed the difference of growing up in a single-parent household. Angela was there for him whenever she was needed.
Beyond his mother, Lindo always knew he could rely on his teammates. He has played with Pioneer teammates Luke Padilla, Ethan Lee and Eddie Marburger since fourth grade. All of his Pioneer teammates have become as close as family.
“They help me out,” Lindo said. “Especially when I am down, they lift me up. They know I take losses really hard. I take it personally, because I know there is always something I can do better.”
Even while Lindo was playing on the football field for the Diamondbacks, he was putting in work, on his own, to make sure he would be ready for the basketball season.
His work ethic is infectious. The entire Pioneer team has off-the-charts hustle.
Having a high work rate is key to Pioneer’s style of play.
“That’s what we like to do, change the game,” Pioneer coach Rene Gonzalez said. “We try to force the other team to play our style of game, by changing up the tempo.”
The Diamondbacks have to be ready to run, apply defensive pressure and play smart with the ball, because Pioneer has such a versatile lineup and team, that they can take many different forms, depending on the opponent.
Lindo is a physical presence on both ends, around the rim.
“He has grown a lot,” Gonzalez said. “To be honest with you, football has helped him a lot. He has gotten a lot stronger, he has gotten more physical. This year, we have seen it. You can contribute that to football getting him aggressive. He’s got to be strong, just to establish his presence underneath the basket, which in turn will help us with the outside shooting, and the guards.”
However, Lindo is a student of the game, and he doesn’t want to limit his value to the team. Lindo has seen the game change, from the pro level, all the way on down.
As the game has become more perimeter centric, Lindo has tried to adjust his game slightly, to stay ahead of the curve.
“Right now, I am working on my shot and my dribbling,” he said. “I am still working on post moves and all that, but I am working on being patient. I know I rush things. And I am working on my outside game.”
The Diamondbacks didn’t get off to the start they wanted to, but coming into the PSJA Tri-City Classic, the focus from everyone on the team was evident.
“We didn’t do what we wanted to in the Hidalgo tournament,” sophomore guard Eddie Marburger said before the PSJA tournament. “So, we are looking to bounce back.”
His words came to fruition, as the Diamondbacks battled through the first two days of the tournament, earning the right to play for the chance to take home the title on Saturday.
The Diamondbacks drew Weslaco High in the semifinals, and the Panthers, who have been playing extremely well since the start of the season, ended the Diamondbacks’ run.
Pioneer faced South San Antonio in the third-place game. South San won 44-42.
Still, the Diamondbacks had a great run in the tournament, yet again proving Marburger’s words true.
“We have been struggling a little bit lately, but when we get it going, it will be a lot of fun,” Marburger said before the tournament.
Another player who exhibits the work ethic that fuels the Diamondbacks is senior guard Taggart Chandler.
Last year, Chandler was prepping for his junior season on the hardwood, when disaster struck.
“Yea it was pretty hard,” he said. “At the beginning of the year, last year, we were scrimmaging half court, and I just kind of fell on it weird. It means a lot to come back and just be able to play again.”
He tore his ACL in the first week of practice and missed the entire season.
A week after surgery, Chandler already had a ball in his hands.
“After I started going to rehab for about a week or so, I started dribbling,” he said. “I couldn’t really do anything like running, but I could dribble a basketball.”
Slowly but surely, Chandler got closer to a return to the court.
“I had to do a lot of jumping,” Chandler said. “The motion of jumping and falling down, I just wanted to make sure I was comfortable with that.”
Once he could trust his leg to handle the rigors, Chandler got to work, trying to make up for lost time.
The Diamondbacks have one more non-district game. They will host McAllen High on Friday.
The District 31-5A season starts for the Diamondbacks just before the New Year, and the Diamondbacks open with sister school Sharyland High.
“We were really excited for district,” Chandler said. “We have been working hard, and we have seen some good teams to help prepare us. We are working hard, and we will be ready.”