By MARK MOLINA | The Brownsville Herald
At first glance, fans will notice Los Fresnos’ Ari Gallardo doesn’t say very much with her stoic presence and an always-focused way about her.
Put the basketball in her hands, however, and she can get buckets with the best of them in the area, which is why she is not only the Lady Falcons’ top offensive option, but also has been chosen as The Brownsville Herald’s 2019 All-Metro Offensive Player of the Year.
Coming into her junior season, Gallardo said she was itching for success and decided she wanted to try to take it into her own hands to earn it and make an impression.
“ (Earning this award) is great for me and my future so other coaches can really see what I have,” she said. “I just put my mindset to intensity. I just really wanted to win every single game this year so I went out and put up as many shots as I could, which was more than in previous years. The team played well together, that’s for sure. We communicated and just worked together really well.”
Gallardo’s aggressiveness paid off at season’s end as she averaged 19.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game on her way to being named the District 32-6A offensive player of the year and helping the Lady Falcons to a 20-17 record and a playoff berth.
Los Fresnos coach Rebecca Valdez warns not to be fooled by Gallardo’s quiet demeanor and said that her growing game and work ethic speak for themselves.
“ Ari is a great kid, and she’s silent, but deadly,” Valdez said. “She’s not a big presence vocally, but on the court she’s a huge presence, especially offensively. She works hard every day; she’s committed to our program. She truly is what a Lady Falcon should be.”
With one more year to go, Gallardo knows there is room for improvement and has set her sights high for her senior season.
“ To get better over the years, you have to keep on working,” Gallardo said. “Of course, I want to be known as more than an offensive player. I want to become more aggressive and be better as a team, and hopefully we can win district next year.”
Valdez already sees Gallardo as much more, and by no means sees the junior as a one-dimensional player but as a well-rounded player that has potential to lead a team to a title.
“ I feel like her defense has been tremendous as well,” the Los Fresnos coach said. “She put up a lot of steals, got a lot of deflections; she’s just becoming an overall better basketball player. She’s just a junior, and I’m excited for her future. I hope it progresses to a district title as a whole with her becoming a leader as senior next year.”