By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer
To say that Pace Vikings freshman guard Christian Guajardo contributed during his first season of varsity basketball may be an understatement.
Guajardo quickly found his way at the point guard position and led the team in scoring, helping the Vikings break through to the playoffs once again.
For that reason, Guajardo has been named The Brownsville Herald’s 2019 All-Metro Newcomer of the Year.
The Vikings’ guard said his years playing basketball up to this point were the reason why he was able to make an impact on the court so quickly.
“(This award) is amazing because all the work I put in from my early years has really paid off into the games,” Guajardo said. “It has really translated into how I’ve been able to produce and help the team.”
Guajardo averaged 10.1 points, 2.1 steals and 2.3 rebounds per game on his way to being named the District 32-5A newcomer of the year.
While the stats and accolades were solid for a debut season on the varsity, Guajardo said coming into a strong program coming off an undefeated district championship season and a run to the regional quarterfinals was both intimidating and exciting.
“There were a lot of expectations and I knew coming in it would be difficult to live up to what the program brings and what it stands for,” the Pace freshman said. “I was really excited to come into a program that was winning and expected more from their kids. I was just really happy and ready to get to work.”
Pace coach Jose Luis Ramirez said Guajardo was a pleasant surprise, and while he knew his young guard was skilled, he didn’t expect him to make the transition seamless.
“I knew (Guajardo) would come in, I knew he was skilled,” Ramirez said. “but the transition from middle school, 13-and-under, 14-and-under and AAU summer programs to a varsity program is a big gap. He very quickly proved that he was ready, excepting of the challenge and ready to do the work.
“A lot of kids are willing to do the work,” Ramirez added. “But being able to take the pressure he was able to take when kids who have been playing varsity for three years are double-teaming you and bumping you and not put your head down was truly amazing. It was a surprise to me, and I never expected it.”
Going forward, Guajardo and his young teammates will take what they learned and try to build on it heading into next season.
“We’ve played a lot of tough competition, and it’s really given me a lot of insight on what I need to do to be prepared for next year,” Guajardo said. “I feel that coming into next year, we’re going to be ready and more educated. When this season started we had pressure, but now we know how the games are and we kind of know the feeling, and hope to cope with it all and be prepared for the games.”