BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
RIO GRANDE CITY — Growing up, Rio Grande City senior guard Jaime Covarrubias Jr. was more of a baseball player.
Part of that was due to the fact that for 10 years, from ages 4-14, Covarrubias lived in Yakima, Wash. a place he described as very “baseball-first.”
Covarrubias’ family was from Rio Grande City, so when he moved back at 14, it wasn’t quite like starting over, but it wasn’t easy either.
“I had friends over there,” Covarrubias said. “I didn’t know much moving back. Over there I made a bunch of friends, in elementary. It was a new experience. And then coming here it was a new experience. I was the new guy, kind of shy, didn’t know anybody.”
Basketball was a way to ease some of that discomfort.
“I got a long with a lot of people,” Covarrubias recalled. “Especially in Houston, I would go over there to play ball, because I had a Tio over there. I would go play over there, very competitive.”
One of the first people Covarrubias befriended upon his return to the Valley was his future teammate and current Rio senior forward Bryan Jones. However, calling him that might just get some confused looks from the Rattlers, because they all know their high-IQ big man as “Chachi.”
“Chachi invited me to play with him on Team Rio,” Covarrubias said. “He took me to a whole bunch of places, he put me up when I was in eighth grade. I started playing for him. We went to San Antonio, Laredo, and of course, Houston with my Tio.”
Basketball became a huge part of Covarrubias’ life, and he quickly became one of the best players in the area. By the time he got to high school, he was ready to dominate.
In 29 games this year, Covarrubias is averaging 16.5 points, 4.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 3.2 steals per game. Plenty of those stats are impressive, but it is even more impressive when you factor in that he plays right next to another dominant guard in junior Aaron Marroquin, who also has solid numbers. Marroquin is at 15.8 points, 2.3 assists, 6.6 rebounds and 3.1 steals.
“Me and Jaime have been playing together for a while,” Marroquin said. “It is hard to stop us because if you stop me, Jaime will score, and if you stop Jaime, I’ll score.”
“I call them my salt and pepper,” Aldape said. “Jaime is more of a calm guy, Aaron has so much fire. They intertwine, and they help each other out; when one is low the other is high. It is good to have both, because you know you can feed off of that energy from Aaron and then Jaime has that poise and calm confidence when the pressure is on.”
As a 14-year old, Covarrubias and his family was devastated by the death of Jaime’s father, Jaime Covarrubias Sr.
“It was a tough time for my family,” Covarrubias said. “Basketball was big. Chachi brought me in around that time. Basketball helped me get away from my problems.”
Rio coach Juan Aldape has stressed throughout his 14-year career that basketball is a sport that can help through tough times.
“Basketball is where there are no worries, there are no bills, it’s just you and the court,” Aldape said. “(Covarrubias) has found a way to find that safe haven within the court and he has exceled at it. He has fought through it, and it shows his passion.”
Covarrubias was dealing with a lot of pain, but he also knew he had to be the man of the house, for his mother Anastacia, and his two younger brothers Edward, 15, and Rolando, who turned 11 Wednesday.
“My mom, she has a lot of pressure,” Covarrubias said. “But I try to take as much pressure off of her as I can. I watch my brothers. Anything I can to help her out.
During the summers, I go to the ranch,” Covarrubias said. “Two summers ago, I went back to Washington to work in the fields. Made some money there. Paid bills, and helped my mom out.”
And while caring for and being with his brothers has been a big part of his life for years, the past two years have shown him another way to impact their lives: as a role model on and off the court.
“I see it in his little brother, the way he looks up to Jaime,” Aldape said. “Hopefully he grows up to be like Jaime, not just on the court, but as an individual. He is the one that leads us in prayer, he is the one that leads the team. He is a great person, great kid and great friend.”
The Rattlers are 19-10 overall and 7-1 in District 31-5A, just one game behind district leader Sharyland Pioneer, Rio’s only district loss of the season.
“We are focused on our next game,” Aldape said, speaking of the Rattlers’ matchup tonight with Sharyland High. “We know we are playing well, but we also know this district is tough, and with six games left, there is a lot that can happen.”
For Covarrubias, walking out onto the court, he can always spot his mom and brothers in the stands. Seeing them gives him all the motivation he needs to give his all.
“They are ready to go as soon as he comes home from school,” Covarrubias said. “You can see in my brother’s eyes, he’s thinking ‘I want to rock this world already, I want to feel that atmosphere.’”