By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
Whether she was on the volleyball or basketball court, Brownsville Hanna’s Odalys Gonzalez was a standout throughout her high school career.
Hanna girls basketball coach Luis Gonzalez, no relation, said Odalys Gonzalez, a District 32-6A first-team selection and second-team honoree on The Herald’s All-Metro and RGVBCA 2020 awards lists, could have gone on to play college hoops. But her true passion is volleyball, and Thursday morning she earned another accomplishment in the sport.
Odalys Gonzalez signed her intent to play college volleyball for Coastal Bend College with family, friends, coaches and school administrators in attendance. She’ll be taking her talents — which earned her three consecutive All-Metro superlatives as the 2019 defensive player of the year, 2018 most valuable player and 2017 newcomer of the year — to Beeville to compete in Region 14 of the National Junior College Athletic Association with the Cougars.
“I didn’t think I was going to have a signing ceremony because I already committed (almost two months ago), but it’s exciting that I get to have this moment that everyone dreams of,” Odalys Gonzalez said. “I liked Coastal Bend because it was very homey and it reminded me of Hanna. I love the coaches, the players were super nice to me and I felt super welcomed when I visited.”
Even with her long list of accolades across two sports, both of Odalys Gonzalez’s coaches along with Hanna athletic coordinator/football coach Mark Guess and principal Blanca Lambarri praised her character above all else. Hanna volleyball coach Ansgar Hagemann said having a player like Odalys Gonzalez was like winning the coaching lottery and, though he’s proud of her accomplishment, he’s sad to be losing her.
“On the scoring part, of course, it’s been three successful years with back-to-back-to-back playoffs, and she had a great share in that. But it was really her character that was such a standout and is hard to find,” Hagemann said. “When she goes to practice, she does so with great enthusiasm. I can’t remember, in three years of varsity and I don’t know how many games, one incident with Odalys where she was negative with her teammates. She always was positive, always built them up and was such a good team player, and that’s the most valuable thing as a coach.”
Luis Gonzalez echoed those sentiments, saying it was an honor to be called coach by Odalys Gonzalez, and that he and the girls would miss having her around on the basketball court. Guess said she is “an outstanding example of what (coaches) need in a student athlete” and that he enjoyed watching her play.
Odalys Gonzalez said Coastal Bend is expecting the fall semester and volleyball season to go on as normal despite the COVID-19 pandemic. She’ll lean on the responsibility and leadership skills she learned from serving as a team captain as she pursues a nursing degree. She thanked her parents, coaches and teammates for their support through her high school years and for helping her grow as a player and person.
“I had a lot of people expecting a lot from me, and I just wanted to make them proud and make all the time they put into me, all the work, worth it,” Gonzalez said. “I’m excited to play with a new group of people and to know I’m going to play with different talents and personalities, so I’m excited to make new friendships while on the court.”