By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
Albert Briones has been leaving his mark on Santa Maria basketball since its inception.
As a Cougars almunus himself, Briones was a member of the first varsity basketball team in 1992. He took over the boys basketball program in the 2010-11 school year, and this season served as both the girls and boys teams’ coach.
Briones led the Lady Cougars to the second round of playoffs and their fifth-straight district title. Now, he has the Cougars heading to the Region IV tournament for the second time in history.
“I came from this community, so it’s pretty special to be a part of this program … it’s made it a lot sweeter for me,” Briones said. “We’re one of the few teams in the Valley that has been to the regional tournament more than one time, not even some of the storied programs here have done that. It’s been a great ride, and I want it to continue.”
Santa Maria first reached the Region IV tournament in 2014 in Class 1A and lost to Snook in the regional semifinal. This time, the Cougars will face off with the Normangee Panthers at 8 o’clock tonight at San Marcos High School.
The Cougars knocked off No. 16 Flatonia and No. 17 Port Aransas to reach the Sweet 16, and Briones believes his team has what it takes to keep the journey going. It’s a veteran ballclub with a unique bond and a willingness to work that Briones hasn’t seen in some time.
“One of our slogans is Cougar Brotherhood. We want to be a family, and we don’t just preach it, our kids actually believe it. They take care of each other and get after each other when they need to like brothers do and that close bond is a factor in our success,” Briones said. “I haven’t seen this level of focus in a while, they’re zoned in and they want it. I have to turn off the lights and run them out of the gym.”
Two players Briones said have been leaders for the team are Giovanni Diaz and Bernie Castellanos. Diaz is a quick-footed point guard who excels at controlling games for the Cougars. Briones called Castellanos a workhorse who does everything at full speed. His rebounding and defensive efforts have been a key part of the playoff run. Andrew Morales is the top shooter on the squad and can score in bunches.
But the Cougars don’t rely on any one player to do a bulk of the scoring. They all contribute and aim to fulfill their roles to the highest level.
“Being a part of this team is a blessing. These guys, we’ve been together since we were small, so we know how to work with each other and that’s how we build up,” Morales said. “It feels great because this just happened once, so I think it means a lot to (Briones) to be here again. I honestly feel like we could make it to the championship game. We have a great team here, we all believe in each other and we all work hard every day. We do everything that coach asks us to do.”
The Cougars’ coaching staff is doing all it can to help the team keep winning, watching film and game-planning for Normangee, and also looking ahead to the regional final. Santa Maria will watch the first half of the San Saba and Weimar semifinal taking place at 6 p.m. to scout the potential opponent for the 2 p.m. contest Saturday.
The hard work and dedication Briones gives to Santa Maria basketball stems from pride in his community and his desire to help his players be better on and off the court. He doesn’t want to get complacent with making it to the fourth round again, but wants his boys to keep knocking down barriers for themselves and the town that supports its own.
“It’s about taking a lot of pride in it and making sure these kids have a great experience. I want that for every kid that goes through this program, I want them to be able to experience success, so you do all the little things you need to do to make that happen. These kids are so willing to give everything they’ve got,” Briones said.
The Cougars faithful has traveled well this playoff run, and the team feeds off that energy. As a senior, Morales wants to make the best of this trip with his teammates and continue to make his hometown proud.
“I’m just excited that we’re all going to travel together once again and hopefully it’s not the last time, hopefully we’re traveling for the state tournament,” Morales said. “We have a crazy fan base, like all of Santa Maria was (at the Port Aransas game). It was exciting. After the game when I saw everyone standing up and cheering us on, I was, like, ‘Damn, they really want us to succeed,’ and it’s awesome.”