BROWNSVILLE — Brownsville Veterans Memorial’s Mariana Espinosa was the go-to player for the Chargers this season.
Espinosa finished the season as the leading scorer, one of the best defenders and a top playmaker for a Chargers team that won multiple titles during the 2022-23 season.
Espinosa is The Brownsville Herald’s All-Metro Girls Basketball Most Valuable Player.
“I did good,” Espinosa said. “I did the best I could at times. I just put my best on the court and left it all out there this season.”
The Chargers won 30 games, went undefeated in District 32-5A and capped it off with a Class 5A area-round win, with Espinosa averaging 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and more than three steals per game.
“I liked being one of the go-to players this season,” Espinosa said. “I put in a lot of hard work so that I can show it out on the court. Just being able to do that was a good feeling.”
Espinosa said she improved her ball handling and overall playmaking abilities for the season. Espinosa had speed as a junior but her control improved dramatically, allowing her to see the court better, she said, for the open looks that she often got.
Brownsville Veterans went 18-0 in District 32-5A this season and had many games won before halftime. If not for that, Espinosa could have had even greater statistics.
“I had a good time here at Vets,” Espinosa said. “I came in to a team with a lot of players knowing how to play, but I grew up playing with them, so I fit right in. I had a great time here, and I think we did good. I feel like I left a mark.”
In March, Espinosa signed with Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, where she is set to play at the NCAA Division III level.
“Her knowledge of the game is definitely an asset to any program. I know her going to Hollins and them taking her in, she is going to make an impact right away,” Brownsville Veterans head coach Arnold Torres said.