By MARK MOLINA | The Brownsville Herald
Julio Jimenez carved out a solid basketball career while leading the Lopez Lobos, earning both all-district and All-Metro accolades in the process.
While others have done the same and eventually parlayed that success into a college letter of intent, the former Lobos standout took a different road.
Last fall Jimenez walked onto the Paris Junior College Dragons basketball team and not only made the team but worked hard enough to seize a scholarship opportunity.
“ During my second semester, I received a full ride (scholarship) after a couple of players left the program for different reasons,” he said. “I had been working hard during the offseason, so I feel I earned it.”
Dragons head coach Robert “Bobby” Taylor looks at Jimenez as his ideal fit for the program, which competes in a competitive NJCAA Region XIV East Division.
“ My recruiting philosophy is obviously trying to get good players, but I also want to get good people who fit that mold,” he said. “Julio really worked his way into a partial scholarship. He came to an open tryout after his senior year and we really liked him. We offered him a walk-on spot and he worked his tail off. We had scholarship open up and we split that with him and another player. He continued to work his tail off and we awarded him with a full scholarship for this coming year.”
While things fell Jimenez’s way later on in the season, his start with the program was rocky.
The ex-Lobo quickly realized that the competition at the junior college level was stiffer as he was no longer the most athletic player in practices.
“ It was a much different level because I was used to being the tallest, most athletic and talented,” Jimenez said. “Once I got (to college) I realized there was much more talent and I had to work on my body; I had to get faster and use my basketball IQ a little more.”
Jimenez was patient and embraced his role as a freshman as he sat behind veteran players who have left the team and moved up the college ranks.
“ (Jimenez) sat behind four really good guards, perimeter players that we had,” Taylor said. “Three of them moved on to the Division I level and our starting point guard went to a really good Division II program. He was going against some really high-level players every day in practice. I think the biggest attribute Julio has is his competitiveness.
“ He works hard and I think if he really improves his jump shot to where he’s consistent with the three ball, he can turn himself into a really good college player either at the Division I or Division II level.”
Jimenez and the Dragons went on to finish the season 23-7 (12-7 in conference) and entered the Region XIV tournament as the No. 5 seed where they fell to Angelina College 73-68.
Jimenez logged playing time in 10 games this season, averaging 6.1 points, 2.6 rebounds per game and shot 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Jimenez scored 13 points in wins against the Bacone College JV, Louisiana Christian Prep and 10 against Dallas Diesel.
As players move on from the 2017-18 team, Jimenez will have the opportunity to earn his way onto the floor more as he is now a veteran of Taylor’s system. However, the incoming recruited talent may prove to be another test.
“ He is our only returning guy that we have from last year, so we’ll be leaning on him for leadership and how we do things around here,” Taylor said. “We recruited some other good players, so there will be competition. The one thing he has over everyone else in the program is the experience in our system. We’re expecting him to play, but he knows that we don’t guarantee anybody anything; you have to earn your stripes year to year.”
Jimenez intends to meet the challenge head on as he has spent the summer training to get better. Regardless of how his sophomore year goes, the lessons he gained from his freshman campaign has proved valuable.
“ I was having trouble and I wasn’t making shots if I’m honest,” he said. “As the season went on, I was in the gym more and communicating with my teammates. You just have to trust the process. You have to work your way up and remain humble at all times.”