BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — Edinburg High coach Esequiel Cuellar remembers what he saw when senior guard Damian Garcia showed up on the first day of basketball four years ago.
“He was barely 105 pounds as a freshman,” Cuellar said.
As an eighth grader, Garcia said he was 5-foot-3 and 102 pounds, but that was also the first time he beat his dad, Bobcats assistant coach Jorge Garcia, in one-on-one.
The road to varsity playing time was never going to be easy for Damian, but he didn’t want easy.
He has put in extra work in the gym on off days since freshman year, impressing his Bobcats teammates and becoming a pivotal part of the squad this season.
“Damian is our X-factor,” Cuellar said. “We know what we are going to get from (senior center) Jesus (Cantu) and (junior forward) Antoine (Woodard) most nights, but what we get from Damian is what can make the difference in games like Friday.”
The Bobcats will be traveling to take on South San Antonio at 7 tonight at Texas A&M-International in Laredo in the UIL Class 6A area round.
“What I see in South San is a very experienced team,” Cuellar said. “They are a very disciplined, fundamental team that moves well without the ball and sets good screens off of the ball. They are a great team. I’ve seen maybe three or four games, and I’m trying to find a film where they don’t look too good. I can’t find that one.”
As a full-time starter for the first time in his career this season, Damian Garcia is averaging 11.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and a team-high 1.6 steals per game.
“He’s improved a lot. He’s grown. His game is vastly improved,” Cantu said. “He’s become more aggressive. He’s a great shooter. Every year, he gets better and better, and you can see it in his stats and in his play. I’m glad I get to play with him and call him a teammate.”
Damian Garcia has been waiting for this moment for four years. The journey to senior starter began with his father.
“He’s been coaching me since before middle school,” Damian Garcia said of Jorge. “I was very interested in playing basketball when I was young. He was there to provide me support and guidance. He’s been through everything with me: the struggles and the successes. He continues to be there for me now.”
The two used to play at their home along with Damian’s two younger brothers, who will be playing for the Bobcats soon enough. Jorge had drills for the boys, and the brothers competed against each other.
“He is my inspiration,” Damian Garcia said of his father. “I always tell him, ‘Dad, I want to be like you.’ He says, ‘No, you will be better.’ I love my dad.”
Garcia spends much of his down time in the weight room, or running laps around the track at school. But he can most frequently be found in one place on Edinburg High’s campus.
“I have a gym here, and I am very fortunate that my dad has access to keys to the gym,” Damian Garcia said. “I get to come here and get up shots all alone, or with my brothers rebounding.”
Woodard has watched Damian’s transformation over the years.
“When he was a junior, he came off the bench, and he did what he needed to do,” Woodard said. “But this year, he stepped it up. He got in the weight room, and he has been working on his shot. He did really good this year. Hopefully, he can keep going.”
Woodard and Damian Garcia bonded over their love of the tradition behind the logo on their jerseys. Both players grew up attending Bobcats games, hoping to one day wear the same uniforms as the players they were watching — standouts like the De La Rosa brothers, Stevan Guerrero, Gabriel Rivas and Matthew Garza.
“I’m not going to lie, I knew I was going to be a Bobcat since ’06,” Damian Garcia said. “I have watched this school over the years. I remember being in those bleachers, and look who’s coaching me right now! Steve Guerrero! It’s ironic, but also a benefit for us. The coaches are here on Saturdays helping us, giving us advice and stuff. They have the ability to show us what works and what worked for them.”
While Garcia is the X-factor, the Bobcats will need all hands on deck for the area round. They face a tough South San team that has height, speed and shooting.
“They are a pretty mobile team, they excel in transition, and they have a lot of quick guards,” Cantu said. “They play like a five spread out offense. We just have to contain them and play good D.”
Woodard has been playing like a man possessed, averaging 17.6 points per game, and delivering for the Bobcats when they need it most. At the end of Edinburg’s bi-district game against Weslaco High, Woodard came up with steals, hit his free throws and, perhaps most importantly, brought the energy that the Bobcats feed off. As the team’s DJ, he sets the tone from warm-ups to postgame celebrations.
“Ant and I are very close, actually,” Damian Garcia said. “When we are in the hallways, we give a little high five here or there. Whenever we are around, we just have fun and talk, not just about basketball. … There is never a time when he is quiet. He is always cheering. He’s very energetic. He brings that energy to the rest of us.”
Cantu does not want to see his final playoff run continue the way it started. Cantu got into foul trouble against Weslaco, something that rarely happens to him. Still, he finished the game with eight rebounds and two blocks.
“I didn’t contribute much on the scoreboard, but my presence was there on defense and rebounding,” Cantu said. “I tried to do my best without fouling. I just wanted to stay in the game.”
After losing for the first time in district play, the Bobcats weren’t quite right. They lost a few tough games. But, once they got the chance to avenge that first loss to Edinburg Vela, Edinburg High started to hit on all cylinders.
“Vela is always a tough team,” Figueroa said. “Going in there and beating them, in their house especially, it’s always good. So that got us playing at the level we are at now.”
Damian Garcia and Cantu will be playing like their lives depend on it. As seniors, they want any chance to play just one more minute with this team.
“It would mean a lot,” Damian Garcia said. “We have experience from playing in tournaments. We want to compete and create a new tradition here. It would mean a lot, especially me as a senior.”