BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR
HIDALGO — Hidalgo held a comfortable lead during the fourth quarter of its first District 32-4A game of the season, against Rio Hondo on Dec. 19.
“There was about 1:30 left. We were already up by like 10. Coach just wanted to waste time,” junior shooting guard Andy Flores said. “I saw the lane, I drove, and I took a hard left step, and my knee just gave out.”
Many of the Pirates said they weren’t sure of the severity of the injury right away. They were hoping it wasn’t serious.
But Flores knew what had happened.
“I heard the pop, and when I heard that pop, I knew,” Flores said. “I tore my ACL in the eighth grade. I remember how it felt. I remember that sound. When I heard the sound, as soon as I was on the ground, I already knew. I was disappointed, and I was just hoping it could be a sprain or nothing serious. But, when I went to the doctor and he told us, my heart was broken. It hurt a lot. But when I heard that it was a torn ACL, it just gave me the motivation to come back even stronger.”
Flores was the team’s leading scorer through the non-district schedule. He’s been playing on varsity since his freshman year. Last year, he averaged 12.4 points per game.
Many teams would have been rattled by an injury of that magnitude. La Joya High has struggled this year since losing senior guard Alexis Tovar. Edinburg High lost its first district game of the year last week against PSJA High, when junior forward Antoine Woodard missed the game.
But the Pirates (21-9, 9-0) are undefeated since the loss of Flores.
The difference for the Pirates isn’t about strategy, scheme or luck. It all comes down to Flores.
“Through the whole injury, he has had a great attitude,” senior point guard Aaron Anaya said. “That has kind of rubbed off on the rest of the players. One of the things that’s impacted us is, we come to school early to shoot around. Despite his injury, he is still coming around early in the morning. He still helping the guys out, and that really encourages us. We think, “Well, Andy is coming. He is really hurt, so why can’t we come and put up shots?’ So him being around is really lifting up the team.”
Flores and Anaya were the pioneers of the before-school workouts. They began the habit last year, often taking upward of 300 shots before the first bell rang for the day.
“Because I know me and Aaron Anaya, we are kind of like the leaders on this team, we would come early in the mornings, like at 6:30,” Flores said. “After that, everybody started to come. We started communicating more, because we all started practicing together. We all play in the summer. We are close. When I went down, I didn’t want them to be like sorry for me. I didn’t want to be all down. I wanted them to continue going.”
That’s what motivated Flores to come in early in the days after his surgery, just to be around his teammates, supporting them from the sidelines. Flores said his primary concern is for the seniors. He doesn’t want their last season ruined because of a fluke injury.
Fittingly, Flores has been a huge help in filling the gap he left. Sophomore guard Gus Sanchez, the son of coach Gus Sanchez, started the year as the backup point guard, behind the senior Anaya. The young guard, affectionately known as “little Gus” to his teammates, was asked to step into the starting lineup at the two after Flores went down.
“It was a big move for me,” the younger Sanchez said. “He would put up 20 some points a game. So, I knew I had to carry a big role there. I had to fill in for him. So, I’ve been developing into that role of the two, because I played the one. I had to develop into the two, which means more scoring first than passing first.”
Immediately, Flores started working with Sanchez.
“When I was playing, I knew every day in practice I had to work. I had to practice hard, because Gus is a hell of a player,” Flores said. “I knew that any day he could just take my spot. … When I went out I told him, ‘I know you are going to step up, and I hope you make me proud.’ And I have been helping him out. I can’t practice with him, but I have been helping him out with his shot and giving him some tips. He’s a sophomore. He’s still young. I told him, ‘Yes you are young, but you are the starting shooting guard for the Hidalgo Pirates, and you have to have a big mouth. Talk in practice. Make people know that you are there. Don’t let people push you around.’ And it helped him a lot, just motivated him. If he didn’t do good in a game, I would just tell him like, ‘Don’t worry. Tomorrow is another day.’ Every game I tell him, ‘You are making me proud. You are taking over, and I’m thankful to have you as a teammate, because even though I went out, Hidalgo still has a star player.’”
This season, Sanchez is averaging 12.1 points, 5.0 assists and 3.7 steals per game.
Despite having the coach’s son, Gus Sanchez, the coach’s nephew, Frankie Sanchez, and the Hidalgo girls’ coach Saul Arjona’s son, Saul Arjona Jr., the Pirates have never had any issues with chemistry.
While AAU basketball continues to rise in popularity, the price continues to rise, as well, creating a barrier for many.
“For the most part, they don’t have the means to travel and do that,” coach Gus Sanchez said.
Instead, almost all of the Pirates grew up playing at the Hidalgo Youth Center. Some of the best players in the Valley over the last couple years grew up playing there.
“We would always play,” senior forward Frankie Sanchez said. “We all grew up playing at the youth center, here in the pavilion and in the park.”
Pretty much every player for Hidalgo got playing time together before varsity, so when they reached the pinnacle of high school athletics, they were already comfortable playing together. That tight bond has fueled the last 17 years, during which the Pirates have made the playoffs every year under coach Sanchez.
“This team is like family to me,” Saul Arjona Jr. said. “These guys are unselfish players, which I like. And that really helps us out a lot, because that gets us moving the ball around a lot, so we can score easier.”
“We played against each other, and it was very competitive back then, and it still is,” the younger Gus Sanchez added.
“Andy and I, we are best friends on and off the court, even in school,” Frankie Sanchez said. “We are real close. We started playing together freshman year. When he went down, it hurt us, because we rely a lot on him. And then Gus filled ’em up, and we are back on track. We are ready now.”