STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer
In signing her intent to play basketball for and attend Texas Lutheran University on Wednesday at Los Fresnos High School, Jovanna Adame made history, thanks in no small part to a path paved by her coach, Rebecca Valdez.
Valdez, a McHi alumna, played basketball, track, and volleyball at TLU, a Division III school which competes in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference in all sports except for football.
It’s likely no coincidence that in every season since Valdez’s freshman year at TLU, 2008-09, there has been at least one player from Edinburg or McAllen on the Lady Bulldogs’ roster.
And now, Adame will become the first player to play for the university (which is located in Seguin, 50 miles south of Austin) to hail from the east side of the Rio Grande Valley in at least a decade.
Reflecting on her athletic journey, Adame said that when she was new to Los Fresnos after transferring from BISD, she didn’t know many of her classmates.
But she quickly became one of the team’s most versatile players, and like her coach and mentor, also found success on the volleyball court during her time with the Lady Falcons.
Valdez contacted TLU head coach Mel Dixon after Adame sent video of her highlights on the court to the program, and he was interested immediately.
“He took a look at (the film) that same day,” Adame said with a wry smile. “And we got settled, and he was like, ‘Oh, I like her,’ and this and that. He said ‘she needs to work on her left hand.’”
Adame took the constructive feedback in stride, saying that both she and the coaches are eager to get to work together to improve her game.
Adame said she was excited about the potential to play closer to home in potential scrimmages at UTRGV, and also said she looked forward to having her parents make the four-hour trip north to see her play in her first collegiate season.
“They were super excited,” Adame said of her parents’ reaction to her decision to sign with TLU. “They didn’t know how to react, they were really excited.”