LA JOYA — Ethan Moya was the focus of each defense he faced every time he stepped on the court for La Joya High.
A 6-foot-1-inch guard who can score with the best, rebound with the biggest and pass with the flashiest, while also making game-changing blocks and steals on the other end of the floor, Moya found a way to dice up opponents night in and night out en route to leading La Joya to its second district championship in three years.
“It’s great knowing that I earned the respect of other coaches and players, and it challenged me. I was always wanting to prove everyone wrong, to show them that La Joya wasn’t a pushover in basketball,” he said. “I loved being the center of attention because I knew I could handle it and do what I’m supposed to do every night. I knew I had to show up every game if we wanted to win.”
He was a sophomore starter on the Coyotes’ 2020-21 team that ended a 16-year district title drought. After a standout senior season leading the Coyotes to another District 31-6A championship, Moya is The Monitor’s 2022-23 All-Area Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
“I know it’s gotten hard at times, but I’ve always stayed true to who I am and put the work in, and it’s paid off now,” he said.
Moya helped the Coyotes finish the year 25-13 overall and split the 31-6A championship three ways with Edinburg High and Edinburg North in a top-heavy district.
He averaged 20.9 points per game, 6.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.7 steals and 0.6 blocks. Moya finished his four-year career with the Coyotes with 1,990 points, 709 rebounds, 360 assists, 260 steals and 128 blocks.
More importantly to Moya, La Joya qualified for the playoffs in each of his four years and added two district titles, winning 87 games during that span.
“I know starting off at La Joya, we weren’t really known to be a basketball school, but over the years you could see the amount of fans start to grow and the difference in pride for basketball. The energy, the excitement when basketball season came around, it was a fun four years,” he said.
Moya was also voted District 31-6A’s Most Valuable Player and the Rio Grande Valley Basketball Coaches Association Most Valuable Player.
“(Ethan’s) main thing has always been working hard and being committed to the sport, and that’s what he’s done,” La Joya High head coach Eric Montalvo said. “On the court, he’s our leader. He understands that they’re going to come after him as far as defenses are concerned. He understands that, he’s ready to take that challenge and he’s worked hard. He’s the kid that everyone wants to coach. He’s your best player, but you can coach him hard and he’s going to respond and he’s going to work hard. He’s a perfect example of what we want for every kid to be like here in our program.”