By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer
After making an impact as a sophomore, Port Isabel’s Daniel Rinza continued to grow in his junior year as he helped lead the Tarpons to the playoffs for the second straight season.
The Tarpons posted a program-best 26-8 record and Rinza was at the forefront as the team’s leading scorer, which is why he has been named The Brownsville Herald’s 2019 All-Metro Offensive Player of the Year.
For Rinza, his latest accolade is the culmination of a long season of work on and off the court and his team’s success.
“(The award) means a lot because I’ve worked really hard,” he said. “To earn these awards is a blessing. My teammates help me and push me in practice and helped me accomplish my goals. We wanted to repeat going to the third round, but unfortunately that didn’t happen, but we still worked hard and gave it our all this season.”
Rinza filled up the stat sheet, averaging 18.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game on his way to being named the District 32-4A Offensive Player of the Year and earning a spot on the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 4A All-Region team.
The Port Isabel junior often saw double teams and special attention from opposing defenses, but played patient and took scoring opportunities as they came.
Rinza also credited Port Isabel coach Mike Hazelton’s up-tempo style of offense for his on-court success.
“Coach Hazelton does a good job in practice making sure we’re conditioned,” Rinza said. “I like playing fast, and that’s what Hazelton wanted to do this season since we had more guards than posts. Running basically helped me because, in transition, I feel that I’m honestly unstoppable.”
Hazelton said Rinza’s game has evolved during the last year, which has put opposing defenses on notice.
“It’s a luxury to have him out there,” the Port Isabel coach said. “He’s already getting special attention from defenses. His game has gotten bigger. He’s gone from an outside kid to an inside-outside kid. He’s physically getting stronger and bigger, so he’s able to do that, so the future is bright for him.”
With one more year to go, Rinza hopes to parlay a strong season like this one into an even better senior campaign.
“We’re already planning goals, and everybody has started working and getting better and stronger for next season,” he said. “That’s the main focus right now, to be mentally and physically prepared next season.”