BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — Last season, McAllen Rowe often had Louie Yebra at the five and Darrin Everage at the four.
It worked, obviously, as the team captured a district title running through District 30-6A undefeated along the way.
But, after the year, leading scorer Derek Luna and leading assist man Adrian Bernal both departed the program.
“We had a lot of guys leave, and we had a lot of people count us out,” Louie Yebra said.
Longtime coach Jose Luis Yebra had already planned out how to use the players he had to fill the gap.
“Last year, I knew both Darrin and Louie were uncomfortable playing at the low block,” coach Yebra said. “This year, we were able to move them outside, and it has been great for our team. … Darrin is our best true point guard, and with his size, he is hard to guard. … Louie has become a scorer. He is looking to slash into the lane. He is so hard to guard because he is so long. Once he gets into the lane, there is nobody that is going to block his shot.”
Now a sophomore, Louie Yebra and the junior Everage have excelled in their new roles, leading McAllen Rowe to the No. 1 spot in the Valley’s Top 10, and an undefeated campaign through the new look District 30-6A, so far.
Rowe is truly at the forefront of position-less basketball in the Valley.
“Once I got to high school, coach trusted me to handle the ball, because he saw that I was good at finding my teammates,” Everage said. “So, he let both of us run the point guard. Now that we are doing that most of the time, coach has been able to rely on us to do it.”
Louie Yebra is averaging 17.1 points per game, and Everage is at 11.5. Everage is averaging 5.1 assists per game, and Yebra adds in 4.2 per game. And on defense, both use their good hands to create turnovers. Everage averages 3.6 steals and Louie Yebra averages 3.2.
The move was something that fit well for both players, because they already had experience playing on the wing. Louie Yebra and Everage have been friends since elementary school. They grew up playing together and played on the same grassroots basketball teams growing up.
“Our team was a fast-paced team, much like here at Rowe,” Everage said of the pair’s AAU team. “The emphasis was on fast breaks, shooting 3s and playing good defense. When we got to high school, of course, the pace was quicker, but we knew how to play within this style of play.”
Not only did both move positions, but both also worked hard on their game during the offseason. Everage’s passing is an art. He grew up watching Chris Paul, and quickly started experimenting with how to make unique passes.
“The way (Paul) can create opportunities for his teammates and manipulate the defense to get the ball to the spot he wants, I always try to carry that in my game,” Everage said. “From a young age, I always tried to play with different passes to see where they would go. See how different spins on the ball affect the pass. It has become natural to me. Just trying to be able to fit a pass through a tight crease or trying to get it across court in a different way, so the defense isn’t expecting it. It has really helped me.”
Coach Yebra always stressed to both boys to add those perimeter skills. His experience as a player taught him that just because a player is tall doesn’t mean they should become a back-to-basket center.
“When I played the game, here in the Valley, if you were 6-(foot)-4, 6-5 you were only allowed to play the inside,” Yebra said. “I learned from friends of mine, because we didn’t have the training and access to the coaching that these kids do now. I had a friend who would make me shoot outside, and try to become a guard. I think that really helped me at the college level.”
So, Coach Yebra transferred that knowledge to Everage and his son.
“He really helped me at that time at becoming the player he knew I could become,” Everage said of Coach Yebra. “He told me, from a young age, that I could be so much more than what I was doing at the time, which was being a post. I really believed in that, and he has been there to help me and give me advice the whole way.”
“He always told me to work on every part of my game,” Louie Yebra said. “We worked on passing and dribbling even when I played the five.”
To a man, everyone on the team will confirm that the change in positions for both Everage and Louie Yebra would not have been possible without several key players. It starts with senior center John Galan, but senior forward Tristen Mata plays a key role in that equation as well.
“At the end of the year, last year, we felt like (Galan) was improving at the post position, and we had Tristen also,” Coach Yebra said. “In the offseason, we worked with them and at that point, I felt like we could move Louie and Darrin out and use John and Tristen in the post.”
Galan is averaging 11.1 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.
“He looks up to a kid who used to play with us, Freddy Ayala,” Coach Yebra said. “He told me, ‘coach I want to lead us in rebounding like Freddy used to do.’ And he made it happen, he is scoring inside and rebounding. He has really helped us out.”
Beyond those two, Mark Medrano and Adrian Salinas complement the big guards with smart play, great shooting and lots of hustle. The bench has also been key for Rowe.
Both Everage and Louie Yebra came into Rowe with great expectations on them. Yet, neither have any sort of ego. That is what works about Rowe. The team is very low ego, with everyone willing to do whatever they can to help the team win. Against PSJA North on Tuesday, Yebra scored nine points and Everage added eight.
“If somebody would have told me before the game, Louie will have nine and Darrin will have eight, and you are still going to win the game, I would have said no,” Coach Yebra said. “But, the other kids stepped up and they hit the shots. It is big for us, when we can get that contribution from everyone.”
Louie Yebra has become a new player in the new role.
“I am more comfortable on the court now,” he said. “I knew I would have to step up, so I worked hard to be ready for this year. We know we have something special. The way our team clicks and plays together, it shows what we are capable of.
“We want to get past the first round. We know we can, but we also know it will be tough.”