By TJ GARCIA | Special to The Monitor
ALAMO — If the PSJA Memorial boys basketball team were a construction zone, coach Eric Steinbrunner would have orange cones and yellow tape everywhere around the gym.
The Wolverines are a work in progress.
But what the first-year coach and others are doing is building up – almost from scratch. PSJA Memorial won just one game last season.
“It’s not just me,” Steinbrunner said. “Coach Josue Flores set the foundation last year. I’m just taking over what he did and building upon that and teaching these kids the game of basketball.”
It seems to be working.
The Wolverines have already won nine of its first 19 games, yet Thursday the team lost a close, chaotic battle to Laredo LBJ High School, 64-57, in the PSJA Tri-City Tournament. Memorial showed no back down, even when it was behind by 10 points.
The team demonstrated moxie by coming back, knocking down shots and making stops to take a lead during the third quarter. However, turnovers and mistakes slowed the Wolverines down the stretch during the final quarter.
Steinbrunner, who led Mercedes boys basketball the previous eight years, said he was proud of his squad’s effort.
“They work really hard, and I can’t complain about their work ethic,” he said. “Everyday they go to practice and they bust their tails. They want to learn. They want to win.
“The biggest thing is just trying to keep their heads up when they hit those valleys. I told them a game is like a rollercoaster ride. You are going to have your ups and your downs. But the quicker we get out of those downs the better off we will be.”
He added that he believes the team can now weather storms and has the confidence to bounce back from deficits and losses.
PSJA Memorial is in a tough district in 31-6A. Things will get no easier moving forward with the young team, which starts two sophomores, two juniors and a senior. On Thursday, the Wolverines played without second-leading scorer Jared Koenig.
The lone senior starter, 6-foot-9 Joey Castillo, could be a difference-maker, though. Against Laredo LBJ, Castillo filled the scorebook with 13 points, 16 rebounds, eight blocked shots and two dunks.
“He’s a great kid,” Steinbrunner said. “Joey’s a character. He likes to joke and have fun, but he plays hard. He works hard on his defense. He rebounds.”
Sophomore J.D. Chavez, who led the Wolverines with 21 points with a mix of outside shots and drives to the hoop, is also expected to be a contributor this year.
“He’s got a quiet confidence about him on the court and he’s fearless,” the coach said.
The efforts were impressive, but not enough. Still with Castillo, Chavez, Koenig and others like Marco Gonzalez, there’s hope. There’s hope for some tournament victories and optimism for improved district play.
“We just have to learn to keep fighting,” Steinbrunner said. “We need to unlock our potential. They’ve got to believe in themselves. We’re beginning to open that up and get some wins.”