BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR
WESLACO — With the squeak of sneakers silenced and the stands of the Laredo Energy Arena mostly empty, Weslaco High players started trickling out of the locker room.
It was March 3, and the Panthers had just seen their season end at the hands of Austin Westlake, which overwhelmed Weslaco 56-38 in the Class 6A Regional Semifinals.
Jordan Young was one of the last players out of the locker room. Perhaps he was talking with players and coaches, or perhaps he was clinging to the last few minutes of his varsity career. As he walked out of the locker room, tears in his eyes, he said: “This is Braxton’s team now.”
Now a senior, Braxton Bloomquist is embracing that statement.
“Leadership is key,” Bloomquist, who averaged 12.8 points per game last year in the regular season, said. “Coach isn’t going to be there all the time. He doesn’t get to see what goes on away from the court. That’s my role.”
Bloomquist is a team captain this year. He spent the summer traversing the country with many of his Weslaco teammates, playing in various tournaments.
For Bloomquist, the repetitions were valuable, as he is moving from shooting guard to point guard this season.
“Over the summer, all I did was play point guard,” Bloomquist said. “As a point guard, you are able to have that leadership role, on top of being a captain. The ball will be in my hands more, and I have more control over where it goes.”
Last year, when Bloomquist got the ball, the best play was often to look for his own shot. Now, in the new role, he will have to get his teammates involved — a skill Weslaco coach Gabe Valdez said came natural for Bloomquist.
“The transition for him has been really good,” Valdez said. “He has taken that role. He plays very unselfish. That has actually grown on us a little bit as far as the team and them looking for each other.”
Bloomquist started playing basketball at the age of 5. From then on, the dream was always to wear the purple jersey of the Panthers.
“My mom and dad went to Weslaco,” Bloomquist said. “My uncle went here also. He played basketball here, too. My family is Weslaco through and through.”
So when Bloomquist got to play on the varsity team and wear that jersey during his freshman year, it felt like the culmination of a decade of work.
“The feeling was great,” Bloomquist said. “It was different, being a freshman on varsity — it’s unexplainable. The crowd was different. The transition was different from eighth grade to a freshman on varsity. … It made it a special moment. I am able to play in the same colors my parents did.”
When Weslaco takes the court for its season opener at 7:30 tonight against Brownsville Pace on the Panthers’ home court in Weslaco, Bloomquist will have the ball in his hands for the opening possession and the closing possession.
That is, unless Weslaco turns the game into a romp, as it often does. In which case, junior point guard Safi Fino-A-Laself could be the one who dribbles out the clock with the rest of the bench unit.
“It’s really exciting to get started,” Fino-A-Laself said. “I’m excited to pick up back where we left off last season, going to the Sweet 16 and playing with our team all summer. We have gotten a lot better together. So I am excited to see how far we go this year.”
Fino-A-Laself is just one example of the depth Weslaco boasts entering the season. The team lost six seniors but just one starter from last year’s team.
“Safi is getting himself to another level,” Valdez said. “He could easily be starting. He could easily put up 20 points a game. He’s just that good. We just have to slow his jets down a little bit, but that’s a good thing. He’s going to play a big role for us this year.”
The projected starting unit is a sizeable one. Senior guard Matthew Olmeda will share the backcourt with Bloomquist. The frontcourt is composed of three seniors: Safi’s brother Khalil Fino-A-Laself, Jesus Paez and Derek Cedeno.
“Matty is our shortest guy at 6-foot,” Bloomquist said. “Derek is 6-5. So, we are a pretty big starting lineup.”
In addition to size, Weslaco boasts flexibility.
“Fortunately, we have the opportunity to put different types of units out there,” Valdez said. “We can go tall, big, big-small, small-small, and be effective. … Starting with a taller lineup and then coming out with a totally different speed with Safi, Isaiah Garcia and Caleb Ybarra, it turns up a notch. That’s the thing about it. We can throw different combinations in there that can be really effective for us.”
The excitement surrounding the program is palpable. The Panthers can’t wait to hit the hardwood, and when they do, Bloomquist will be leading them.
“We are looking forward to that first game,” Bloomquist said. “We have a lot of players back, and like coach says, we are a mature team, so we are looking to work toward what we had last year. We have been working for this time of year, all year. You get to actually work for something, work for that trophy at the end of the district season.”
RGVSports.com Top 10
1. Weslaco High
2. Los Fresnos
3. Edinburg Vela
4. Harlingen South
5. McAllen Rowe
6. Edinburg High
7. McAllen High
8. Brownsville Veterans
9. Roma
10. Mercedes
Five more players to watch
>> Noah Sekinger, Jr., center, Edinburg Vela: Last year, Sekinger measured at 6-foot-5 as a sophomore. He averaged 5 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game.
>> Antoine Woodard, Jr., wing, Edinburg High: The First Team All-Area member averaged 18.8 points per game, the third highest mark in the Upper Valley, and 8.2 rebounds per game, putting him the top ten in the area.
>> Rodrigo Nuñez, Sr., center, Rio Grande City: The 6-foot-8, 255 pound post player had the highest mark in the Valley with 20.2 points per game and the second highest rebound per game average of 10.9.
>> Derek Luna, Soph., guard, McAllen Rowe: The Monitor’s All-Area Newcomer of the year burst onto the scene as a freshman. He averaged 16.1 points per game and 4.6 assists.
>> Daunte Galvan, Jr., guard, PSJA North: As a sophomore Galvan became the focal point of a dangerous Raiders team. Galvan averaged 14.2 points and 6.2 assists per game.