BY MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Initially, Homer Garr was going to sit out the year.
In 15 years of coaching, Garr’s holidays have largely been occupied by basketball tournaments. So having been relieved of his coaching duties at McAllen High, Garr made travel arrangements for a Christmas getaway with his wife and three children, hoping to take full advantage of his time off.
Then, Rio Grande City coach Richard Contreras retired.
“I said no several times (about filling the vacancy), but they just kept coming back,” Garr said about the courtship. “I really liked the prospects, and it got to the point where I said to myself, ‘This could work.’”
His initial reservations had little to do with the team itself. In fact, he said he hadn’t seen the roster prior to committing to the Rattlers. His primary concern was in the 40-minute commute to work from his Mission home each day, leaving him less time to spend with his family. Then he came to one realization.
“I thought, do I want to wait another year and maybe not find a place as good as this?” Garr pondered. “So I pulled the trigger.”
On the opening day of the Mission Tournament, Garr stood nearby the court, chatting with his assistants before the Rattlers took on IDEA Mission in a relatively empty Eagle Gym at 9 a.m. Friday.
“I was kind of missing a little bit of the interaction between players and coaches,” Garr said as players warmed up.
His team entered the tournament with an 0-2 record. They broke that slump by beating IDEA Mission 61-42 before losing to Eagle Pass 51-32 later that afternoon.
A little more than a month since accepting the job, Garr is still trying to find his way at Rio Grande City. He said there’s “a lot of talent” across his roster, but it’s still “a work in progress.” Having graduated about half their team that finished 20-10 last season, the Rattlers were bound to go through a rebuilding period this year, anyway.
Now, they get to do it with a new coach.
“It’s not very hard (to adjust) because the guys that have been on varsity before, we’re taking on a leadership role,” said senior Daniel Garza, a four-year letterman. “When you’re an open-minded player, it’s easy to do that.”
Where Rio Grande City is likely to finish this season is difficult to predict.
For now, they’re acclimating to Garr’s run-and-gun style of play. It’s been difficult early on, with the Rattlers stricken by injuries. So far, eight players have been sidelined.
Gradually, they’re starting to come back. It’s a setback the Rattlers are hoping to overcome by the time district gets under way, hoping to secure one of the four available playoff spots.
“Like anywhere else, you start six months later than everyone else, it makes it difficult on everybody,” Garr said, “but I think this team can be good. I think in time it will be. People just have to be patient.”
As Garza sees it, Rio Grande City is well-equipped to make a run. They have some size with the 6-foot-3 post, and his teammates could also bury open looks. Their defense is coming around. And while passing needs more refining, the Rattlers continue to make improvements.
“We’ve been coming together as a team,” Garza said. “We’re just working hard and pushing it. It was tough not having a coach for a while, but we found our coach and now we’re ready to go.”