BY NATE KOTISSO | THE MONITOR
MISSION — Efficiency is a must for Mission Veterans.
On most nights, the Patriots are at an inherent disadvantage. They employ a six-person rotation, meaning coach Rafael Cantu Jr. will need his players to log major minutes to have a chance to win. The Patriots are also at a size disadvantage compared to most of their opponents. Five of their six rotation players are listed at 5-foot-5 or shorter.
Sophomore guard Kaylee Flores is listed at 5-foot-3, but that hasn’t seemed to matter. Flores is second on her team in scoring (8.9 points per game), which isn’t to be expected from someone playing her first season of varsity basketball.
“I didn’t think I’d play this well. I thought I’d slack off a little bit and be uncomfortable,” Flores said. “It’s a different mindset on varsity, but my teammates made sure that I would be at my best and motivated me to do well.”
Basketball was the family game for Flores, who first picked up a ball when she was 4 years old. Her older sister, Melissa Chavero, starred for Mission Veterans during the mid-2000s. Chavero was named as a First-Team all-district performer for the Patriots during her senior season in 2006-07.
“My dad was my first coach. He taught me to how to play,” Flores said. “My sister inspired me to play. She’s always told me to keep shooting confidently, and if my shot isn’t there, my defense has to be.”
Flores models her offensive game after Chavero, a consistent perimeter shooter, with one slight difference.
“I think I drive to the hoop more,” Flores said. “She was more of an outside shooter from what I heard. I was really small when she played.”
“I’d have to dig up some of her old tapes,” Cantu, who coached Chavero, said. “We have them on little DVs. We’d burn them onto DVDs when we could.
“Melissa could fill it up. Kaylee’s more of a 50-50 player in terms of shooting or driving, but the two of them share an intensity and aggressive nature when they’re out on the floor.”
Cantu said it was easy to identify what separated Flores from other players as a middle schooler.
“I saw her basketball instincts,” Cantu said. “You can tell when a player has played outside in the parks and in the gyms for a while. Those kinds of players spend a lot of time perfecting their craft.”
Cantu wasn’t worried about Flores’ adjustment from junior varsity ball as a freshman to varsity as a sophomore.
“Speed is where the big jump between JV and varsity comes,” Cantu said. “You have to make quicker decisions, but Kaylee is an extremely hard worker. She’s coachable and takes in everything we throw her way. She’s eager and has an open mind to learn and improve. That’s one of the main reasons why she’s improved so much in such a short amount of time. Her instinctual decisions are getting quicker and getting better. It’s not an accident she’s the player she is. It’s been fun to see the improvement.”
Decision-making isn’t the only area where Flores can see improvement.
“For us, defense is a big key to victory, and I know I have to improve more on defense,” Flores said. “Moving more and getting quicker.”
While size and depth appeared a deterrent to success, the Patriots (18-11, 7-1) are currently alone in second place in the nine-team District 31-5A.
“We’ve all been focused, and by now we’re used to practicing and playing focused all the time,” Flores said. “We played a tough schedule. Even if we have a bad game, we’re always serious. We’re hungry to go out and perform better.”
Cantu’s plan is playing out the way he thought it would.
“I knew we had the makings of a good team before the season began,” Cantu said. “It’s a tough district, but I knew we could be where we’re at now. The girls have bought in to what we’re doing and playing the best that they can. We’re going to go out and fight every night.”