St. Joseph Academy point guard Valeria Tapia has always been one of the most talented players on the court in the Rio Grande Valley during the past four years.
Now Tapia will continue that prowess after officially signing her letter of intent to play basketball for the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley and coach Larry Tidwell during a signing ceremony Tuesday at St. Joseph.
“I’m nervous, but I’m happy,” Tapia said. “It’s a new chapter of my life, it’s very important for me. I’m very excited to play and study.”
Over that span, Tapia has been a standout for the Lady Bloodhounds, earning TAPPS All-State, All-Area, All-District and The Herald’s All-Metro honors after each season.
In her final season, Tapia averaged 14 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game for the Lady Bloodhounds. Not only does she have a well-rounded offensive game, but also she had been a great defender for St. Joseph. Tapia was able to use pressure defense against an opponent’s ball handler and cause turnovers and usually helped her team score in transition.
While playing basketball nearly year around, Tapia has been able to polish her game, but what helped push her to the next level was the experience with the FIBA Mexican U19 National Team.
Originally from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, Tapia also played for the Tamaulipas basketball team, leading the team to two national titles in four years. That level of competition has helped develop her game and showcased her skill-set and ability to be able to play at the collegiate level.
“Playing at that level has helped me,” she said. “It’s a completely different level and has helped me improve my game.”
As her game as steadily improved, so has her confidence during the last four years. Tapia has the ability to take over a game and now the poise to know she can.
With classes starting next week, Tapia will soon get ready to make the move to Edinburg where she plans to study international business on a full athletic scholarship.
Tapia felt that she wouldn’t have been able to achieve her goals without the commitment from her parents and her coaches over the last four years.
“All the support that I have received from my parents, from all my coaches,” she said. “Also from God. He gave me this talent. My parents have always supported me and my coaches have made me work harder and harder.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.