By MARK MOLINA | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
Los Fresnos head basketball coach Marco Hinojosa will be the first to tell you that earning four straight district crowns isn’t an easy feat. But Hinojosa won’t deny having seniors Andrew Carrizales and Jordan Urbina leading the way was a big help.
Their chemistry not only helped elevate each other, but was a big reason the Falcons were a run-and-gun, defensive-oriented team that won 31 games and reached the second round of the postseason.
“Jordan and Andrew have played together for many, many years now and it’s a reason why they complement each other so well,” Hinojosa said. “We’re a pretty good defensive team, but Jordan does some things that are out of the ordinary, like get steals we wouldn’t even count on. Andrew is the type of player that can play the one through the five — they’re just two special kids.”
The effort from the senior duo not only made them key cogs in the Los Fresnos basketball program, but have earned them All-Metro honors.
Carrizales has been named The Brownsville Herald’s 2018 All-Metro Offensive Player of the Year, while Urbina has been named the All-Metro Defensive Player of the Year.
Carrizales had a breakout season for the Falcons, leading them in scoring with an average of 14.2 points per game along with 8.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals.
He was named the District 32-6A MVP and was named to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches All-Region IV-6A team.
For Carrizales, the recognition is humbling, but the senior star believes he left it all on the court during his senior season, in case it was his last time on the court.
“I’m blessed and I’m honored to be recognized, especially with the a lot of great players from the Metro-area, district and our team,” Carrizales said. “I just led with the motto ‘no regrets.’ It’s my last season and I don’t know if I’ll be playing again or not. I just put up extra shots in the gym or at a basket. I just shot as much as I could, going day-by-day and giving it my all.
“I just wanted to become an overall better basketball player for myself to end on a good note and so my team can make a postseason run.”
While Urbina was in Carrizales’ shoes last year when he was the district MVP and All-Metro Offensive Player of the Year, he by no means took a back seat to Carrizales.
Urbina averaged 13.5 points per game, 3.7 assists and 4.5 steals per game, leading to him being named the District 32-6A Defensive Player of the Year.
It’s a distinction Urbina accepts with pride as he set defensive goals for himself to start the year.
“I told coach that since I averaged 5.1 steals per game last year, I wanted to raise that by two this year,” Urbina said. “I didn’t get there, but I do what I have to do for my team (on defense). I’ve always had a nose for the ball. I always seem to be in the right place at the right time and I don’t think you can teach that. Every game I just stuck to what I knew and came out successful.”
Both Carrizales and Urbina have both enjoyed success on the court for years, but they also push and respect one another.
“I’m the type of person who likes to win, so I don’t care who has the most points, most rebounds, most steals, most assists as long as we get that win,” Urbina said. “I’m very happy for him (Carrizales). It’s his last year and he had to show out. He did and he got what he deserved.”
Carrizales was thankful that the chemistry he has with Urbina has continued to grow after seven years together, thus making the game for both easier.
“Jordan’s quickness on defense helped a lot as he forced turnovers and caused other teams into not-so-smart decisions,” Carrizales. “That allowed us to get on offense a lot more and push the tempo.
“I grew up playing with (Urbina) since we were barely entering middle school, so for us to be successful during our last season together was pretty amazing.”