By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — The first word that pops into Harlingen South coach Brian Molina’s head when he thinks of Alex Rodriguez is humble.
Rodriguez had a strong season in his third year on the Hawks’ varsity team, notching 142 steals and 261 rebounds. His efforts earned him the Valley Morning Star’s 2019-2020 All-STAR Boys Basketball Defensive Player of the Year title.
When asked about his accomplishments, Rodriguez diverted the attention from himself to his team as quickly as he moves on the court.
“Winning this feels good, but this award is not only an individual one, it’s also a team award,” Rodriguez said. “We all play defense, so I take this award for all of us. You’re only as good as everyone around you.”
Molina said the team-first mentality that drives Rodriguez is one thing he respects most about his player.
“He never really talks about himself. He’s a very unselfish kid,” Molina said. “I tell the guys, ‘Good things happen to good people,’ and Alex is a really good person. He puts in the time, he puts in the effort and if he keeps playing hard the way he is and keeps learning and being coachable the way he is, the results are going to take care of themselves.”
Rodriguez is already working on building off the junior season that also got him the defensive title in District 32-6A. He’s finding creative ways for himself and teammates to stay active during this quarantine period and staying in contact with Molina to ensure his coach that he and the Hawks are taking care of business.
Molina called Rodriguez one of the hardest working players he has known in his 14-year career as a head coach. He praised Rodriguez’s leadership and versatility, which were on full display this season as the South captain transitioned from a post to a point guard.
The position change was a welcomed challenge that produced a spike in Rodriguez’s productivity on the court. He scored an average of 12.8 points per game for the Hawks and dished 114 assists.
“Since I’m a bigger guy I’m used to playing in the post, but this year I got moved to point guard and I think my basketball IQ and passing got better, I take pride in passing the ball,” Rodriguez said. “It was different, a lot more tiring having to take the ball up and having the super fast guys on me, but that’s fun. Having those tougher matchups, it just makes me better.”
Getting better is something Rodriguez constantly strives for, and Molina said he’s a self-motivated and self-accountable young man. If he makes a mistake on the court, he’ll quickly tell his coach, “That was my fault, I’ll fix that” and then makes the correction.
As Rodriguez works toward elevating his game to the next level, he motivates his teammates to do the same. Molina called him a role model for the younger players in the program, and Rodriguez feels privileged to pass on the mentorship he once received to the underclassmen next season.
“The senior guys my freshman and sophomore years guided me through everything, so I have that experience to pass on next year,” Rodriguez said. “There are a lot of ups and downs in basketball, so I have to let (the younger guys) know that it’s OK and I have their backs no matter what.”