United South's John Garcia (24) and Nixon's Ricky Arana (10) will have a say in this year's District 29-5A boys' basketball race. (PHOTO BY ULYSSES S. ROMERO | LAREDO MORNING TIMES)
Up to this point, the 2011-12 Laredo high school sports season has been the Year of the Bulldog. That doesn’t figure to change much as the 29-5A boys’ basketball campaign tips off tonight.
United South hosts Martin, Nixon hosts LBJ, Cigarroa hosts C.C. Winn, Alexander travels to Del Rio and United heads to Eagle Pass. All games are scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
This year is as wide open as one can remember, though Alexander, off to a fast start at 13-2, is the favorite to take home the district championship.
It won’t lack threats, however. United figures to be right in the mix again as well, with United South returning a nice amount of talent and Martin a darkhorse to create quite a stir.
Once again, it figures to be another memorable year for Laredo high school basketball.
“I think the games in this district will come down to how they’re officiated because of how physical games are these days,” LBJ coach Bill Groogan said. “It’s like rugby now. It’s scrum after scrum. That’s what’s happening. And it’s everywhere.
“The game has gotten really, really rough, and the reason why is because everyone is focused on getting their teams bigger and stronger.”
It’s for that reason why many feel Alexander, United and United South – in no particular order – have the advantage, with everyone else fighting for fourth place in district.
“They have seven or eight guys that can step in there and fill the void,” Groogan said of the aforementioned three. “They have size and height. Eighteen (district) games is a lot of games, you know.
“The best teams with a chance are those with size.”
The Nixon Mustangs (9-5) are the youngest team in 29-5A, but coach Pete Solis Jr.’s squad has gotten off to an impressive start in spite of the lack of experience.
The Bulldogs, winners of this year’s Border Olympics and Edinburg tournaments, return six, including three starters. They have the most depth in the frontcourt with the likes of Diego Solis, Philip Connor and Nolan Wilson, to go with a backcourt stable of Alex Bryand, Brian Swain, Beau Kraus and Kevin Garcia.
“We’re playing well,” Alexander coach Luis Valdez said. “We’re still juggling having Alex and Brian back, coming in from football. The guys have played well. They’re a good group of kids. They play for each other.
“The unselfishness of everybody has been the key for us. No one cares about stats.”
The Tigers (9-6) return eight, including four starters. The addition of 6-foot-5 Gabriel Rubio has added a different dynamic to an already dangerous attack.
“The past two years, I’ve been making the schedule to where we have a week to prepare for district,” Martin coach Hecky Noyola Jr. said. “I know how important it is to start district 1-0.”
The Wolves (7-5) return seven, including three starters and their core in 3-point marksman Javier Rodriguez and rangy playmakers Peter Servin and Ricky Castro.
“I think we’re a middle-of-the-packer. I hope, anyway,” Groogan said. “We have quality players, but we’re not very deep. Physically we’re a small team. Not only are we short, but we’re light.
“Those who have big-bodied athletes have the best chance to win this thing.”
The Longhorns (5-8) return five, and one starter, but plenty of shot-blocking and rebounding with Eddie Vasquez, Rudy Gonzalez, Jorge Cardenas and Andrew Zipprian.
“We’ve made great improvements since our first day of practice,” United coach Archie Ramos said. “We have great depth, but we’re looking for some consistency.”
United South (9-6) returns a district-best nine from last year’s squad, including two starters. The Panthers have the depth and size to compete for a district title, with sharpshooter Jose Cardenas and big men Rolando Valdez and John Garcia leading the way in the paint.
“We’re still trying to find our consistency, our rhythm,” South coach Carmelo Gonzalez said. “We haven’t hit our peak. We’ve been playing well, but sometimes we just don’t play that good. Our record kind of reflects that.”
Cigarroa (6-8) returns six, including three starters, and Nixon returns two, no starters.
“Every team, every game is going to be a war,” Valdez said. “Boys’ basketball is one of the more competitive sports in our district; kids today play so much basketball that everyone is pretty even.
“You have to come out ready to play. Every mistake is magnified.”
CREAM OF THE CROP
My picks for the top four Laredo teams heading into district play:
1. ALEXANDER (13-2): The Bulldogs have what Valdez thinks is most essential to a championship team: chemistry. “Size in basketball helps a lot, to be sure,” he said. “But you also have to have ballhandlers and shooters. As far as depth, Martin has made the playoffs before playing just five guys. What I think is key is team chemistry, a team that’s unselfish.”
2. UNITED (5-8): The Longhorns are raw, but blooming with potential. A rough early schedule provided plenty of growing pains, but significantly telling was how United played Alexander in the Border Olympics final a few weeks ago. The gap between the two is not as wide as the records indicate. “I don’t think we’ve lost a game,” Ramos said, “I just think we’ve gotten beat by really good, talented teams, and there is a difference.”
3. UNITED SOUTH (9-6): The Panthers return a lot of starters from last year’s team that finally put South back into the postseason. But they lost their identity with the graduation of guard Kevin Flores and forward Carlos Hernandez. “Now it’s more of a shared thing,” Gonzalez said. “What Carlos and Kevin were doing as far as leaders has been distributed and the young guys are stepping up pretty nicely. Everyone’s playing into the roles and I’m pleased with how they’ve improved.”
4. MARTIN (9-6): After going through a trying year last season with a young crop, Noyola can finally reap the benefits. Along with star guard C.J. Martinez, the Tigers also have a formidable frontcourt with Edgar Benavides and probable newcomer of the year Gabriel Rubio. “I did stats a few days ago and what impressed me was that we’re assisting on a lot of baskets, about 16 assists per game,” Noyola said. “I like how we’re moving and sharing the ball. We struggled with that early on.”
FIVE TO WATCH
My preseason picks for Laredo’s All-City team heading into what is sure to be a memorable district season.
POINT GUARD: UNITED SENIOR THOMAS JOHNSON: The fearless floor leader has made strides in his growth and is ready to lead a team that has its share of uncertainty surrounding it. “He’s had a great offseason,” Ramos said. “Sometimes I feel he thinks he has to do too much, but he’s seen others step up and he’s leaning on his teammates more. He’s trusting them more.”
SHOOTING GUARD: LBJ SENIOR JAVIER RODRIGUEZ: Averaging 13.8 points per game, Rodriguez will be targeted by opposing defenses, and for good reason. There are few shooters like him around. “He’s a much more mature player than he was a year ago, especially defensively,” Groogan said. “I imagine nine other teams in this district would like to have him. He can shoot it. He’s improved his release time, shot selection and mental toughness.”
WING: UNITED SOUTH SENIOR JOSE CARDENAS: Speaking of sharpshooters, Gonzalez will be leaning hard on Cardenas, whose smooth stroke will be needed to keep defenses honest and allow the Panthers’ size to go to work.
FORWARD: ALEXANDER SENIOR DIEGO SOLIS: Averaging 14.2 points, on 55 percent shooting, and 7.9 rebounds per game, Solis is the early frontrunner to take home the District 29-5A and All-City MVP awards. “He’s just been a hard worker,” Alexander coach Luis Valdez said. “Since the end of last year, he’s been in the gym and weight room. He was chosen as captain recently and that’s big because we as coaches don’t choose captains. It’s up to the players, so it says a lot about what his peers think of him.”
CENTER: MARTIN SENIOR GABRIEL RUBIO: The 6-foot-5 big man who came to Martin last December from Nuevo Laredo has made the Tigers a must-see game this season. Rubio is averaging 15 points, six rebounds and four assists per game. “He gives us another body in the paint and that helps us out big time,” Noyola said. “He’s long and athletic and gets a lot of rebounds and can alter shots. He takes pressure off our guards and teams have to make decisions defensively now.”
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