Basketball – Pueblo High School

Boys Basketball: Senior Night Honors Six Players

By Kassandra Espinoza & Jose Jovel

Pueblo High School boys’ basketball team held their Senior Night on Jan. 29 against Salpointe High School—honoring six senior players and two managers.

Head Coach Daryl Jones has been coaching at Pueblo for three years, so this group of seniors have been with him the longest.

Jones said, “I will for sure miss this year’s seniors! This is the most I’ve gotten to see my players grow due to me only having been here for three years.”

Unfortunately, Pueblo fell short against Salpointe (56-49), but that did not change the celebration held after the game in honor of the seniors.

Senior basketball Captain, Jorge Franco said, “Even though I was stressed out at times during the game and throughout the season, it was also very exciting and an honor to be captain of the team.”

With plans to play basketball year-round with their own club team, Pueblo’s boys’ basketball team plans to grow during this time to have a thrilling season next year.

Senior Co-Captain Jacob Maya said, “I will most definitely miss playing games at Pueblo, as well as playing with my teammates. They’re like another family to me.”

In addition to the six players congratulated during senior night, two managers, seniors Emely Villanueva and Alexis Vargas, also got to be a part of the commemoration.

“As the season progressed, I learned more about the sport,” said Villanueva, “and I am going to miss the team more than anything because they always had such great morale. Even after losing a game, they would still be happy about being able to play basketball as a team.”

Sophomore Breaks Girls’ Basketball Record

by Christopher Santa Cruz

The Pueblo Warriors girls’ basketball team recently defeated the Palo Verde Titans 101-16 with superstar player sophomore America Cazares setting a new school record with 59 points in a single game.

Cazares went 14-20 from the field with an impressive 10 of those shots being three-pointers. She was able to grab eight rebounds, one assist and nine steals during the game.

“Honestly, I didn’t know I was going to break the record,” Cazares said. “I just played my game, although I got subbed-out during the fourth quarter.”

The previous school record was held by Alicia Reyes, who scored 57 points during the 2015-16 season against the Cholla Chargers under the current head coach Ismael “Izzy” Galindo.

This season’s Warriors scored another 100+ points during a game against the Empire Ravens on Dec. 17; the final score: 101-32.

“Before the game, I was very relaxed and confident knowing we were facing a weaker team,” Cazares said.

Galindo said, “I didn’t know America [Cazares] was going to break the school record. I just remember she was in the high 40’s at about the end of the third quarter. Then before I could take her out during the fourth quarter, I learned that she had broken the record.”

With all these early accomplishments in Cazares’ high school career, she plans on continuing her basketball career playing at the collegiate level.

LaVetter Gym Floorboards Damaged!

By Saul Arias & Aubrey Garcia

Pueblo High School’s LaVetter Gym floorboards are warping and causing mold due to a water leak from roof.

It is still unknown what caused the leakage from the pipes, but the damage is extensive.

“The leakage started years ago,” said Assistant Principal Meg Tully, “we have contacted TUSD about this issue.”

TUSD contacted Risk Management Facilities, who have yet to determine a plan and date for the repairs.

“I hope it gets fixed as soon as possible,” said Assistant Principal Karla Martinez. “We’re just waiting for the district to contact us with a plan and date for repairs.”

It is estimated that the repairs will take a week to be completed, and the gym will have to be closed due to toxic fumes from chemicals used for restoration.

“We have to take into account that boys and girls basketball practices there,” said Martinez. “Also, students use the gym during both lunches.”

Coach Of Sports Or Shoes?

by Alexis Vargas

Coach Daryl Jones is known for having one of the best “shoe games” out of Pueblo’s faculty and staff, but his appreciation for basketball has also been a recognized and inspiring trait.

After his shoe collection began three or four years ago, it has grown to a total of 30 pairs from brands such as Jordan, Nike, and UGG.

“Shoes that are worth the most would have to be either my UGG boots, Jordan 11 Cool Greys, Jordan 11 Gamma Blues, and Jordan 11 Legend Blues,” said Coach Jones.

Jones’ preferred sneaker has transitioned, currently favoring Nike Dunk Lows. He also settled the debate on the best athletic shoe.

Jones said, “I’m biased, so I would say Lebron James basketball shoes but if I’m going to be technical, CP3 basketball shoes are really comfortable.”

While his top shoes hold great value, so do his hopes for this year’s boys’ basketball team, especially with a majority of the team being seniors.

“[We’re aiming for ] the ‘Elite 8’. Obviously, the state championship is always the goal, but I think ‘Elite 8’ is more realistic,” said Jones. “I hope they win the state championship, that would be nice for them.”

Coach Galindo Vs. COVID-19!

by Victoria Cazares

Pueblo High School girls’ basketball head coach, Ismael Galindo, has been coaching at Pueblo for nine years. This year, Coach Galindo and the Pueblo team have been required to follow a number of rules due to the pandemic.

To stay safe, players must remain six feet apart and wear masks at all time, rules that the district enforces. Galindo said that he follows all of the rules and safety regulations to ensure his players stay safe throughout the 2020-2021 school year.

“The challenges have been hard, but they are requirements if we want to have a season,’’ said Galindo.

COVID-19 testing occurs once every week or every two weeks for players and coaches. Mr. Miguel Sandoval, who is known to most as “Coach Miggs”, Pueblo’s athletic director, enforces these requirements. If a player tests positive, the entire team has to follow district rules and guidelines—that is, the entire team has to sit out for no less than two weeks.

Galindo said, “I don’t like getting tested because it’s really uncomfortable, but it’s necessary.’’

However, Galindo is not letting this pandemic affect his coaching. He is here to do his job and make his players better. All he wants this year is to have a season.

“I feel bad watching everyone struggle, running around in masks. It bugs me,” he said.

Learning and following all the new rules has been a challenge for coach. Checking temperatures every day and printing out the daily COVID-19 screening sheet is something he and his players just have to get used to daily.

Coach said, “We have to follow all Arizona Interscholastic Association and TUSD rules, and now we have to follow all the COVID-19 rules.”

The seniors graduating this year are the last group of girls who advanced to the championship in 2018. Coach wants to make their last year special by hanging up their banners in both gyms, giving them their jersey frames and putting a picture of them in the trophy case.

“Senior Night might be earlier in the season due to COVID-19,” Galindo said. “I want to make sure the seniors have a ceremony even if it means they have to do it outside, one family at a time. Some of these girls have played for me all four years at Pueblo, and that means a lot.”

One senior player, JaeDee Lopez, said, “Not having a normal senior year has really affected me. Sometimes I lost motivation for everything, including playing basketball. But, I’m going to keep my confidence up and make the most of this situation.”

Another senior, Alexis Enriquez, said, “Whenever life seems difficult or things keep changing, the best thing to do is to keep moving forward and keep positive. That’s what I’ve been doing, and that’s what keeps me going.”

Senior Getsemani Cazares said, “For a while, we weren’t even sure if we were going to have a season. Last year, when I was a junior, I couldn’t play due to an injury, so it’s really important to me that I get to play before I graduate.”

Galindo is really looking forward to playing against their new division. They are working hard to make this season successful no matter what teams they play.

Girls Basketball: Learning From Their Mistakes

by Darian Aldaco & Getsemani Cazares

Girls basketball is now halfway through their season, and with a record of 7-14 (as of Jan. 28), their conference games are now coming to an end.

Clearly, the girls’ basketball season is not going as expected, however, they continue to push forward and make the best out of the remaining season.

Coach Ismael Galindo said, “The goal is always the same, State championship; unfortunately, with a recent loss, we are out of the state tournament for the first time in five years.”

Galindo has a few words to say about his young varsity team.

He said, “I’m always excited about freshmen because it gives me time to teach them, although I feel that I can teach anyone who wants to learn.”

Freshman point guard Victoria Cazares is making huge strides as the leading scorer and starter for the varsity team.

She said, “Being a freshman on the varsity team takes hard work and dedication. A spot on the varsity team isn’t given, it’s earned.”

Myla Truitt, another Class of ’23 freshman, is a shooting guard and a starter on varsity.

She said, “Playing on varsity is fun, it’s more competitive and faster pace. Our season has been good, but it could be better.”

Coach Galindo said the season is not over until it’s over; however, he does admit that the team will have to make some adjustments.

He said, “I’m not giving up on this season, but we can take what we’ve learned this season and use it for motivation to work harder and get better for next season.” “The differences year to year doesn’t really matter. Players have to play, and coaches have to coach,” he said.