Texas Hoops message board used to have passionate threads
about girls basketball years ago. I recalled reading a thread about the
emergence of San Antonio basketball around the time that Meighan Simmons was
making the state and the nation pay attention to the Alamo City. Being a new
comer to the city at that time, anything written about girls basketball in the
city caught my attention. This particular discussion talked about how San
Antonio was garnering respect but still lagged far behind Dallas and Houston.
Then, someone chimed in on a so-called fact, knowing the anonymous nature of message
boards allows posters to not worry about
being politically correct. The message board poster stated " San Antonio does
not have the population to produce a large number of college prospects due to
the majority of the city being Hispanic." Ouch! Being a club coach with a good number of Hispanic players, that stung. Why? Was it the truth, and as the saying goes, does the
truth hurt?
I started taking inventory of the Hispanic D1 basketball
players in the city at that time and came up with one, Christina Flores. The
6'4 post for Churchill went on to a very accomplished career at the University
of Missouri. However I could not find any guards that had went on to the D1
ranks in recent history(at that time) on full scholarship. It's tough to touch
a touchy topic without going too in-depth about race, social norms, stereo
types and things that I am not smart enough to fully comprehend. But, the insinuations were obvious, the Hispanic population of female
basketball players were short and not considered terrific athletes. These two things supposedly prohibited
them from excelling in women's basketball.
It is a good thing Mikki
Flores and Amber Vidal didn't
buy into those negative perceptions.
This blog has been months in the works, since Flores committed to Texas A&M
Corpus Christi and Vidal committed to the University of Nebraska- Omaha over
the summer. Both of these vertically challenged lead guards not only beat the
odds of making it to the D1 ranks(some say around 1%) but overcame the odds of
making it to that level being shorter than
5'6. A quick look into the
rosters of Conference USA and Southland Conference shows an unofficial
count of eight Latina players out of a possible two hundred fifty-five.
Of the eight, three of the players are 5'8 or shorter ; Jazz Oconas, Janelle
Perez, and Joanee Lira.
Amber Vidal and Mikki Flores are role models. Hyperbole?
Maybe, maybe not. What is a role model? What's the definition of a trail
blazer? If a person inspires another to do good, especially a kid(s), are they
worthy of these lofty titles? However you define it, Flores and Vidal are
giving up close examples of success to so many young Latinas in a city full of
Latina basketball players.
Watching Flores shoot bomb after bomb from 25 feet, while
leading a team with composure and
discipline was impressive. As an evaluator, I wondered if Flores had learned to
play under more control? Could she stop penetrating with such fearlessness that
exposed her body to unnecessary contact. She not only played under control but
also with a headiness that signaled her growth as an elite floor general in the
city. She hit numerous runners and
floaters in traffic at crucial times in the game. She was already good but has gotten
much better. She showed that she is better that I "ranked" her in the
city for 2015 players. Her understanding of the game has grown, calling out loudly
"America" to her teammates as the opposition tried to run the much
used "Americas Play". She is fortunate to play for a coach, like his
predecessor, that runs his entire offense through her abilities. Some may say
that she should shine with that type of offensive leeway from a coach, to which
I say, heavy is the head that wears the crown. It is easy for detractors to
claim they want the rock in their hands all the time but those lights get very hot
when they are shining on you! Flores shined bright last night versus what many
consider a Top 10 team in the city.
Vidal was just as impressive. My initial mention of her on
this blog when she was a freshman spoke of her being a "Baller". She
is more than that now. Facing a BCS defender last night, Vidal got what she
wanted, when she wanted it. Catch and Shoot 3Ball, no problem! Mid-Range 1-2
Pull Up, splash! Attack combos to the rack, And 1! Vidal gave a quietly loud 24 points to
Johnson while still getting her teammates involved. Seemingly always making the
right plays. When Johnson tied the game late she punished their 3 consecutive
turnovers with buckets and assists like a seasoned high school D1 bound lead
guard should. Vidal will never be a rah rah player but showed that she is now
more vocal as a leader. She has learned to use her HS system to accentuate her
strengths and make her teammates better.
Visit Factory of Champions, George Gervin Center or Mission
Conception on any given weekend and you will see a large number of Hispanic
ballers, male and female. I presume this has been the case long before I got
here. What has changed is that the grassroots basketball community are sowing
seeds in fertile ground now, having numerous current examples of growth to show
the youngsters. For every Erica Hernandez, Destiny Amezquita, and Michelle
Rodriguez that goes on to play big time college basketball, the next Amber
Ramirez does not have to face the same type of stereotypes. Whenever Mikki
Flores and her SYE team played at the 2014 SB Extravaganza, the crowd filled with young Latinas from the SA
Fusion basketball team loudly cheering on her every move. Their coach Mike
Navarro can point to her and say, "if Mikki can do it, so can
you". When Amber Vidal has multiple
D1 intuitions hoping that she changes her mind and joins them, local freshmen named
Cuellar, Tamez, Ramos, Vera, etc. have a tangible example that passionate perseverance
is more powerful than people's negative perceptions. These young women may not
be defined as such but they sound like role models to me.
