When the Mingus boys basketball season went 4-23 in the 2019-20 season, it broke a string of consecutive winning seasons. Now, as the Marauders eye the delayed start to the 2021 season, they’re hoping to make the struggles of last season an anomaly.
With COVID-19 restrictions being in place since the end of last season, the offseason workouts and practices have been limited. Mingus coach Albert Rodriguez, though, has been impressed with the effort that the Marauders have shown in the gym time that they’ve had.
“It’s been fine,” Rodriguez said. “You just have to go with the flow and find ways to get better. There are many ways that we can do that and we’re not going to make excuses for anything. It’s been fine and the kids have been very receptive. They’re staying engaged and the transition has been good.”
Helping the transition has been a group of seniors that includes Trey Peters, Zach Figy, Devin Rodriguez and Andrew Nahar. All four saw time in the starting lineup last season. Peters was the second-leading scorer on that team and the top returning scorer this season.
While team depth is always important, the ongoing pandemic and the possibility of starters having to go into quarantine makes it even more important this season. That’s an area where the Marauders feel they’re well equipped.
“We’ve got good depth,” Peters said. “We’ve got guys that want to compete. There’s guys that are running and trying to win spots. That’s always a good thing to have. Because if they end up on the bench, you’ve always got them in case there are any injuries or quarantines.”
Devin Rodriguez agreed, adding that Mingus is not only deep but versatile.
“I think that we have a wide group of players that can play all positions that we’ll really utilize during the season,” he said. “And we want to use that to the best of our advantage.”
One of the areas that coach Rodriguez has been most pleased with has been his seniors. Given that seniors are the oldest — and almost always the most experienced — players on the team, they’re often expected to be the leaders. That role, however, is not always fully embraced.
But Rodriguez has not noticed that being an issue for this group.
“They have definitely embraced the leadership role in a way that we’ve really been seeking for the past few years,” the coach said. “They’re doing a great job of that and it’s coming naturally.
“We have some kids that have been with the program for all four years of high school,” he added. “They have continuity from growing up with each other around the area. The familiarity and chemistry. It’s going to be exciting to see them compete together in their senior year.”
The season will not feature as many games, but there will be less of a break between contests, with most weeks featuring three games instead of the standard two.
That smaller, more compact schedule, combined with the struggles of last season, will make it even more important to start the year strong. That will not only erase any lingering bad memories but will also make this season’s goals all the more attainable.
“I think it’s important to get off to a good start no matter what kind of season we had,” Nahar said. “We want to win the region. We want to win as many games as we can. And getting off to a good start is a big part of that. So it’s vital that we get off to a good start and finish the year strong.”
