A young roster doesn’t stop Hays Rebel head boys basketball coach Matt Sandoval from believing his 2017 squad can compete in the rough and tumble 25-6A.
Sandoval understands how arduous the road will be against the likes of state-ranked Westlake and Lake Travis.
But Sandoval also draws inspiration from the Rebel football team, which didn’t back down in its games against those two programs. He hopes instilling that mentality helps Hays rebound from last year’s seven win season.
“We don’t want to go into a game thinking, ‘We want to get this game over with,’” Sandoval said. “We want to go into games thinking, ‘We’re here to win.’”
Hays, which has already started the year on a two-game win streak, has a “good mix” of experience and youth, Sandoval said.
Seniors Dre Green, Piercen Hoekstra, Jayden Smith and sophomore Luke Watson, who are Hays’ only returning players from last season, anchor the Rebel roster. In total, seven seniors dot Hays’ lineup.
“On any given day, one of those young guys could rear their head and lead us to victory ... We’re a more balanced team than last year.” Matt Sandoval, Hays Rebel head boys basketball coach
Beyond the seven seniors, however, Hays may have to rely on contributions by committee.
Spearheading the charge will be sophomore guard Caden Doyle, freshman guard Will Agnew, junior forward Curtis Hudgeons and junior guard Jacob Monroe, among others.
“On any given day, one of those young guys could rear their head and lead us to victory,” Sandoval said. “We’re a more balanced team than last year.”
However, Sandvoal said with youth will come growing pains, and he hopes the Rebels can fix that before the start of district play. During preseason practices, Sandoval said the Rebels “got after it pretty hard,” but continue to work on key elements and making needed adjustments before the midpoint of the season.
Gaining the trust of players, however, has been an easier task for Sandoval, who enters his second season as the Rebels’ head coach.
He understood challenges with last year’s roster, primarily the senior class, who had endured three head coaching changes in four seasons.
“There are some trust issues because they aren’t used to depending on a coach,” Sandoval said. “But they know more than anything I will be there for them. We are taking a family approach.”
Staying with the pack when it comes to the playoff chase is also the goal for Sandoval. Beyond Westlake and Lake Travis, he believes the chase for the final two playoff spots in district will be wide open.
“We want to compete. Although we’re young, we feel like we have a chance. We’ll let the chips fall where they may,” Sandoval said. “Westlake is number one, Lake Travis is number ten. After that, we want to compete with those guys in mind.”
