Senior Mustangs spark positive turnaround

NIXON – Before the start of each season, coaches in any high school sport almost always have to replace graduating seniors.

Nixon-Smiley boys basketball coach Carlton McKinney was an exception. That’s because he had no seniors on his 2010-11 team.

As a result, McKinney returned all 10 players from last year’s team, and that experience shows. The Mustangs are off to a 20-3 start, which includes a 5-1 record in District 29-2A play.

“These guys played a lot of basketball in the summer, and they were dedicated to being better this year,” McKinney said. “Everyone on this team is committed to winning, and they’ll do whatever it takes to accomplish that.”

The will to win is echoed by McKinney’s players as well. This is McKinney’s 12th season at Nixon-Smiley.

“It helps to have everyone back,” senior guard Robbie Mejia said. “We have the same team we had last year, and we have strong team chemistry. It shows on the court that we love to play together.”

Mejia is one of seven seniors on the Nixon-Smiley roster, and is a four-year letterman. Ian Bryan, Victor Coronado, Alex Hernandez, Ricky Hernandez, Jaime Moreno and Damian Perez are the other seniors for the Mustangs.

Mejia also is a rare exception at his shooting guard position. While most shooting guards are the primary shooting option and cherish taking shots, Mejia doesn’t mind sharing the wealth as he is not afraid to get down and dirty on the defensive end, nor is he afraid of hitting an open teammate for a shot attempt.

“I usually look to pass first,” Mejia said. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win, whether it’s passing, shooting or diving for a loose ball or rebound.”

Nixon-Smiley doesn’t have the most height in the world as the Mustangs only have three players taller than 6 feet. Moreno and juniors Seth Barrow and Victor Evans all stand 6-foot-3, which means a fast-paced, full-court game is better suited for the team.

“I prefer to post up inside, but I’m not afraid to get the fast break started either,” Moreno said. “We’re in good condition, and we pride ourselves in being in better condition than our opponents.”

Moreno is a three-year letterman, and the starting power forward. He is confident in his team’s abilities.

“We played a lot of ball together, and we all know what to do,” Moreno said. “We trust one another to get the right shot off.”

Things weren’t always good for the Class of 2012. In junior high, this group won 3-4 games a year in both seventh and eighth grade.

“We were tired of losing,” Perez said. “We changed our mentality, and decided that we wanted to do whatever it took to start winning. Once we changed our mentality, everything else fell into place.”

Perez is a two-year letterman, and the starting small forward. He believes defense and putting in extra work have helped his team make the transition from a losing team to a winning one.

“We always try to put in extra work,” Perez said. “We also revolve around defense. When we play good defense, our energy level and confidence go up.”

Going into tonight’s game against Stockdale at home, the Mustangs are in second place in the 29-2A standings behind Cole (21-4, 6-0). While a win over Stockdale (14-6, 3-3) will improve Nixon-Smiley’s playoff chances, the Mustangs believe they still have work to do.

“We have to keep practicing, playing together and not take days off,” Mejia said.

Moreno thinks Nixon-Smiley not only has a chance to win the district championship or make a deep run in the playoffs. He also thinks the Mustangs can make a run for the state tournament.

“We can play with anyone if we play our game,” Moreno said. “If we keep playing our game, we’ll have a good shot of getting to state.”

Now that would be an experience that cannot be replaced.