James leads Bobcats to regionals in first year

RIO HONDO - In his first season, Rocky James has turned out to be a natural when it comes to being a head coach.

Fiery, commanding and enviable, James has won over critics and players alike while Rio Hondo (10-2) has qualified for the third round of the playoffs for the first time ever.

They'll face Giddings Friday in the Class 3A Division II regional semifinals in San Antonio.

However, while the transition to James has been seamless, even he wasn't sure he'd be in this position.

But make no mistake; he's glad he is.

"I do this for the love of the game and the love of these kids," said James, who starred for Harlingen in the 1980s. "I knew these kids could go a long way."

It all started last spring, when former coach Gus Cavazos stepped down to move on to PSJA Memorial.

There was a myriad of names suggested to take the place of Cavazos, who had helped build the Bobcats' program into one of the best around. At the time, James threw his name into the hat after encouragement from some of the players and community.
The odds, however, were against him. A longtime assistant, he had stops at La Feria, Santa Rosa, Raymondville, Los Fresnos and San Benito prior to his two-year stint as the Cats' defensive coordinator.

Some questioned whether he was ready to become a head coach. Parents and community members had questions for James.

So did he.

"They asked me if I was ready," he said. "Basically it was after the first person asked me if I was ready that I realized I was. I said to myself, ‘I'm as ready as I'll ever be.' I felt I was ready to do it."

Upon realizing he wished to stay at Rio Hondo, the rest came easy.

Sort of.

First, James was notified he wasn't on the short list of coaches, which included some pretty big, experienced names.

He proceeded to address the team and inform them he would not be their coach in 2008.

But later, a group of players, led by Alonzo Garza, Trevor David and Maverick Hunter, decided to make their voices heard at the RHISD board meeting where a coach would be named.

The soft-spoken David addressed the board with his teammates at his side, and his entire team standing in agreement in the audience. The end result? James got the job.

"It was awesome knowing that the kids really wanted me here," James said. "They went in there and fought for me."

One of the first things James did was surround himself with some wiley vets.

He brought in former 5A coordinators Jesse Landeros and Ron Leach as well as o-line coach Dan Cortez.

 "I knew we needed coaches with experience," James said. "And I think I brought in the best coaches I could possibly bring in. I've known Landeros since I was a little kid."

So while the ride has been enjoyable in James' first year, his Cats aren't ready for it to end just yet.

"It's been great," James said. "They don't want to turn in their equipment. They want to keep going and we feel we can."