Lopez boys basketball headed back on the right track

It’s been five years since the Lopez Lobos basketball squad tasted the playoffs, but this year all signs point to a comeback for Chris Browne’s team.

The Lobos might be just 5-7 overall, but in the losses they haven’t backed down from anyone. And with a senior-filled roster, Browne is eager to see how his team continues to grow with district just around the corner.

"We’ve got a lot of potential," he said. "They understand each other’s role and they get up and down the floor and play up-tempo basketball."

Browne used examples of their contests against Hanna where they lost in the Brownsville ISD tournament finals and even at the South Padre Island Beach Bonanza the week prior where his team lost to Houston St. Thomas by only six.

While his team has shown flashes of high-level basketball, he is most concerned about his team playing consistent basketball and up to their abilities.

"We were right there with St. Thomas," he said. "They were much bigger than us, but these kids stood up to them and played up with them up until the end. I felt really good about the team after that game, and I know we’re right there. I’ve just got to fine-tune some things with this team and try to get them to produce night in and night out."

Returning starter Jorge Sosa who is averaging close to 15 points per game for the Lobos was also adamant about the upside for the Lopez 2009 season.

"We’ve got a pretty good team," Sosa said. "We’ve got good guards, post players and we’re pretty strong all the way around."

The last time Lopez reached the postseason was in 2004 when they earned a bi-district title but, since then, the program has been in a lull. With six seniors and four of those returning starters, Browne sees the quality in his 2009 team that many of his playoff teams had.

"It’s a senior ball club and they show the talent and hard work those other playoff teams had," Browne said. "We just need the seniors to step up when we need the big shots and be there when we need big stops. We have to a better job of beating teams that know us well and just continue to work at things and, if we are able to do that, I see a bright future for us."

Louie Vera covers sports for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at 956-982-6663 or via e-mail at lvera@brownsvilleherald.com