Harlingen High’s Callie Cervantes had big goals heading into her senior season.
She wanted to continue evolving as a player and leader, get the Lady Cardinals deep into the playoffs and finally earn the recognition she always felt she deserved.
Cervantes made all of those goals become reality. She averaged 9.6 points per game, dished out 37 assists, brought down 92 rebounds and recorded 37 steals, helping Harlingen High reach the Sweet 16 and capture another undefeated District 32-6A championship. She is the Valley Morning Star’s 2020-21 All-STAR Girls Basketball Most Valuable Player, and also earned the district MVP award and all-region honors.
“I feel like I was overlooked a lot of years. I felt like I could’ve done more or I didn’t get the awards that I wanted to, so getting these awards means a lot to me,” Cervantes said. “I was hoping for it. I talked about it with my summer coach (Ernest Silva) the whole summer we were training. We would text after practice, like, ‘MVP campaign; this is your year,’ and I was working for it and I would do whatever it takes.”
Cervantes went from being a role player her sophomore season to being a key cog in the dominant machine that is the Lady Cardinals. She missed several games at the start of the season with a broken pinky, but the minor setback just made her hungrier. One of Cervantes’ shining moments was hitting the game-winner to defeat Edinburg High and send the Lady Cardinals to the regional semifinal.
“I was out for about six games, and that motivated me a lot because I was itching to get back on the court,” Cervantes said. “I knew I was going to give it all that I had … to step up my game, my leadership and be more of a scorer and look for the open person and lead the girls to wins. That (regional quarterfinal) was a big game, and having all of our fans there, playing under the bright lights on the big stage and having the whole Valley watching us, just meant a lot.”
As Cervantes closes out her basketball career, she said she hopes her journey will show younger athletes that patience and hard work will get them what they deserve. She thanked several coaches and supporters for helping her become the player she always wanted to be. Along with shining on the court, Cervantes is Harlingen High’s 2021 valedictorian and she plans to attend UTSA to study biology and to go into the medical field.
“(I hope I’m) teaching the younger girls that they’ll have their time, that they’re going to shine. You have to keep working and never give up because your time will come,” Cervantes said. “Of course, I thank my parents, they were my coaches in, like, Boys & Girls Club, and they always motivated me. Coach (Ashley Moncivaiz), Coach Ernest, Danielo Coto, they always pushed me. And all my credit to God and Jesus for being my savior.”
Offensive Player of the Year: Natalie Martinez, Rio Hondo
The Rio Hondo Lady Bobcats had a historic 2020-21 season, and at the heart of it all was point guard Natalie Martinez.
The senior captain averaged 18.4 points per game, knocked down 20 3-pointers and led the team with 78 assists. Martinez directed the offense and came up big when her team needed her most. She is the All-STAR offensive player of the year.
“It feels good to know that my hard work paid off,” Martinez said. “I learned throughout all my four years how to become a leader. This year, not only was I their point guard, I was also like their teacher. It felt good to be out there helping the younger ones. I felt like they needed someone, and I stepped up and was able to help.”
Martinez is a four-year letterwinner and was the District 32-4A most valuable player for her stellar play to lead the Lady Bobcats to an undefeated district championship. She felt she grew as a 3-point shooter and a facilitator this season.
Rio Hondo coach Victor Sauceda said he wanted Martinez to focus on shooting more often and “being more assertive on offense,” this season, and she answered the call. Sauceda called Martinez “a basketball junkie” and praised her dedication to the sport.
“She’s a good playmaker, she creates a lot of plays for herself as far as stealing the ball and getting layups, but I wanted her more focused on shooting in the halfcourt set. That’s something she worked on this year, and she came out and she was really a positive force for us and really got us going. She always did exactly what we needed her to do,” Sauceda said.
Martinez will be playing basketball at Texas Lutheran University next year. She thanked Sauceda, her trainer Mire Chatman and her father for their guidance and giving her confidence.
Defensive Player of the Year: Eliza Rodriguez, Rio Hondo
Rio Hondo sophomore Eliza Rodriguez brings loads of energy and fire to the court every time she plays.
The reigning District 32-4A offensive player of the year contributed in a number of ways to Rio Hondo’s big season. Rodriguez recorded 106 steals, 18 blocks and 30 defensive boards during her sophomore campaign. Her relentless and speedy playing style earned her the title of All-STAR defensive player of the year.
“It’s great to have an accomplishment like this. (I thank) my parents and coaches for pushing me to play hard and be aggressive and play physical defense,” Rodriguez said.
Lady Bobcats coach Victor Sauceda said the all-out way Rodriguez plays spreads to the rest of the team. She’ll be taking on the point guard and leadership role next season, and he’s excited to see what she can do as the focal point of the team.
“She’s super athletic. She grew up with brothers, so she grew up being tough. You can see that she has the talent and ability, but the toughness that she plays with reminds you of a boy,” Sauceda said. “She’s super aggressive, and she doesn’t shy away from anything. Her tenacity, you can see it on the court. She’s fearless and it’s contagious.”
Rodriguez said she’s going to push herself with her select team this offseason to prepare for the leading role next year. She said she’s looking forward to being able to “push the girls to be the best they can be and work hard.”
Newcomer of the Year: Lorena Segura, San Benito
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic made this season especially difficult for the San Benito Lady Greyhounds. But they pushed through all the obstacles, and freshman Lorena Segura led the way.
Segura stepped right into the starting point guard role and proceeded to lead the Lady Greyhounds in several statistical categories. She averaged 5.5 points per game, made seven 3-pointers, added 19 assists and recorded 39 rebounds. Segura’s efforts and growth earned her the title of All-STAR newcomer of the year.
“It means a lot to me, I was really shocked,” Segura said. “I’ve been playing basketball since I was 5, so it’s always been a goal to be on varsity as a freshman, and to get all these awards just means a lot to me because it shows that my hard work is getting recognized.”
San Benito coach Abel Moreno said the group he coached this year was “very close” to him, and seeing Segura rise to the occasion and excel was encouraging. He’s excited to see her continue to work and develop over the next three years.
“Lorena is really young, and she’s really grown up as player,” Moreno said. “Some of our older girls decided not to play this year because of COVID, and we put her in a real difficult situation to be our point guard and our leader on the floor, and she did the best she could in that situation. We’re really excited to have her and excited (for this award) because with as hard of a season as we had, she really earned it.”
Segura said it meant a lot that she was trusted to “guide the team” as a freshman. She said it took her a minute to adjust to the varsity level, but with constant encouragement from her coach, she got a bit better every day.
“When I started, I felt like I was still playing like an eighth-grader. Coach was always there in my corner,” Segura said. “I felt myself improve and get used to the pace of the game. I learned that in varsity you have to pass the ball faster, especially in transition. I also felt like I improved on my defense, and in reading the court and knowing how to call the right plays.”
Moreno said learning was one of Segura’s best assets and kept her consistently improving. He lauded her poise in tough times and her willingness to work hard.
Segura is setting big goals to lead her team to a better season, and hopefully the playoffs, next year, and she knows she’ll have plenty of support from her entire family as she strives for that.
Coach of the Year: Ashley Moncivaiz, Harlingen High
Harlingen High coach Ashley Moncivaiz has cemented herself as one of the top coaches in the Rio Grande Valley in her young career.
This season, she led the Lady Cardinals to the regional semifinal and their third consecutive District 32-6A championship as she eclipsed 200 career wins. Yet another stellar season from Harlingen High earned Moncivaiz another All-STAR coach of the year award.
“I felt like this year was more meaningful because of the fact that we had to go through so much as a team, with COVID and having less practices in the offseason,” Moncivaiz said. “For the girls to come together and be there for each other, I just felt like it was more meaningful. Everyone was on the same page. We just bought into being there for each other and making the season successful.”
Callie Cervantes, the All-STAR MVP, said this year’s team wanted to make this season the best yet for Moncivaiz. She said the Lady Cardinals appreciate all that Moncivaiz does for them to make them the best players and team they can be.
“We wanted to push through and make this historic run for her and for ourselves,” Cervantes said. “She has put in a lot of work, and she makes a lot of sacrifices for us and so she deserved it, and we made those sacrifices for her, too. (She’s about) tough love. If she’s on you, you know she sees something in you and you have that potential.”
Moncivaiz said it meant a lot to know the girls were playing hard for her, because her whole goal is to make them as successful as they can be. She said the Lady Cardinals’ program is a family, and the “hunger and desire to compete” that the girls bring every day makes her job great.
“To hear that means a lot because they took in and understood their own expectations, and they know that every day I’m out there, I’m not doing it for myself, I’m doing it for them,” Moncivaiz said. “I never want them to feel like I didn’t do enough for them, so it’s good to hear that they were coming in with the same mindset. We were all on the same page to just be successful.”
