IN A TWIST, SANCHEZ TURNS TO HOUSTON'S ST. THOMAS

McAllen Memorial basketball star product Josh Sanchez recently signed on to play at the University of St. Thomas, an NAIA Catholic school in Houston. He will be just two miles from his brother Jonathan at Rice University and sister Ashley at UT medical school.

Family, education and basketball priorities send Memorial Mustangs star from UTRGV to St. Thomas in Houston

BY TJ GARCIA

McALLEN – The outside air was chilly last February 23, but inside the McAllen Memorial gym it was absolutely electric.

Jacketed fans jam- packed the gym sitting shoulder to shoulder from one end to the other. The crimson clad Harlingen Cardinals faithful on one side and those loyal to the home powder blue on the other. It was an important area round boys’ playoff game pitting two power schools with huge fan bases.

And no one wanted to miss this one.

The parking lots overflowed. The concession stand made more than it did all year, and every local basketball guru this side of the Rio Grande was there to watch what would be an outstanding game.

Even UTRGV Coach Lew Hill made an appearance – although brief. Hill knows DI talent isn’t mined in the RGV, but his appearance at the game spoke volumes and created a buzz. McAllen Memorial forward Josh Sanchez was by far the only player on the court that Hill – a DI coach for more than 25 years and knows talent – could even consider for a roster spot. Would he?

That night Sanchez proved he belonged on that court and any other gym that would give him some run. The 6-foot-4 forward rebounded like a mad man. Finishing with 18 boards and 14 points against an imposing Cardinals front line that match him in size but not in desire. He out jumped, out positioned and out hustled every player. He tipped balls, got loose balls and blocked shots.

After the game, Sanchez was drained. McAllen Memorial lost 59-55 and it spelled the end of his high school career. The All-Valley player did all he could, but the Mustangs bowed to the better team.

Hill’s appearance was an auspicious sign because a few months later, the 19-year-old Sanchez announced on Twitter his verbal commitment to play basketball at UTRGV as a walk on. But then a funny thing happened at the gym. He was re-routed to Houston.

“I was committed on playing with UTRGV and in late June the coaches wanted me to play travel ball so I could get more experience because I was going to red shirt,” said Sanchez. “Then at the (summer) tournaments in July playing with the Valley Rebels travel team, I was approached by several coaches all asking if I was still available and interested – one of the first being St. Thomas. And after talking to the coach and my parents, it was an offer I could not pass up.”

Sanchez announced a on August 13 he would continue his basketball career at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. The small NAIA Catholic school located in central Houston offered him athletic and academic scholarship funding. He has already moved into his dorm on campus and is ready to start classes. But for Sanchez, it wasn’t just a basketball decision. It was one that included his family.

Learn more about the University of St. Thomas Celts

Occasionally, the RGV produces dynamic players ready for collegiate basketball. Two seasons ago it was Santa Rosa’s Leo Lara, who signed with DII Texas A&M Commerce. There’s been others like McHi’s JJ Avila (Navy, Colorado State) Edinburg’s Stevan Guerrero (Schreiner), PSJA High’s Luis Mancillas (Schreiner) or Edinburg Vela’s Ryan Garza (St. Edward’s) to name just a few. Certainly, Sanchez fit that bill and more.

Sanchez isn’t on the RGV’s Mount Rushmore of basketball products, but he’s as rock solid as they come. He’s proven himself on and off the court. He was a coach’s player, a yes-sir, no-sir kind of a kid. Sanchez was not a prolific scorer, but a facilitator who played tenacious defense. He was a player that Coach Sammy Cortez could not sit. His passing and court smarts made everybody else better.

And even though he played with intensity, Sanchez was respectful and courteous. He always displayed good sportsmanship. He also hit the books hard and was an outstanding student earning a 3.7 GPA his senior year.

The well-rounded Sanchez participated in DECA, where he advanced to a national competition. He was also in UIL accounting, volunteered for the student mentor program, worked on campus as a co-op student and was in the National Honor Society among other things. The 204-pound Sanchez also played football his senior year.

Sanchez, who started playing basketball at age five, was on varsity for four years. He averaged a double-double (15.4 points per game, 11.5 rebounds per game) as a senior for a 25-10 team, and as a junior scored 17 points a game and pulled down 7.8 rebounds per contest. There’s no doubt that his height and jumping ability allowed him to become a great player, but his tenacious work habits also helped. Early mornings and late nights in the gym. Summer ball. Begging coaches to open gyms and working on the parts of his game that needed the most work.

And while he will red-shirt at St. Thomas his freshman year, he said all the hard work has paid off, and he’s ready to get on the court.

“Playing here at St. Thomas, the biggest thing for me is going to be adjusting,” said Sanchez. “I really need to learn as much as I can from the coach as well as my teammates. It’s a lot different from high school basketball because these guys are a lot bigger, stronger and more athletic. So, I just need to be patient and try my best to adjust my game appropriately.”

St. Thomas, which is in the Red River Athletic Conference with schools such as San Antonio’s Our Lady of the Lake University and Austin’s Huston-Tillotson University, posted its first winning season in five years last year as the Celts went 16-12 overall. Sanchez has already met with his new teammates and said he believes he can fit in well and contribute when he’s called to do so.

Even though the last month has been a whirlwind, he’s satisfied with the way things have shaken out. He added that his parents, John, a counselor at McHi, and Eliza, a teacher at Memorial, are happy as well. And as a family they should be. Josh’s older brother Jonathan, 21, is at Houston’s Rice University, just 1.5 miles away, and on the Rice University football team. And sister Ashley, 23, is at the University of Texas’ McGovern Medical School, two miles away, at Houston’s famed Texas Medical Center.

“My brother is still at Rice, and I am ridiculously close to him. I think he’s no more than five minutes away, and my sister is also extremely close so it (going to St. Thomas) definitely played a big part in my decision,” said Josh, who is the youngest of four siblings. “Both my parents and the rest of my family are almost in disbelief in how perfect it turned out. And it happened so quick, but I know we couldn’t be happier.”