San Benito's Garcia guides Hounds into postseason

Eladio Jaimez
RGVSports.com
February 22, 2010 9:39 AM

SAN BENITO - He's the kind of coach the younger ones aspire to be like.

He's the kind of coach the older ones respect.

He's the kind of coach that wins games but also builds programs.

He's Roy Garcia.

And for the past six years, he's been coaching the boys basketball team at San Benito High School.

At the same school where football and even softball is king, the legendary Garcia came six years ago and built a winner.

"It's been fun," Garcia said of his time in San Benito so far. "You never know ho w much more it'll last. This might be my last year."

Only if he decides to hang it up. San Benito would be foolish to let go of a legend.

Garcia's won over 660 games and built the Mission Eagles basketball program into a powerhouse.

Garcia's got over 40 year of coaching experience and 35 as a head coach.

He spent 29 years as head coach at Mission and even served as athletic director, a position held mostly by football coaches even now.

Garcia's legacy to the Valley is basketball.

The true legacy lives in his numerous players – past and present.

The Greyhounds take on No. 2 Edinburg in a Class 5A bi-district clash tomorrow at San Benito.

It's the Greyhounds' third postseason berth in six years.

"It means a lot to the kids and it means a lot to me," Garcia said of making the playoffs on the last day of the regular season.

"We want to win so bad. But we’ll see what happens. I know they'll do their best."

Garcia took over at San Benito in 2005 and led the Greyhounds to the playoffs in 2007 for the first time in 46 years.

That same postseason, the Greyhounds beat PSJA in a Class 5A bi-district game at San Benito.

It was SB's first playoff win in 46 years too.

"We’ll see what happens," Garcia said. "I know we need to be ready. If we're not, we're having another result like we did against Hanna. I know Edinburg doesn’t respect us. I know they're looking ahead."



Article taken from RGV Sports