Reality has a way of jolting you back to earth when everything is going great. The Española Valley Sundevils boys basketball team had been rolling right along this season, only suffering one loss and beating some top Class AAAAA teams. Last week three players were suspended from the team and someone tried to burn down their coach’s house (see related stories on page A1).
I knew something was up when I didn’t see Luis Alvarado or Aaron Aragon warming up with the team Jan. 12 against Taos. That same evening someone set fire to the front door of coach Richard Martinez’s house with Martinez’s mother home at the time.
This crazy turn of events transformed the Sundevils’ District 2AAAA opener against Taos (2-8) from a mismatch into a tightly-contested battle. The Tigers actually led by five points in the fourth quarter before Española rallied for the win.
Starting district play with a home loss could have affected the Sundevils’ seeding in the state tournament.
These experiences will test Española’s resolve and hopefully be learning experiences for all involved. Martinez said Jan. 15 that two of the suspended players, Luis Alvarado and Aaron Aragon, would return to the team this week. They were serving a two-day school suspension, which made them ineligible to play against Taos. Juan Trujillo, the other suspended player, is serving an indefinite suspension for breaking team rules for his conduct in Jan. 7 in a game against St. Michael’s.
Without Alvarado and Aragon, the Sundevils likely would not be strong enough to win a state championship. This is not meant to downplay Trujillo’s contributions, but he is the only one of the three who doesn’t start.
It’s easy to jump to conclusions when something happens involving teenagers. You shake your head and mutter “kids” to yourself. The explanation I’m hearing now and have heard before is “wrong place, wrong time.” Maybe that’s true, but you need to take responsibility for being in the wrong place, make sure you realize how you ended up there and what you need to do so you don’t end up there again. Do what you need to do to be in the right place.
The most important lesson to learn from something like this is that none of us is an island. Our actions have an effect on a lot more people than just ourselves. That’s a lesson, that when learned, is more valuable than winning any athletic title.
Sports can teach this lesson, but not always. There have been recent incidents involving professional athletes, such as NFL star Plaxico Burress and NBA star Gilbert Arenas, doing things that ended up hurting their team as well as themselves. You’re never too old to learn that lesson.
It’s obviously a lesson that whoever tried to set fire to Martinez’s house the same evening of the Taos game never learned. Martinez’s mother was in the house and suffered smoke inhalation requiring hospitalization. I have since talked to coach Martinez and his brother, Eric Martinez. I was impressed with the composure they showed following that incident. I’m not sure I could have maintained much control had it happened to me and my family.
The attack on Martinez’s home and family is a lot more than taking things too far, it’s criminal. Basketball is a game and people need to get their priorities in order.