Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Special to The News

panews@panews.com

 

This has been the best year for Bob Hope High School basketball ever. The Boys team after finishing 2nd runner up two years in a row finally slayed the Dragon and won the State Championship Game. 

This has been an incredible season for these young men and Coach Rodney Lamb who recently celebrated his 112th win as head coach. 

Dr. Jesus Acosta, Campus Director remembers how they started in 2021 and how much the program has improved thanks to the hard work and dedication of Coach Lamb. 

 “When I got here in 2021, I traveled with the team to Dallas for the tournament. We lost that year and got 4th place.” A lot like me Coach Lamb is a competitive person, and we were not happy with that outcome. Each year we got better. In 2022 we won 3rd place, in 2023 and 2024 we won 2nd place. We knew that this had to be the year. 

This team did something differently than all the previous basketball teams. This team not only worked hard all year round to get better, but they showed that they were ready to be leaders on and off the court. They started wearing shirts and ties during home games. They went to the middle school and gave a lesson on tie tying to the 8th graders. Then on game day they read to students at the elementary. I think this was the magic ingredient missing to get us to that next level. When you work hard, dedicate yourself to leadership and service good things happen, says Dr. Jesus Acosta, Campus Director.

 This was a special moment as Coach Rodney Lamb’s mother attended the game in San Antonio and was able to see this victory. 

Starting last spring, a few weeks after losing in the State Championship for the second consecutive year, the team began their off-season training in preparation to come back better for the following 2024-2025 season. The team began off season weight training  and cross country running to get stronger and  build better endurance. 

The results of these offseason training sessions played a major role in the success that the team achieved this past year. The team was able to once again break their own personal record for 24 wins in a season with only 4 losses. They also for the third season in a row became undefeated district champions, achieving a record of 9-0. This district run allowed the team to be placed #1 overall in Texas Christian Athletic League while finishing the season on a 13-game win streak and ultimately winning the 3A TCAL State Championship versus Irving Universal this past Saturday, February 22nd in San Antonio.

The Championship was a great end of the season culmination for all of the hard work that the team put in from the previous loss in the Championship game last year. Alijah Airivabere and Nathaniel Mccullar were named All-Tournament players, while Artrell Mccullar was named tournament MVP. 

This year the team will be graduating 4 seniors, so next year some of the Junior Varsity players will be expected to take the next step up to Varsity and fill their shoes. With Junior Varsity also winning their end of season tournament and boasting a record of 12-1 on the season, the future is bright for boys’ basketball at Bob Hope High School. 

The students presented the 3A State Championship Trophy to Bob Hope School CEO Dr. Bobby Lopez and a signed ball to display. Dr. Lopez stressed that one of the things that sets professional players apart is what they do outside of the field of play. 

Last season, Bob Hope Girls’ Basketball team had an unfortunate season as they did not win any games to going undefeated in district and ending the season 16-6. My mindset as a new head coach going into this season was to revamp the girls’ basketball program knowing it was going to be difficult but was ready for the challenge, says Girls Coach Jaelyn Garza. 

Going into tryouts, we were determined to find 10 girls who were dedicated and determined to put in the work needed to succeed. I was blessed with an amazing group of girls who trusted the process, because early on I knew they were going to state, I just needed them to believe in themselves. Each practice was very intense and different from what they were used to but they were determined to get better each and every day. Four girls returned from last year’s team, one being my senior, Ashley Magana who was the heart of the team and the perfect example on what it takes to be a leader. This is a younger team in which I had 7 freshmen who will continue to have time to work to be great. Going from not winning a single game last season, to making it all the way to state finals and coming in second place. 

These girls and myself really showed what hard work and dedication alongside having someone to constantly push and believe in them can all come together and pay off. Although we fell short this year, we are hungry and determined to continue to work hard during the offseason in hopes to bring home the state trophy next year!