By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Del Rio’s loss is Laredo Alexander’s gain.
Longtime basketball coach Rudy Elizondo has been named the new head coach of the Laredo Alexander girls basketball team. The official announcement was made Friday, and by the weekend Elizondo was fielding calls and well wishes from friends, family and supporters.
“I’m still in shock. I hadn’t told a lot of people I had gotten it. Just friends, family, Rams staff and the people who had provided me with letters of recommendation,” Elizondo said. “I was in San Antonio for my son’s two-day basketball tournament when it was announced Saturday in the Laredo Morning Times.”
Elizondo said he’d interviewed for the position on Wednesday and when he received a phone call that Friday from Laredo he thought it was to tell him he hadn’t been hired.
That, obviously, wasn’t the case.
“We are proud and excited to welcome Coach Elizondo to Bulldog Nation. He impressed me with his vision, enthusiasm, knowledge and passion for education and the game of basketball,” Alexander Principal Ernesto Sandoval was quoted as saying in the Laredo Morning Times article. “We had a great pool of candidates, and we felt that Coach Elizondo would be a great fit for our campus and our girls’ program.”
Elizondo had been with the San Felipe Del Rio CISD since 2001 and coaching basketball since 2006 beginning at the middle school level. He’s also been coaching youth basketball for more than 20 years, showing his passion for teaching the game to players at any level.
“It’s a big blessing for me and my family. If you know me, you know I live and breathe basketball and being a head coach has been my goal since day one,” Elizondo said.
Despite having been an assistant basketball coach for many years, Elizondo has had the opportunity to be a head coach before albeit in a different sport. For five years he was the Queens head volleyball coach, winning a district title once and guiding the team to the playoffs in each of those five years.
Now he takes his talents to Laredo Alexander, a school with a long history of success in its girls basketball program. Last season the Lady Bulldogs finished the season 12-26 overall, but made the playoffs as the third seed in 30-6A. They lost in the Bi-District round to San Antonio Harlan.
Elizondo said he is excited to have the opportunity to coach at the program and work to bring it back to its former glory.
“Alexander is a great school. Its academics are great and that’s important for my family and my kids. Their athletics program is known as one of the top athletic programs in Laredo. They have a great legacy of winning. They’ve been to the Sweet 16 before and have done a lot basketball-wise. They reached out to me and I felt honored by that.”
As for what the players in the Lady Bulldogs program can expect, Elizondo said next season begins as soon as he arrives.
“First and foremost we’re going to hit it hard in the offseason. I’m going to open up the gym for girls and get them quicker, faster and stronger. I want to get that fire going in the offseason. To me, the season doesn’t start in October … it starts now,” Elizondo said. “I plan on meeting with the team Monday. My expectations for the team are high. I know they’re going to work hard. From what I’ve been told, they’ve been doing a lot of running, jumping, and lifting weights. I know those girls are going to work.”
Elizondo and his wife Isela’s departure also means the Rams and Queens basketball programs will lose the services of their children, Alessandro and Ayla. Alessandro, a sophomore, was a two-time all-district basketball selection for the Rams and Ayla, a freshman, just completed her first year with the Queens though an injury cost her most of her season. Both are expected to contribute to the Alexander basketball programs next season.
Despite getting this opportunity, Elizondo admitted it’s a bittersweet time. Del Rio is where he grew up, where he graduated high school from and where he began his coaching career. He said he’d miss the camaraderie of his fellow coaches and the community that has been so supportive of him for all these years.
“I owe a lot to coach (Joe) Nieto. He’s been really great to me, but he’s been an awesome friend first and foremost. We grew up and learned a lot together. I was his first assistant for eight years but I’ve been coaching with him for more than a decade. He and coach (Eloy) Gloria … I’m going to miss them and just hanging out with them. We used to joke around and say we spend more time with each other than with our wives,” Elizondo said. “I also owe a lot to coach Jorge Martinez. He was a great mentor to me. There are so many great people I could thank from coach Frenchey McCrea to coach Dan Hurley and so many others. I learned a lot from all the coaches I worked under and with.”
While next season’s schedule hasn’t been set yet, what is known is Laredo Alexander will have to play in Del Rio at least once. Elizondo said it would be different coaching with a different school when he returns, but he added that it would be fun and exciting.
“Of course Del Rio is going to be cheering for the Queens, but I’ll be excited. Every game we play we will try out best. It’ll be fun and exciting and different. I just have to get used to wearing different colors. I have to get a new wardrobe now because everything I own is royal blue and white,” Elizondo said.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
