SPORTS EDITOR – DIDIER CADENA
A new era of Rattler athletics has just begun. A new coach has been announced for the women’s basketball team. After the previous coach stepped away from the program after 19 years, 16 years as the head coach for the program last spring, is the time for the new head coach, Valerie Huizar, to take the reins.
Valerie Huizar returns to her hometown of San Antonio, Texas this year as she leads the program. Huizar’s exciting history during her collegiate career is one that deserves recognition. She graduated from O’Connor High School in San Antonio. She received a bachelor’s degree in elementary and secondary health and physical education from Louisiana State University of Shreveport in 2010 and also played for the school’s team. During her two seasons as a point guard, the school compiled a record 50-13 and was named the Gulf Coast Atlantic Conference (GCAC) Newcomer of the year award, and also received two First Team All-Conference awards, a National Association of Intercollegiate (NAIA) All American Honorable mention and A Third Team All-Louisiana award. She was also able to start all 63 games that she played in and averaged 11 points and 5.3 assists per game. She would go on to receive her Master of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Texas at Tyler in 2013.
Huizar’s assistant coach history for over the past decade is something to take note of. She first started off as an Assistant Women’s basketball coach at Tyler Junior College, where the team finished 25-8 and was conference regular season champs and tournament runners-up. Upon moving back to San Antonio, she got a stint as the Assistant Women’s Basketball coach at Our Lady of the Lake University from 2012-2014. During her two years at OLLU, her teams went on to finish 57-9. The Saints were also able to finish top five in the nation in scoring, scoring margin, turnover ratio, and steals per game as they won two regular season titles. Then she went on to become the Head Coach for the Louisiana State University of Shreveport Pilots for two seasons.
During her seasons as the head coach for the Pilots, the team was able to advance to the NAIA national tournament. The Pilots in her second season were able to finish with a record of 21-9 and had wins over three of the top 25 NAIA nationally-ranked teams that year. After her time in Louisiana, she would go on to be an assistant coach here at St. Mary’s under predecessor Jason Martens. She would then go on to return to Louisiana when she received the position of assistant coach at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns where she was for the last five years. During her time with the Ragin’ Cajuns, the team went 77-57. During her twelve years of coaching, she has been able to coach 29 all-conference players and seven All-Americans.
Huizar’s announcement as the head coach for the programs brings in a brand-new era for Rattler Athletics. She will be the ninth ever coach of the program, and her resume is one for the big shoes she has to fill. When asked about how she feels about coming back as the head coach for the Rattlers, she said “It’s a surreal and humbling feeling for sure. I’ve always had an admiration for this program and [an] appreciation for the players that have come through here. Having the opportunity to coach this group has been great so far, and I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish this season.”
When asked about what she is excited about the most about being a part of the Rattler community she said, “Just being a small part of the rich tradition this Rattler community holds is exciting in itself. From the academic side to the athletic, there’s a long history of success at this place, and I’m just humbled to be a part of it now. Our players are working hard and getting better every day. They’re embracing the work and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished in 4 weeks of preseason thus far.” The expectations for this season would be “to simply improve in every aspect of the program each day. We want to establish a culture of winning in everything we do.
The approach we take in the weight room, to the energy we bring on the court and staying consistent with our work ethic; all of these things we want to be better at…We’ll play a fun brand of basketball that I know fans will enjoy watching. Our players are invested in becoming better versions of themselves, and I’m looking forward to seeing their hard work pay off this year,” she concludes. This is an exciting time for the future of the women’s basketball program. Be sure to come out and support Coach Huizar and the lady rattlers as they begin their season on Nov. 11 against the Regis University Rangers.