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Atascocita looking to win big this season

2019-2020 Atascocita Eagles
2019-2020 Atascocita Eagles

Humble Atascocita has a relentless, tireless style of play that is committed to pressuring you into making mistakes. They come out pushing the ball and playing at a pace that is seldom seen at the high school level. The Eagles basketball tradition started in 2015 in the school’s regional appearance, led by Carson Edwards, who was a junior at the time.

The following season the talented Edwards led Coach David Martinez squad to the state finals. Edwards is presently playing with the Celtics and is a former All-American at Purdue. As a junior with the Boilermakers, Edwards was incredible in the NCAA tournament last year. His 42-point performance against Virginia in the NCAA regional finals put him in elite company. Edwards broke Glen Rice’s NCAA record for most treys in the NCAA tournament with 28 in only four games. Rice led Michigan to the NCAA title and set the record in 1989 playing in six games. Edwards parlayed his incredible college career into the 33rd overall pick in the NBA draft.

With such a strong tradition, the expectations are extremely high once again at Atascocita for the 2019-2020 basketball season. Coach Martinez explained, “We don’t have another Edwards this year, but we have some talented players. This is a great group, they work hard, they are very close, much like the 2016 squad. With the type of character we have on this squad, we have a chance to be really good.”

When looking at the talent available for the Eagles, the glaring weakness is their lack of size. Coach Martinez feels this will be off-set by their aggressive full-court style of play, complemented by the Eagles' tremendous depth.

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Martinez returns three starters and seven lettermen from a 25-10 unit that lost in the first round to Beaumont United at the buzzer in the 2019 playoffs. Martinez will be calling on 10 to 12 players each night out and they are led by current Texas State commit, Dylan Dawson, a 6’3” senior. Dawson is a four-year letterman along with 6’3” Willie Davenport. Both are considered team leaders having played with former Eagle standout Fabian White (University of Houston) in regionals as a freshman. The other returner is 6’1” junior Tom Hart and Kaleb Stewart is a new addition to the Eagles who is a transfer from Crosby High.

The two talented juniors will be critical to the team’s success over the course of the season. “Tom is a natural leader with an offer from Rice. The sky is the limit for him, he can finish, shoots it well, he definitely has some assets,” Martinez said. “Stewart is a great college prospect, who is a natural point guard and a slasher.” Stewart holds an offer from North Texas.

If that weren’t enough, the Eagles have more talent in the stable. Christian Ashby is one of the best outside threats in the state. “Christian is going to get a lot of great looks because of our team’s ability to penetrate,” Martinez explained. Other players that will be counted on for big minutes are 6’3” Cameron Morrison and 6’2” Justin Collins. Two players looking to contribute will be coming out of football, 6’3” Dylan Robinson and 6’5” Landen King. Robinson has already committed to the University of Houston as a football talent and King is getting a lot of division 1 looks on the gridiron.



Three talented sophomores have really caught the attention of the Eagles head man. “David Martinez is my best sophomore and it's not because of his name,” Coach Martinez said. The young 6’1” Martinez is no relation to the coach and is unfortunately out for the season with a knee injury. “He can really go, sees the court well, he will be impressive as a junior and senior,” Coach Martinez said. Two other “sophs” that will seek playing time early are 5’10” Angel Johnson and 6’5” Tyrell Randolph.

In discussing the District race, Martinez felt Humble Summer Creek will be the team to beat. As for facing the talented field in Region III, Martinez looks to Beaumont United, Summer Creek, Morton Ranch, and Dickinson to be the biggest challenges to advancing to state.

Martinez is a graduate of San Antonio Jay High School in 1988. “When I left high school, I knew I wanted to coach,” Martinez said. “I wasn’t a great player, but I was a good teammate and understood the game.” After two years at Wharton Jr. College his playing days were over. He graduated from Southwest Texas in San Marcos (Now Texas State). He was fortunate enough to assist Coach Chris Dyer for six-years at DeSoto and captured the 2003 state championship. Head Coaching stops for Martinez came at Clear Brook High School, Humble and finally Atascocita.

Look for Atascocita to try to duplicate their great run to state in 2016. The Eagles will have a target on their back all season, as one of the top teams in the state. The gifted 2019-20 squad will also attempt to one-up Carson Edwards exploits in high school by winning state. Coach Martinez and his talented crew are looking forward to the challenge.

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