This season there will be a new face on the bench for Judson Boys Basketball.
Hailing from his previous position at Cole High School, coach Noe Cantu will now serve as the Head Boys Basketball coach, bringing with him six years of coaching experience.
Cantu knows that at Judson there is an expectation to win, and he’s ready meet that expectation.
“Judson is a well known school in San Antonio for its athletics and academics. It’s a storied program and being a part of that tradition is super exciting,” Cantu said. “It’s at the 6A level, the highest level, and one of the best districts, so coming over here and competing in this atmosphere and setting is something that definitely drew me to [Judson.]”
Getting handed the keys to a basketball program is difficult, getting players to buy into your system can be even harder. Though early into the season for Coach Cantu, this doesn’t seem to be a problem.
Sophomore Chris Gooden seems to have bought into Cantu’s new ideas, saying “It’s different and he’s changing the program. The drills, systems, and plays are all new. He came in with the energy and wants to win.”
Last season, the Rockets went 17-18 overall and 3-7 in district play. Though the team knows these are just numbers, they also know this season is a good chance to start over.
“It’s a new year, a new start, and a whole new record,” Senior Joshua Martin said. “Our goal is to put out a team that Judson is proud of…a team that plays really hard, shares the basketball, plays with a lot of energy, effort, and plays together.”
Cantus’ plan for developing a winning culture this season, and every season after, is simple, going beyond just performing well on the basketball court.
“I think the first thing we want to do is make sure these guys are doing right in the classroom and on the court. Just being consistently good at what they do,” Cantu said. “We always tell the guys to stack good days on top of good days. The more good days we have on the basketball court, in the classroom, everything… [will add up.]”
If you want to catch Cantu and the Rocket Boys Basketball team in action, the Judson Rockets play the Roosevelt Rough Riders on Tuesday, November 14th at home.