By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
RIO HONDO, TX— For the first time in his coaching career, Victor Sauceda is leading the Bobcats’ basketball program after a highly successful seven-year tenure as head coach of the Lady ’Cats varsity hoops program.
Over those seven years, the Lady ’Cats were six-time district champions. He will try to repeat or come close to duplicating that feat with the Bobcats.
Meanwhile, Sauceda is playing a waiting game, of sorts, for the RHHS male student-athletes, compared with the girls, leading up to district play.
Many times, the Bobcats basketball team is filled with athletes who are still playing for Head Football Coach Rocky James, who also serves as the Rio Hondo Independent School District’s Athletic Director.
Many times, the Bobcats play well into the football postseason. By comparison, the RHHS volleyball team doesn’t have the same schedule or playoff success, which can present challenges for the Lady ’Cats’ basketball program.
Sauceda knows the Bobcat athletes well, and there is strong camaraderie with them that begins in the summer.
“Most of the returning players are also football players, so I already have a good rapport with most of them,” Coach Sauceda said. “They have been working hard all summer.”
He was referring to the strength and conditioning program that began in June.
Coach Sauceda echoed A.D. James’ words when he decided to stop coaching the Lady ’Cats
“We were looking for someone who could be a strong asset to lead the program, and we didn’t need to look far to find just that,” James said.
Sauceda aims to put the Bobcats back in familiar surroundings — the postseason.
Over the past five years, the Bobcats have missed it only once, and that was during Mike Alvarez’s final season last year. They finished 14-14 overall and 11-7 in district play.
In prior years, the Bobcats finished second twice and third once, with a district title in the 2023-24 season.
They were accustomed to winning under Alvarez, but last year, RHHS finished fifth, behind district champion Lyford, IDEA Sports Park, Santa Rosa, and IDEA Riverview.
It won’t be easy for these Bobcats in that first year because of what the district offers, as even Coach Sauceda admits.
“I foresee the district being tough, but I look forward to the challenge of pushing these guys to come together and play as a team,” Coach Sauceda said. “There is already a great foundation; we just need to get them to rise up collectively and see how far we grow throughout the season.”
His assistant is Coach Pablo Guzman.
Until last year, RHHS had consistently earned more than 20 wins per year since 2021. The Bobcats had a combined 58-21 district record over the past five seasons.