In the midst of a pandemic, one thing stays constant at the Aransas Pass High School, a scrambling, tenacious Panthers' boys basketball team that’s consistently at or near the top of the District 29-3A standings.
"You feel like you are a part of history; it is something big, and you want to help keep it going. You don't want to be that one group that lets it die down; you want to keep it going and get closer to state, getting to the top," said Panthers Senior Guard Jonathan Trevino.
"Coach Hayes knows a lot about the game of basketball, and we have all bought into what he is telling us. He has taught us and tells us what to do. It works, and we trust the process," said Panther Senior Guard Christian Leal.
Meeting expectations is always a top priority.
"You see different teams different years, and they look different, but they are doing the same thing. They look a little different, but they have the same abilities. Like our team this year, they can all shoot, they can all make 3s, they can all drive, and when you have a team full of people that can drive and shoot, then it is pretty valuable," said Panthers Head Coach Glen Hayes.
Year in and year out, the 8th ranked Panthers worked hard to attain their goals. The team doesn’t always discuss it openly but making a run to get the state tournament is always on the team’s mind.
"We are still playing good, but once we add our final piece to the puzzle, it is going to be that more dangerous," said Leal.
"It is always about the game that you are at right now, we will worry about all that later. It is what you have in front of you right now," said Trevino.
Last week Aransas Pass boys' head basketball coach Glen Hayes, who is in his 28th season and has taken the Panthers to the state tournament 6-times, picked up career win 600 at Aransas Pass High School with a 92-31 win over George West.
"Those 600 wins at Aransas Pass are all Aransas Pass kids that got those 600 wins. They just keep coming, like every year there is another group that is dedicated and committed to the game, and they learn from that. They kind of feel like it is their responsibility to keep it going," said Hayes.
Coach Hayes and his team will close out the regular season Friday, February 12th, on the road against Odem. Game time is set for 6:30PM.