Mike Pacheco watches his oldest son Joaquin drain a clutch basket or his younger son Enrique clamp down defensively on the opponent’s leading scorer and he beams with pride.
After all, he could see it coming ever since they were barely able to walk.
“We started playing basketball when they were about 3,” Mike recalled. “I’d take them to the community center with me and they were playing against grown men when they were 7 or 8 years old — and I wouldn’t let the adults take it easy on them.”
That experience has paid in historical fashion. They are part of the first ever UIL district championship squad in Aledo boys basketball history.
Making the experience even more special for Mike is the fact he didn’t play basketball in high school, though he’s always loved the game, which was obvious in the passion he showed in teaching the sport to his sons.
“Me and my brother have been playing basketball our whole lives. My dad’s been coaching us up ever since we could walk,” Joaquin, a senior, said. “He’s taught us so much. He’d get out the whistle and we’d all get to work. And he’s real good. He can shoot like crazy.”
From the time they were born in Oklahoma, through their short time in Puerto Rico before moving back to Oklahoma in elementary school, to moving to Aledo in the eighth grade, if there was some spare time it was likely spent shooting hoops.
“Joaquin grew up liking (Russell) Westbrook and you can see it in how he plays. He’s fast, rebounds, and isn’t afraid to take risks,” Mike said.
“Ironically, Enrique didn’t like basketball at first,” he continued. “But I just said, ‘Come along’ and I kept saying it. Then, he took to it and he’s just gotten better and better.”
“Joaquin’s motor does not stop. Teams can’t keep up with him,” first-year Bearcats head coach Brian Blackburn said.
Joaquin is not shy about taking over a game if necessary. He has the trust of his teammates to do so and he regularly fulfills that faith.
“He’s developed more of that on-court leadership — not always so vocal, but more with his actions,” Blackburn said.
Case in point, in a game against Saginaw Chisholm Trail, the Rangers went on an 11-4 run in the third quarter to tie the game at 26. In the fourth quarter, with two players guarding him, he still scored 13 points to ignite a 21-7 Bearcats run for a 47-33 victory.
He also stepped to the line in the closing seconds against upset-minded Granbury and drilled a game-winning free throw as effortlessly as if he were in practice as the Bearcats won 54-53.
Like any great shooter, Joaquin doesn’t let a drought stop him — though he rarely has droughts. There’s an old cliche’, if a shooter misses 10 straight shots, he knows the 11th is going in.
“Sometimes you’ve got to shoot those dumb shots to make the good shots,” Joaquin said.
Not only is he a consistent scorer, he is also an unselfish player.
“As the season has gone on and he has received more attention from opponents, it’s allowed him to make some great passes,” Blackburn said.
Oh, and he averages 11 rebounds per game, prompting Blackburn to say, “He’s the best rebounding guard I’ve ever coached. He just grabs it and we’re off to the races.”
And Blackburn has seen some great talent in his days, including the likes of NBA player Marcus Smart when Blackburn was an assistant coach at Flower Mound Marcus.
This is Joaquin’s second season on the varsity. He was key in the team reaching the second round of the playoffs last season, but has elevated his play to a whole new level.
“A lot of the offense last year didn’t revolve around me as much. I like having everything go through me,” he said. “But it’s not all about me. We have a fantastic team and everybody knows their role. We all bought into that system and it all goes so well together.
“We had a good year last year, but I knew we could be great this year. The day after that playoff loss I couldn’t wait to start getting ready for this season.”
This season brought a new head coach. Blackburn and Joaquin clicked almost immediately — in fact, the entire team and their new coach gelled right away.
“He’s bought in, and that was key for us,” Blackburn said. “We played in the TABC (Texas Association of Basketball Coaches) Showcase — I came in two weeks before that and gave them a blueprint — and in the first game of the tournament they scored 95 points.”
Mike also sings the praises of Blackburn, noting, “You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don’t have the right coach you’re not going to win. I’m proud of what my boys and their teammates have accomplished, and that includes listening to their coaches who clearly know what they’re doing.”
Something else that is special this season is Joaquin and Enrique playing together for what is likely the last time. Even if the team makes a run to a state championship, there are only precious few games left together.
“It feels really special. I know we’re coming up on the last of the games I will have with him and I want to treasure every minute of every one,” Enrique said. “I’ve learned so much from him.”
Mike admits it’s bittersweet when he thinks about their time together in high school soon to conclude.
“I do think about that,” he said, almost misty-eyed. “To see them come from being little boys learning the game to where they are now, I’m just so proud — and not only because of what they can do on the basketball court. They’re fine young men.”
Blackburn said Joaquin has the skills to be a good player at the college level.
“He’s very talented. He can score with the ball, he’s quick, he can be patient, all the things a coach wants in a player,” Blackburn said.
Joaquin is certainly interested in playing the game at a higher level should the opportunity present itself.
“I’m seeing where it goes. I’ll have to talk to my parents, and it would depend on the school,” he said. “But yeah, if that happens that would be great.”
While Aledo is used to winning championships year after year in football — they’ve won district every season since 2008 — this is new for boys basketball. However, the Pacheco brothers and their dad believe it is only the first of what could be a new tradition in AHS sports.
“The football program is insane. Every single year they win. It’s nice to have this in basketball,” Joaquin said. “We’re probably going to keep this rolling next year. We have three returning starters.”
To which Enrique added, “This has been a season to treasure. Hopefully we can do the same next year.”
Of course, there’s also the possibility of twin championships should Joaquin be playing in college, something that brings a huge smile to Mike’s face at the very thought.
“Yeah, that would be really nice,” he said simply, losing himself in the imaginary moment.
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