“It was a sad experience because we were waiting for Kobe to come to the gym but then we had found out he had passed away.”
Denise Ortiz
Denise Ortiz has been a big part of the girls soccer team’s success at Arvin High School in recent years. The junior, who is a two-time time Central Section champ, has been named All-League twice in a row.
We are Valley Champions!!❤️🐻⚽️ pic.twitter.com/rTsrzk1pNq
— Arvin Girls Soccer (@arvin_soccer) February 23, 2019
Ortiz said she started to play soccer at the age of six, learning the game from her coach, Jorge, who taught her the basics. Since then, it has been a memorable journey for the Arvin student-athlete.
“Some of my most memorable moments from playing soccer was gaining the title ‘Valley Champions’ and scoring my first goal in high school soccer,”
Ortiz said.
The soccer standout is also proud of what she has accomplished off the field.
“I am proud of being recognized for my GPA,” she said. “Soccer has taught me that no matter the outcome you receive, you should always continue to work harder.”
Ortiz is currently playing for a club team, Albion Central Cal. And she is eager to resume playing for her school when the COVID restrictions are lifted. After high school, the rising star plans to play for a university.
“My long term goal in soccer is to better myself to the point where I can play professionally,” the junior said. “Other ambitions I have is to gain the title ‘3x Valley Champions’ and to be able to play for the University I go to.”
Silas Rodriguez
Silas Rodriguez has been seeing continual improvements in his game while playing AAU basketball with the Fresno Wildcats. The young hooper said the club has helped him improve by teaching him how to compete at an advanced level.
“We compete with different teams throughout California and after every game, we reflect on what we could have done better as a team and individually,” he said.
Rodriguez also found great benefit from playing at the Mamba Sports Academy.
“It was a really cool experience because it’s a well-known facility that a lot of former NBA players like Matt Barnes and Paul Pierce has gone to,” he said.
The Computech Middle School student was at the Mamba Academy when Kobe Bryant died in a plane crash earlier this year.
“It was a sad experience because we were waiting for Kobe to come to the gym but then we had found out he had passed away,” Rodriguez said.
The eighth-grader takes pride in balancing school and sports.
“I do homework right after school, practice on my free time or if I have a practice that day, I do my homework after practice,” he said
Rodriguez credits his coach, Mike Potts, as well as past coaches and parents for helping him grow on and off the court.
“My coach has helped me develop my game by pushing me hard and trying to get the best out of me every day at practice,” the hooper said. “Also, my past coaches have taught me the basics of basketball, like how to dribble and how to shoot. My parents have helped me by supporting me throughout my training, games, and goals.”
The Fresno hooper is already proving his various skills, including ball-handling, shooting and attacking the basket. To take his game to the next level, Rodriguez is focused on taking more mid-range shots and stopping his habit of over penetrating.
The young man hopes to dunk in the near future, among his many other goals.
“My next goal is to get a college scholarship and be able to dunk,” he said. “The desires I have for the future is to be in college and then get drafted in the NBA.”
When he’s not working on his skills on the court, Rodriguez works on his lower body and upper body strength.
“I like to work on my lower body strength to get bouncier and upper body to get stronger,” he said.
And he still makes time for other fun activities.
“I like to hang out with family and friends,” Rodriguez said. “Sometimes we take vacays to the beach and other fun places.”
