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Jorge Gutierrez gave his first interview in English this month.
The 6-foot-3 shooting guard, touted as one of the top juniors in the state, spoke comfortably about basketball and what it means to be part of a diverse Abraham Lincoln team.
As Gutierrez's nerves ebbed into smiles, a look of pride took over the face of Lancers coach Vince Valdez, who was quietly eavesdropping a few feet away. What might have been just another interview from an immigrant student born in Mexico was also a slice of something a little bigger.
There will always be challenges, be it a language barrier or full-court press. Breaking through either takes hard work, discipline and a reliable support network.
And that is Lancers basketball.
"It's like family. It's like the principle is the most important thing that we are together," Gutierrez said. "We take care of each other."
This family, however, consists of just two players born in the United States, one who lived for years in a refugee camp in Sudan and the rest having emigrated from Mexico.
And after years of hanging around the fringes of the Class 5A picture, the Lancers have followed their decreasing enrollment by dropping into 4A, where they inherit the preseason No. 1 ranking.
In addition to Gutierrez, who was third in the state in 5A scoring last season, the Lancers have all the pieces and the depth to be as special as the 2002 Lancers team that advanced to the state quarterfinals.
Senior and three-year starter Kadeem Thomas is a true point guard with all the quickness, dribbling and distribution skills one would expect from a playmaker. Ruot Pal, the Lancers' other senior, is a 6-7 forward. Saul Torres, a 6-1 junior, carries a 4.0 grade-point average, and Erick Preciado is a 6-6, 245-pound junior center.
Francisco Cruz is a 6-4 junior, Eric Carrasco a 6-8 center who packs close to 300 pounds, and Victor Ramirez a 5-11 junior. The Lancers also have junior Ismael Ramos and sophomore Danny Rodriguez coming off the bench.
"What makes it special is that we're from different backgrounds," said Pal, who spent five years with his parents - who come from different tribes - in a refugee camp in Sudan before arriving in the U.S. in 1999.
Pal's long arms, increased strength and footwork honed by playing soccer as a kid make him a tough matchup for opponents. Although not a physical banger, Pal is quick enough to move like a small forward around the basket and in transition, but he can still post up and rebound in a half-court set.
Although Pal speaks four languages (English, Arabic and Sudanese dialects Nuer and Chiluk), letting his teammates know what he's thinking can be a problem because he doesn't speak Spanish.
According to Valdez, Lincoln is 93 percent Latino and 31 percent of the students are in classes to learn the English language.
"I don't speak perfect English. My friends on the team don't speak perfect English," Pal said. "We find some way to communicate and work it out. It's pretty easy. Somehow, we understand each other."
Valdez coaches in English, though the chatter on the court isn't always a perfect reflection of any one language. Sometimes just a look or body language speaks volumes.
"Our language is our language," Valdez said. "They're looking for their own identity."
Athletically speaking, Lincoln has been struggling to find an identity for years. The school has six state titles, but the most recent was by the boys cross country team back in 1968.
In his 10th season, Valdez has put a lot of work into making Lincoln respectable in a Denver Prep League dominated of late by East. A lot of that changed with 6-9 star Hector Hernandez, a 2004 graduate and current junior forward at Fresno State.
A native of Chihuahua, Mexico, Hernandez came to Lincoln to play basketball with the goal of emulating Nuggets forward Eduardo Najera, the first Mexican player in the NBA. According to Valdez, the success of Hernandez got more students interested in basketball.
The Lancers entered the 5A tournament in late February seeded seventh in their region after a 17-6 regular season. After blasting Standley Lake by 21 points, the Lancers had the favor returned to them in the second round by Rocky Mountain, just like it was in 2005 by Smoky Hill and in 2004 by Eaglecrest.
But this season could be the start of a new tradition.
The pieces are here. The pride is here. Perhaps the prize will be found as well.
"The ultimate goal is to come together as a team," Thomas said. "Everybody wants to win a championship, but you've got to come together as a team before you can win."
The 6-foot-3 shooting guard, touted as one of the top juniors in the state, spoke comfortably about basketball and what it means to be part of a diverse Abraham Lincoln team.
As Gutierrez's nerves ebbed into smiles, a look of pride took over the face of Lancers coach Vince Valdez, who was quietly eavesdropping a few feet away. What might have been just another interview from an immigrant student born in Mexico was also a slice of something a little bigger.
There will always be challenges, be it a language barrier or full-court press. Breaking through either takes hard work, discipline and a reliable support network.
And that is Lancers basketball.
"It's like family. It's like the principle is the most important thing that we are together," Gutierrez said. "We take care of each other."
This family, however, consists of just two players born in the United States, one who lived for years in a refugee camp in Sudan and the rest having emigrated from Mexico.
And after years of hanging around the fringes of the Class 5A picture, the Lancers have followed their decreasing enrollment by dropping into 4A, where they inherit the preseason No. 1 ranking.
In addition to Gutierrez, who was third in the state in 5A scoring last season, the Lancers have all the pieces and the depth to be as special as the 2002 Lancers team that advanced to the state quarterfinals.
Senior and three-year starter Kadeem Thomas is a true point guard with all the quickness, dribbling and distribution skills one would expect from a playmaker. Ruot Pal, the Lancers' other senior, is a 6-7 forward. Saul Torres, a 6-1 junior, carries a 4.0 grade-point average, and Erick Preciado is a 6-6, 245-pound junior center.
Francisco Cruz is a 6-4 junior, Eric Carrasco a 6-8 center who packs close to 300 pounds, and Victor Ramirez a 5-11 junior. The Lancers also have junior Ismael Ramos and sophomore Danny Rodriguez coming off the bench.
"What makes it special is that we're from different backgrounds," said Pal, who spent five years with his parents - who come from different tribes - in a refugee camp in Sudan before arriving in the U.S. in 1999.
Pal's long arms, increased strength and footwork honed by playing soccer as a kid make him a tough matchup for opponents. Although not a physical banger, Pal is quick enough to move like a small forward around the basket and in transition, but he can still post up and rebound in a half-court set.
Although Pal speaks four languages (English, Arabic and Sudanese dialects Nuer and Chiluk), letting his teammates know what he's thinking can be a problem because he doesn't speak Spanish.
According to Valdez, Lincoln is 93 percent Latino and 31 percent of the students are in classes to learn the English language.
"I don't speak perfect English. My friends on the team don't speak perfect English," Pal said. "We find some way to communicate and work it out. It's pretty easy. Somehow, we understand each other."
Valdez coaches in English, though the chatter on the court isn't always a perfect reflection of any one language. Sometimes just a look or body language speaks volumes.
"Our language is our language," Valdez said. "They're looking for their own identity."
Athletically speaking, Lincoln has been struggling to find an identity for years. The school has six state titles, but the most recent was by the boys cross country team back in 1968.
In his 10th season, Valdez has put a lot of work into making Lincoln respectable in a Denver Prep League dominated of late by East. A lot of that changed with 6-9 star Hector Hernandez, a 2004 graduate and current junior forward at Fresno State.
A native of Chihuahua, Mexico, Hernandez came to Lincoln to play basketball with the goal of emulating Nuggets forward Eduardo Najera, the first Mexican player in the NBA. According to Valdez, the success of Hernandez got more students interested in basketball.
The Lancers entered the 5A tournament in late February seeded seventh in their region after a 17-6 regular season. After blasting Standley Lake by 21 points, the Lancers had the favor returned to them in the second round by Rocky Mountain, just like it was in 2005 by Smoky Hill and in 2004 by Eaglecrest.
But this season could be the start of a new tradition.
The pieces are here. The pride is here. Perhaps the prize will be found as well.
"The ultimate goal is to come together as a team," Thomas said. "Everybody wants to win a championship, but you've got to come together as a team before you can win."
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