SMHS BOYS BASKETBALL
The Rattlers are looking for a bounce back year entering the 20252026 season in the hopes of returning back to the postseason.
With a new core of players, Head Coach Dan Miller is excited to see what this group can do come the season opener next Friday.
“We had a good summer and fall,” Miller said. “I feel the guys have really come together as a unit and we’re trying to stress unity. The group as a whole being strong together is so important for this team. They’ve done a good job with that.
“We’re young with some key players who are freshmen. We have some seniors that haven’t played varsity but then you are coming from our JV and we have some experience returning on varsity so it’s a unit of three groups kind of blending them together and they’ve done a good job so far.”
This season, the Rattlers will look to replace their top three scorers from last year. With a group of returning varisty players, JV players being elevated to varsity status and two freshmen, Miller and his staff have been evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the team.
“The key that we found with it is just identifying early that we have three different groups in our returners,” Miller said. “ From our kids coming from the JV to the varsity and then the two freshmen that we moved up right away, we just recognize your talent. The key is just getting to play a lot and that’s what we did in the summer in the fall.
“We’ve just been playing together for a long time before this season even started so I feel like this group has good chemistry right now and we want to build on that. It’s definitely a new team and we don’t have much for returning as far as varsity scoring or anything so kind of we’re entering unknown territory with this group.”
One of the strengths the Rattlers will have going into this season in a strong presence in the paint.
With a number of players looking to play key roles at the post positions, Miller will look to capitalize on the inside game.
“This is the first time that I’ve been here that our strength is really in our post play,” Miller said. “We want to get the ball inside a lot more than maybe years past being a bit more guard heavy. Our post players, Jeremiah Josiah, who is a 6’5” junior and then we have a freshman Tytan Creighton who is 6’4”. Then we return Xavien Balles and Peter Aguilar who were two seniors on our varsity last year.
“Those four [players] at the four and five spots, give us guys that we can go get the ball inside on offense and some rim protection on defense. They are just solid post players that they all are capable of being solid in our district.
Going into this season, having a strong post presence, Miller has stressed the importance of controlling the boards and limiting the opponents second chance opportunities.
“One of the things we are emphasizing is rebounding both offensively going to the glass hard and then defensively boxing out being a one-and-done team,” Miller said. “We don’t have a 20-point scorer and we probably don’t have a first-team district player on our team considering how good our league is. So what we have to do is be a team that plays together, shares the ball and rebounds. That is something we are emphasizing so it’s extremely important to us.”
With this year’s team having very little experience on the varsity level, improving on the fundamentals will be key for the Rattlers.
“We just want to see if these guys have confidence out there.” Miller said. “Basketball is tough and [you have to] be confident taking care of the basketball. We need to be a low-turnover team and that’s something we’re emphasizing with these guys. We’re not you know as talented as many 6A teams are, especially in our district, but what we can do is be a team that takes care of the ball and rebounds. The thing we emphasize is just not beating ourselves. We cannot beat ourselves.”
San Marcos opens the season on the road against Medina Valley. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Friday Nov. 11 at Medina Valley High School.
2025-2026 Rattler Schedule 11/14 @ Medina Valley 11/18 @ San Antonio Lee 11/21 vs, Austin Crockett 11/24 @ St. John Paul III 11/25 vs, Buda Hays 12/2 @ San Antonio Pieper 12/4-6 SMHS Holiday Classic 12/9 vs, Kyle Lehman 12/11-13 I-35 Shootout 12/16 @ San Antonio Southwest Legacy 12/19 vs, Victoria West 12/29-31 Hays Hangry Joes Xmas Classic 1/2 vs, Buda Johnson 1/6 @ Schertz Clemens 1/9 vs, San Antonio East Central 1/13 @ Converse Judson 1/16 vs, Cibolo Steele 1/23 @ New Braunfels Canyon 1/27 @ Buda Johnson 1/30 vs, Schertz Clemens 2/3 @ San Antonio East Central 2/6 vs, Converse Judson 2/10 @ Cibolo Steele 2/17 vs, New Braunfels Canyon
Senior Xavian Balles looks to contribute in the post game for the Rattlers this season. The post game will be a strength for the Rattlers. Daily Record photo by Gerald Castillo
