[New post] New Woodland High School boys basketball coach Jay Munoz aims to rebuild program
Carlos Guerrero posted: "After years of a revolving door of head coaches and down seasons, the Woodland High School boys varsity basketball team hopes that going with a familiar face on the sidelines will stabilize and rejuvenate the program. With four seasons of coaching the " Daily Democrat
After years of a revolving door of head coaches and down seasons, the Woodland High School boys varsity basketball team hopes that going with a familiar face on the sidelines will stabilize and rejuvenate the program.
With four seasons of coaching the Wolves' lower levels under his belt, followed by a stint coaching the girls varsity basketball team last year, new varsity boys head coach Jay Munoz will look to bring his own style, demands and competitiveness to a program that has had its fair share of recent struggles.
"When hiring someone to take over boys basketball, Jay was an easy choice," Woodland High School athletic director Danny Eoff said. "He has been coaching at Woodland High School for quite a while now, both basketball and football, and he brings great energy and dedication to his teams.
"He is awesome at building relationships with his players and coaching them up. As an alumni, Jay bleeds orange and I knew he would be here for the long haul to build up this program. He is a positive and productive member of our community and the perfect fit for the head coach."
Munoz has been involved in the Woodland basketball scene since he graduated from WHS in 2016 as a two-sport athlete, excelling in football and basketball. He began coaching in 2017, taking over the Lee Middle School eighth grade girls team.
The following year in 2018, Munoz moved up and coached the freshmen boys at WHS. He coached at the freshmen level for two seasons before moving up to the junior varsity level and then varsity as an assistant under then-coach Matt Gloor.
Now, as the head coach of the entire program, Munoz says it's a dream come true to take over a place so near and dear to his and his family's heart, especially after missing out on the job in previous seasons.
"This job means everything to me," Munoz said. "This was a dream job for me. I had opportunities elsewhere, but it only feels right to coach here. I applied twice for the boys job and didn't get it. Instead of leaving, I took the lower positions because this was where I wanted to be. Woodland is always going to be home to me.
"I think the challenge made me want the job," he continued. "WHS is a football and baseball school, leaving basketball as the third choice. It's long been the sport you play when you have nothing else going on."
Woodland High School's Lincoln Twilley (10) battles for position in the paint during the Wolves' home opener against Wheatland on Friday, Nov. 17. (Carlos Guerrero/Daily Democrat)
Woodland High School's Nathan Gutierrez (30) battles for position against Wheatland during the Wolves' home opener on Friday, Nov. 17. (Carlos Guerrero/Daily Democrat)
New Woodland High School head boys varsity basketball coach Jay Munoz shouts instructions to his players from the bench during the Wolves' home opener against Wheatland on Friday, Nov. 17. (Carlos Guerrero/Daily Democrat)
Woodland High School's Dylan Ramirez dribbles up the court against Wheatland during the Wolves' home opener on Friday, Nov. 17. (Carlos Guerrero/Daily Democrat)
Woodland High School wing Joseph Cadotte tries to get past his defender during the Wolves' home opener against Wheatland on Friday, Nov. 17. (Carlos Guerrero/Daily Democrat)
Woodland High School's Joseph Quezada guards the inbound play during the second half of the Wolves' home opener against Wheatland on Friday, Nov. 17. (Carlos Guerrero/Daily Democrat)
Last season, Munoz led the girls varsity team to 4-13 overall and a 3-9 record in the Golden Empire League. While the team struggled, Munoz mentions he learned a lot, gained valuable experience and rediscovered his joy for coaching.
"I learned a lot coaching them," Munoz recalled. "I learned to have a lot of patience, but I fell in love with the game again. I needed a change after applying twice for the boys job. The girls team brought the fun back into the game for me. They don't want to mimic anyone's game they see on television. They just want to play ball."
Munoz, who is also head coach of the Woodland AAU basketball program, is ready to place his fingerprints all over the Wolves varsity squad and mold it how he sees fit. He is buoyed by his assistant coaches, who include junior varsity head coach Sanata Munoz, freshman head coach Daniel Lowe and varsity assistant coaches Eric Antonio and Colby Whitehead.
"They help me with everything," Munoz said. "They are all hungry and want to learn. Their commitment has been huge. We have all been coaching together for some time now."
Last year's team stalled to a 6-20 record. While the team graduated seven seniors, the cupboard wasn't utterly bare to start the year as Munoz enjoyed the return of sophomore Dylan Ramirez, who received honorable mention honors last year for his fantastic debut season.
Fellow returning players from last year's squad include Joe Abarca, Lincoln Twilley and Joseph Cadotte, who were all elevated to varsity halfway through the 2022-23 season.
"We want to play with a ton of pace and use our athletes," Munoz said. "The defense transitions to easy offense. We have a lot of athletes, but many of these guys don't play basketball year-round. We are young and athletic, which is the brand of basketball we will need to play moving forward. Last year's team was sort of the last team to have two big centers playing together."
Ramirez is locked into the team's starting point guard position. In the backcourt alongside him is Joseph "Jojo" Quezada.
"Dylan is a great kid," Munoz said. "He always comes ready to go. No questions asked and he gives a full effort. He does things on the court that nobody else here can emulate. Quezada brings great touch and leadership. Everything he does, he does so confidently."
Cadotte is in the starting wing position with senior Nathan Gutierrez as the other forward. Twilley rounds out the starting five as the team's center.
On Friday night, the Wolves kicked off their season with a home-opening win over Wheatland. They raced out to a 9-1 lead early in the first quarter, but by halftime, the visitors had cut the lead to just 1 at 24-23.
The halftime break was just what the Wolves needed as they ballooned the lead back up to 42-30, outscoring Wheatland 20-7 in the third quarter.
Munoz got everyone involved off the bench in the fourth quarter and ended the game with a 57-48 win.
Quezada had 14 points for the Wolves, while Twilley chipped in with a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double. Sixth-man Chris Aguilar came in off the bench to score 12. Ramirez played the entire game and finished with 9 points.
The Wolves will now travel to play at San Juan in Citrus Heights on Tuesday before a week and a half off. On Thursday, Nov. 30, they will start the Buck Bailey Tournament with a matchup that is still to be decided. The teams set to participate in the tournament include Woodland High School, Esparto High School, Winters High School, Futures and Vacaville Christian.
Woodland will get their chance to show how much they were able to come together during the preseason when they open up league play on Tuesday, Jan. 2, on the road against Mesa Verde. Their first league home game is a week later, on Monday, Jan. 8, against Mira Loma.
On Jan. 16, the Wolves will host crosstown rivals Pioneer High School, with the away matchup scheduled for Feb. 6 at Pioneer High School. They'll enjoy a mini-break in league play on Jan. 31 when they visit their other crosstown foe, Woodland Christian.
"We have some challenging games and some winnable games, but my goal for preseason is to make sure we are ready to roll when league play starts," Munoz said. "I love rival games, so playing Pioneer and Woodland Christian is great. The boys want to play their crosstown rivals, and I think the atmosphere, no matter what the records are, will be fun. I can't wait."
No comments:
Post a Comment