Raul Espinoza is an 18- year-old senior currently on the Geary Bison basketball team. He’s very active in his school settings, as he is a part of the Business Professionals of America program at his school, and is involved in Student Council. Espinoza enjoys being outdoors, especially when fishing. He recently played his last game of football for the Bison, and now has a positive outlook toward the current basketball season.
Football was a good sport for Espinoza this year. Starting in fifth grade, Coach Wilson encouraged him to begin playing football, and the sport has made an impact on him since. While the season didn’t necessarily go as planned for the Bison, Espinoza explained, “The team grew as a family and got closer together. It made the season really good.” Espinoza had strong feelings about being a senior and having to play his last game. “The last game was the toughest because it was the last game we ever played as a team and everything,” he said.
Throughout the season, Raul felt looked up to by his teammates, and he felt the need to create a path for them to follow. He, on the other hand, always looked up to his brother, Angel, as he played football throughout highschool, and his brother Markos. His coaches also really helped to encourage him this year. Football has never been the easiest sport to go through for Espinoza, given the fact that Covid-19 last year hit them hard, and throughout the years he’s had a few concussions. Raul feels as though football has made him a better person all around, “It’s showed me how to treat people,” he said.
Basketball is Raul’s current sport, and the season is looking optimistic for him. He’s really connected well with the new coach. “The coach this year is really a good guy, and just pushing us through a lot,” Espinoza explained. Raul has been playing basketball for the same amount of time as he has football. In fact, the same coach encouraging Raul to play football also got him into basketball in fifth grade. Even though he wasn’t too interested in basketball at first, ever since then Espinoza explained that he’s gained a love for the sport. Raul is optimistic about this season. His goal is to make it to the playoffs and go as far as possible with the new coach.
Basketball has had a huge impact on him throughout his life. “It’s really taught me a lot,” Espinoza said. “It’s something that I look forward to and hope that I can get somewhere with.” Being a senior is a bittersweet experience for Raul. He expects to have some tough battles throughout the season that he hopes to overcome.
There are many people that have helped Raul throughout his life, like his mom and his first basketball coach, Coach Evans. His mom has taught him that he “could get through the tough times no matter what, and that I don’t really need to rely on anybody.” He explained that his mom has been a strong figure in his life, always getting him through hard times. As a child, Raul didn’t always have a lot of money to spend, and didn’t always have a father figure in his life. However, even in times when he lived in a vehicle, his family stayed tightly knit, especially with his siblings. “It just brought us all together because we were closer together.” Even though he still struggles now, he’s stayed strong. “Just gotta trust in God, he’ll get us through,” Espinoza stated.
Espinoza would like to go to college, hoping that basketball will get him there. Raul doesn’t have a preference of schools, he would just like to continue playing the sport. In college, he hopes to study in the field of Engineering.