Inaugural Santa Ana Prep Showcase also included a look into the future

Josh Jogwe (right) led the Santa Ana Aztecs seventh grade team in an intra-squad game Friday. (Photo: OC Sports Zone, Tim Burt).

Friday’s Santa Ana Prep Classic at Godinez High School, featuring high school seniors from the six high school basketball programs in the Santa Ana Unified School District, also included youngsters who could be playing in the game one day.

Players from the Santa Ana Aztecs Basketball Club, a youth basketball program run by the RAYA Foundation, which sponsored the games, played an intra-squad game Friday night at halftime of the boys game at Godinez.

“It (the Aztecs program) was the foundation of our non-profit,” said Leon Raya, president of the RAYA Foundation. “The goal is to produce responsible youth, who are fundamentally sound basketball players by teaching strong fundamentals, teamwork, stressing sportsmanship, education and hard work. Our motto is ‘coaching success beyond basketball.'”

Two former Aztecs, Damián Guzman of Godinez, and Xavier Valdovinos of Santa Ana, played in the all-star game Friday.

All the coaches, including Josh Jogwe, who led the seventh grade team Friday, are volunteers.

“Josh and his brother Nmandi (both graduates of Segerstrom High School) were some of our initial members,” Raya said. “We’re so grateful to have Josh’s support.  He not only coaches for us but is a member of our board of directors.  He’s a UCI graduate working in the financial sector but has never forgotten his roots. He and Nmandi are like members of our family. They first started playing for us in middle school.  He has two great sisters and a remarkable mom. Josh is one of the top private trainers in Orange County, but he volunteers with us as a way of giving back. 

“His impact goes beyond basketball with our club. He’s done public speaking training for our kids, and with other alumni has done some leadership workshops as well.  He’s taken the players on college tours. He’s a great role model.”

The Santa Ana Aztecs team was founded by Raya and his two older brothers, Bob and Ed, about 12 years ago. The coaches were involved in a recreation league, where Raya’s son played.

“They (the young players) would always talk about how well they were going to do in high school,” he said. “We knew they needed a lot more work, so we invited 10 boys to form a team. 

“Some kids came to us more skilled while others had never played any organized basketball at all or any sports.”

In its first game the team lost to a squad from Inglewood by a big margin, Raya recalled.

“We thought they would throw in the towel, but they only wanted to practice harder.” he said. “A few months later we traveled to Las Vegas where they ended up taking third place in their division.  We are still in touch with these boys. We have been around ever since.”

Raya said there was a need for a low-cost basketball training program to provide Santa Ana youngsters the same opportunities as those in other cities in Orange County.

“We’ve had dozens of boys play,” he said. “Some have graduated with Master’s (degrees), others with Bachelor’s, others have taken up a trade or are successful in the private sector, a couple have made the military a career. A few are now fathers.  We tell our parents and players, ‘when you join the Aztecs you become Pearl (Raya’s wife, co-founder of the foundation) and mine’s family.’ 

“We help them with scholarships, financial aid or just mentoring in general.”

The goal is to help them eventually prepare to play for one of the high school teams in the Santa Ana Unified School District, Raya said.

“We want to help support these youth to be successful adults and to love basketball and have fun along the way,” he said. “I know it gives Pearl and I great joy to be able to go watch the boys play in high school or go to their graduations.”

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com