Patagonia High senior Victor Barajas is the tallest player on the Lobos’ boys basketball team, but he’s not quite sure how that happened.
His father is 5 feet 8 inches, and his mother is about 5-6. Standing at 6-4, he’s about a foot taller than his two younger sisters.
But maybe it came from great-grandfather. He was 6-5-inches tall.
“I’m just a random tall kid, ” Barajas said.
Regardless of where Barajas’ height came from, it doesn’t change the fact that the forward is the No. 2 rebounder in the country, averaging 18.6 rebounds per game. He held the top spot earlier this season.
The numbers are a drastic change from his freshman season, when Barajas averaged 3.1 rebounds in 18 games.
Barajas started playing basketball in seventh grade, but his freshman year was when he realized he could play harder.
“I was always taller than the other kids, so I never really tried that much,” Barajas said. “Until I got to freshman year and I realized there were kids with my height and kids with my ability that knew how to work harder.”
And Barajas did start working harder.
Barajas took to hitting the weight room with coach Kenny Hayes and would practice dunking and jumping as high as he could on his own.
Even though he hasn’t measured his vertical, Barajas can jump over his teammate Damian Castro, who’s listed as 6-3 on the team’s roster.
Well, as long as Castro keeps his head down that is.
When jumping straight up in front of the hoop, Barajas can get his elbow up to the rim.
What Barajas enjoys most about basketball is the competition.
“There’s little things that I like to compete in while playing that’s not really a big factor, such as like rebounding,” Barajas said.
“I like jumping higher than others. Or, when someone’s about to get (the ball), I like coming behind and jumping up and getting it before they can grab it. Or dunking.”
“Just the little things like that is what really makes me want to improve more and keep playing.”
Barajas is averaging a double-double — something he’d like to continue through the end of the season.
Barajas would also like to reclaim the No. 1 national rebounder spot at the end of the season.
Barajas is hoping to get e a collegiate offer on the table. He’s applied to a few colleges and universities, but has yet to hear back.
If an offer doesn’t come, Barajas said he’d try to earn a walk-on spot onto a roster.
While Barajas loves Patagonia Union High School, a school with less than 100 students, he can’t help but wonder what it would have been like to attend a larger school, play on a bigger team and play against larger opponents than the Class 1A schools he faces off against now.
“But I love playing for this school because all the students look up to me, like the team,” Barajas said.
“And I love that they vote me for captain because I want to be able to lead them, show them what to do and how to improve. And I just love working with them. I love my team.”
