UWGBPhoenix.com

From Javier Mendiburu to Benito Flores the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay has had impact players whose first language was Spanish.  Will Edgar Uriel Segura be the next Spanish speaking impact player?

It is a long way from Saltillo, Mexico to the Shorewood Campus of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.  That is the journey Segura is making.  The honor roll student at Wesleco High School in South Texas had a lot of options including several service academies, as well as schools like Texas-El Paso and Wyoming to name a few.  

TexasHoops.Com describes Segura as “A crafty and flashy point guard who really sees up the floor and loves to play the game. He pushes the ball in the open court and hits players in stride 30-40 feet up court. He creates easy buckets for his teammates, can get into the lane and dish and has the size to finish in traffic. He has a nice stroke from the 3 point line, can shoot the mid-range jumper off the dribble and has a good feel for the game as a floor leader."  The one concern is being too flashy at times.  

The Mexico native played for Weslaco as a junior. He first came to the attention of the Nix coaching staff this summer during an AAU Tournament in Las Vegas.  

Gabriel Valdez, Segura's high school coach says his playmaker is “a pass first guard with a high BB IQ.  He’s as true of a point guard as you can get.”   Valdez calls the UWGB recruit a solid passer.  “He has great, great vision.  Edgar uses angles well and reads offensive and defensive set well.  His height, 6-3, really is an advantage at the point and he is as quick as a point guard can be.”  

“He is a typical “No sir, Yes sir” kind of kid, humble and eager to learn.”   

Valdez knows something about division one basketball.  He played at Texas-Pan American, and spent 17 years in Ohio seeing top flight high school and college athletes.  The Weslaco Panthers have a good shot to win the district and go on to the state tournament.  

Weslaco is almost as far south as you can go without being in Mexico. The school has about 850 students. The Panthers play high schools like Harlingen, LaJoya, City of Palms, Los Fresnos and Brownsville Lopez.  

Segura wanted to go to another part of the U.S. for college. He likes the idea of playing in the Horizon League with game stops in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee.  

He likes the potential playing opportunities he sees next year and the future professional connections the GB coaching staff can tap into. This is a young man who could play after college. Spain or Mexico could be an attractive stop after college.  Segura's dad was a long time professional basketball coach in Mexico.  

Segura told TexasHoop.com "I want to be a player and going to Green Bay will give me a good future and an opportunity to play professionally once I am done."  

His high school teammates and coach plan on buying him a winter coat before he heads north.