Thomas San Miguel was busy packing Thursday. The new head basketball coach at Corrigan-Camden is preparing to move for his first head coaching job on the varsity level, following a successful run at Anderson-Shiro.
The Sam Houston State University graduate started his coaching career on the college level, helping with the Bearkat football team. He then went on to Cleveland Junior High in 2021 to help start their new Santa Fe Middle School. He coached football, basketball, track, and soccer. From there, he went to Splendora for a year to build the junior high basketball program. He helped the team improve from a losing season to going .500 in district. At Anderson-Shiro for two years, the school went from two wins the year before on the junior varsity, to a record of 30-12 the past two years.
“That was my baby,” San Miguel said. “That's what I was in charge of, and helped with varsity, where we had six seniors. We were supposed to make the playoffs, and we did. We had a first-round exit against East Bernard. Then, we were expected not even to get top four in our district the following season, because we graduated six seniors, and who are we supposed to replace them with, you know?
“In this time, being in charge of our J.V. team, I sent up eight kids from J.V. to varsity in a short amount of time that were ready for the challenge. They were ready for the step. They competed at high levels. I was doing my part aside from just winning J.V. basketball games and building a team. I was preparing our kids for the next step, as well as continuing to make our varsity basketball team successful. We fell short of the playoffs this year. We had a play-in game that we just didn't show up. We fell short of our goal, but we showed a lot of people what we're capable of doing and that we weren't just going to fall off because we lost a lot of kids.”
San Miguel said he has some familiarity with Corrigan-Camden.
“My first year in Anderson, we came out there and played a game against them,” he said. “They had talent and Corrigan's got a winning culture.
“What I'm capable of doing, I have thanks to my head coach that I just had (Robert Weber). He's taught me a lot and helped guide me in the right direction that I needed and will always be someone I can – if I have questions – talk to. We talked about it and I told him, ‘I'm looking at this (job),’ and he was like, ‘They’ve got talent (and) just need to have somebody that's willing to come in and help.’
“And, that's what I saw it as. I saw it as an opportunity for me to bring my knowledge and bring what I'm capable of doing and help change the attitude, change the culture, and bring back winning basketball. They have the opportunity for it. They have the kids for it. I think they need somebody that's wanting to come in and just do it.”
The coach said he’s studied film of his new group and feels they can be directed to more wins.
“There's times they just revert back to their old ways. That's what kids do, though. They had lots of turnovers at costly times and just some silly mistakes here and there. It happens, and those are the things that I see. Those are the things that I'm ready to come in and help try to change and just continue to build on what they have.
“They have the scoring, they have the kids that are willing to attack the basket and shoot the ball and be the guy. I think they just need that leader now to come in and help teach them right from wrong and show them that it's alright if we make mistakes. How can we limit them?”
San Miguel said he would like to see the Bulldogs running a fast-paced team that will press and get down the floor to score quickly. However, the coach will adjust to the talent he has on hand.
“We're going to be physical, but we're going to be physical in the right way. We're going to be competitive and we're going to go after the loose ball, dive on the floors, take charges – the little stuff that wins you ball games when they're tight ball games.
With the Owls, San Miguel ran a full-court man-to-man press the majority of the time, but also employed a half-court press and 1-3-1 zone.
Everyone in the Bulldog program will get an opportunity to compete for minutes on the floor. Competition is expected to be high, with several experienced varsity lettermen back from the year before.
“I want them to show me why they're supposed to be a starter. Show me why you're supposed to be a varsity basketball player. I'm happy that we have a lot of guys returning, but at the same time, I'm going to try to drag every single bit of it I can out of you to show me why you want to be here, so we can bring success for this whole program and not just an individual.”
San Miguel will also serve as an assistant coach in football and baseball. In the classroom, he will teach a CTE employment class for seventh graders.
