A Winning Drive: Robby Garcia, Bellevue West

But then fate dealt him a winning hand as his older sister - his confidant and training partner for all their sports - passed on a motor vehicle upgrade, leaving the door open for Robby to call dibs on a 2020 Ford Bronco. All tricked out, removable doors and soft top, it’s not only a sweet ride but also a favorite among his friends.

“I guess you could say I came out the winner,” says Robby, who’s had the chance to say that many, many times over the duration of his remarkable basketball career at Bellevue West. It’s the case once again as his Thunderbirds have overcome a bumpy start - that kind of thing happens when you return only one starter, even if the kid is as great as Robby’s been - to win their final seven games of the regular season, including last weekend’s 80-47 win over Omaha Benson.

You might call it a drive to the finish.

Robby’s a four-year starter at one of our most prestigious basketball programs, never better than in this, his senior season, averaging 21.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. Not bad for a soccer player.

“I was more of a soccer player growing up and didn’t even play organized basketball until my seventh grade year,” says Robby, who credits those early years in the game of soccer for helping him develop superior footwork on the basketball court. “Then I had people telling me I was huge for soccer, maybe I should try basketball, so I did.”

Another important factor in Robby’s discovery of the game was his meeting a man by the name of Ron Harper, who had a club basketball team and figured it could use a talented soccer player on the roster. “He talked to my parents about playing travel ball, and they agreed.”

During his junior high days Robby spent much more time polishing his game and by the time he entered Bellevue West he was a skilled, if untested, varsity prospect. “If was difficult, the transition to high school, but I give credit to my coaches (Doug) Woodard and (Steve) Klein for pushing me, telling me to always expect my best. I knew I was coming to an established program and Coach Woodard told me nothing was given, you had to earn it, and I liked that.

“They also understood I was going to make mistakes but they took that in stride and worked with me to correct things.”

Musta worked. Kid was a regular in the lineup for Bellevue West’s 2022 state runner-up team, then started for both the 29-0 and 27-1 state title teams that followed, last season averaging 14 points and six rebounds per game. Those state championship wins came against Millard North, part of a spectacular five-year run of state finals featuring the Mustangs and Bellevue West.

As Robby matured into an established varsity player, a star, he also underwent a change of positions. Ironically, while was still filling out and learning the varsity ropes he was in the paint, a role that needed filled, but today when he’s grown to 6-foot-7 and 210 pounds he’s more of a shooting guard. “All through my high school career I have filled roles that coaches felt would help the team,” says Robby. “This year I am needed more on the perimeter and I like that because it helps me round out my game, and not be one-dimensional.”

Born in Wenatchee, a city of 35,000 located smack dab in the middle of the state of Washington, before moving with his family to Omaha when he was very young. His sister, Hope, not only cleared the way for Robby’s sweet ride but being just a year and change older she was also a talented athlete, and the two of them trained together. “She was very talented athlete and we are very close, but we see things differently,” says Robby, who is happy for all the support he gets from his family.

When he’s got some time Robby is “big into fishing” and enjoys anything “outdoorsy”. He does most of his fishing at a secret location (look man, he’s a fisherman, location is always shrouded in secrecy) somewhere along the Missouri River near Plattsmouth, usually fishing for either sturgeon or catfish. His favorite food is not fish, but rather wings, all day long, and he also has a wide musical palette ranging from country to ‘90s R & B to rap and hip hop. Robby wears No. 32 on the court but when he entered high school he wanted No. 5 but that jersey belonged to a senior, “so they just gave me a number and I stuck with it.”

Robby is a strong classroom student with a 3.4 GPA, his favorite class being sports and entertainment marketing, which I must say is an inspired choice. He’s also active at his church, often serving as a volunteer, and while he has yet to make a decision on his college choice he does note he plans to study business. “The dream is to own my own business someday.”

Ironically Bellevue West, which has won three state titles while making the state final in each of the past three seasons, hasn’t necessarily been headline news in Class A this season. Of course, closing out the regular season with seven straight wins will turn some heads, and having quite possibly the best player in the class on your roster doesn’t hurt none.

Either way the T-Birds are 16-7 and eighth in the Class A wild card standings as the postseason begins, most likely in the same subdistrict as Creighton Prep, which beat the T-Birds by nine when they met earlier this season. Robby believes lessons learned by his team this winter are about to pay some major dividends.

“We had that three-game losing streak against three really talented teams, but we didn’t crumble,” points out Robby, those losses coming to an Iowa powerhouse, along with 21-3 Papillion LaVista South and 21-2 Omaha Westview, currently 1-2 in the Class A wild card. “We responded well, and that’s a good sign for what’s ahead of us. Going through that adversity has made us better players, and better teammates, and as a senior I am doing my best to show leadership for my team.”