ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Eloy Medina is enjoying the ride, enjoying a basketball journey that has been unpredictable, but satisfying. The next leg of his journey will take the talented six foot three sharpshooting guard to the Northern New Mexico Eagles.
“When this option first came up, I mean, It didn’t sound too bad to me because I had just finished and it was close to home,” said Medina. “They brought me in to help the team. So, that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’m going to give them my best shot and see where it goes from there.”
Medina spent the last two years at Bakersfield Community College where he averaged over 11 points per game and learned a lot about life. “JUCO really showed me a lot,” said Medina. “It made me mature as a person, being alone. JUCO is hard, tough, tough on the mind. So, I feel like it matured me as a person and helped me better with my responsibilities going forward.”
Medina started his college basketball journey playing for his favorite team as a walk on. That favorite team is Medina’s beloved University of New Mexico Lobos.
It all looked so promising until COVID-19 showed up and destroyed the best of the college basketball experience. “I feel like that COVID year, it took a mental toughness on everybody,” said Medina. “It felt like it was more survival mode than basketball mode at that time. It’s moving around different places, practicing in different gyms.”
With vaccines and boosters and COVID taking a more quiet role, Medina is excited about returning to his home state of New Mexico. He is ready to enjoy family and friends and play some basketball.
