By Kevin Lonnquist
NTX Varsity Sports Columnist
Let’s play word association with each Aledo athletic program. As a follower, what’s the first word or phrase that comes to mind when you think of it?
Football – state legend
Softball – dominant
Baseball – state champions
Girls basketball – consistent
Boys basketball – meh
Wait, what was that on Aledo boys basketball? Meh? Is that what outsiders think of them?
Well, if you follow high school sports and know Aledo’s to any extent, you know the first four programs have solid reputations. They’ve built these over the years.
Football owns a state-record 12 championships. Softball has been to the 5A state semifinals the past two seasons and in its history won a state title. Baseball has been a perennial playoff participant and just won the 2025 5A Division I state championship. Girls basketball has always been a playoff program and sometimes made solid runs including the 2024-25 team that played in the 5A Division I Region I semifinals.
When it comes to the boys basketball program, it’s been a dust bowl for much of its history. It’s run through head coaches like going through socks. The style of play hasn’t been very good. Interest suffered from those who wanted to play for the program and from those who wanted to watch it.
If that’s what anyone still thought of Bearcat basketball at this time, you could not fault them for it. Its history preceded it.
Sometimes, the winter just got colder between December and mid-February year after year. It was a source of frustration. For the success these other programs were enjoying the riddle could not be solved with this one.
Maybe that’s changing. Maybe it’s time to take notice.
This past Tuesday, first-year head coach Drew Baker’s program won at Brewer, 61-50. The Bearcats improved to 20-6 and lead District 5-5A with a 6-0 mark through the first half of the season.
Earning that 20th win is noteworthy. This is the third consecutive season this program has won at least 20 games. It is believed this is the first time this has ever occurred for Aledo boys basketball.
In the prior two seasons, Aledo won only its second playoff game ever when it beat Arlington Heights in the bi-district round in 2023-24 and finished 20-13. Then it won its first-ever district championship in 2024-25 and closed at 27-7.
Accomplishments like the one this past Tuesday are important. When new athletic director Brandy Belk started three seasons ago, she did nothing to disturb what football had created. However, she wanted to make boys basketball matter in Eastern Parker County. Belk has seen it through despite the program going through three coaches in three consecutive seasons. Still, it’s happening.
When JD Robinson resigned to move into select basketball coaching and when Nikki Hyles retired as the girls coach following the 2023-24 season, Belk went to work to find established coaches who knew they would have their athletic director’s support. With Belk’s basketball background, that wasn’t going to be a problem.
She hired longtime winner Donny Ott to run the girls program. Belk hired an established name in Brian Blackburn to run the boys. Each put together outstanding 2024-25 seasons.
Then when Blackburn left to take a college coaching job in Florida, Belk found Baker who had been around the game between successful stints as a head coach and assistant between Oklahoma and Texas and realized he could be keep sustain the momentum.
Indeed, that’s happened. Baker inherited a pretty strong group that included senior center Townes VanHuysen, junior point guard Caden Cunningham, senior forward Dylan Pipkins and senior guard Enrique Pacheco.
Baker’s style differed from Blackburn’s. While Blackburn pushed the pace, Baker wants to make sure his team is solid in the half court on both ends of the floor.
He also wasn’t fearful of challenging this roster with demanding tournaments between Coppell, Abilene and Weatherford. VanHuysen and Pipkins said on my Aledo coaches show podcast that the Coppell tournament this past November revealed what kind of team the Bearcats could be.
Baker’s demands have been felt. This team answered the challenge since district play began. The Bearcats have won their first six district games by at least 10 points. Whether 5-5A is strong or not does not matter. To have a streak like that when it comes to Aledo boys basketball it’s almost unheard of.
Aledo remains out of the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 5A rankings. Perhaps there is still some hesitancy. That’s fine. This program is going to have to earn its way toward collecting those accolades.
All the while, the Bearcats are starting to shed the nondescript image. What it’s going to take to turn heads is with an unexpected outcome. That may be in the playoffs should they maintain this level of play. An upset would be the start. A deep run could send a shockwave.
It won’t be easy because Aledo’s likely opening round opponent from District 6-5A could feature either state-ranked Birdville or state-ranked Denton. We have another three weeks before that answer is revealed.
In the meantime, the Bearcats are doing what they can to earn a second consecutive district title – the second in school history – and add to this 20-win season.
As for Baker, it will be his charge to continue to build the program through the hopefuls coming through the middle schools and sub-varsity. Things will be harder when Aledo moves up to Class 6A in 2026-27. However, Baker’s background in 6A gives Aledo the opportunity to transition.
For now, the focus is present day and to change that first thought about a program that was consider an afterthought. Boys basketball is starting to matter at Aledo.
