EDINBURG – The UTRGV women's basketball spent a lot of time embracing the Rio Grande Valley through community engagement over the summer.
 
Part of the embrace was visiting a long time friend of the program and avid women's basketball fan, Sal Martinez, in the hospital.
 
Martinez is recovering from surgery, and after a few phone calls between Martinez and head coach Larry Tidwell, the team decided to pay Sal a visit.
 
"Sal is the absolute best," Tidwell said. "He supports our team and appreciates the effort that our girls give in each and every game. When it's game time, you can always count on Sal being behind our bench and wearing the orange and gray of UTRGV."
 
Student-athletes Jameka Dowell, Marie Fatou Gueye, Alicia McCray and Brianna Pitre spent time with Sal to lift his spirits and tell him about the 2017-18 team.
 
"Sal is as good as it gets," Pitre said. "He loves our team."
 
"Being new here, I was surprised that Sal knew everything about our team, not just from last year, but about the incoming players for this year as well," Dowell said. "He is a true fan."

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