Jefferson High School Head Basketball Coach Art Vela Shares His Servant Leadership Experiences

The high school basketball community coming out of San Antonio, Texas is a prideful one. In the perennial mix of excellence is Jefferson High School’s Head Basketball Coach Art Vela. The architect of the tough-minded Mustang squad coming out of San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) has experienced immediate and sustained success winning three district titles since Vela laterally moved into his alma-mater from Edison High School in 2015. Vela’s rise elevated quickly with his 2011-2012 Edison Golden Bear team that went 30-8 and bowed out in the Regional Final to a Ben Lammers led Alamo Heights High School Basketball Team. But ask the Golden Bear and Mustang community, and you will find a man dedicated to his community beyond the court.

Servant Leadership Traits

What is Servant Leadership? Robert Greenleaf first made this leadership style prevalent in modern-day analysis of leaders. For Coach Vela, this style came as an instinct for him.

“Servant, I really hadn’t heard it in my earlier years, I thought it was just part of, my duties, when we’re coaching to always serve the kids, the community, the parents, and people that you work with,” explains Vela.

The genesis of Vela’s natural inclinations revolves around being a master interpersonal communicator. As a noted “social bug,” Vela takes every opportunity to learn from the people surrounding him, not taking them for granted. His coaching style has been a compilation of several of his peers from his youth, through his jobs in Middle School and High School. “From when I started, 25 years ago, I take bits and pieces from everybody and I still continue to do that,” Vela explains on the formulation of his coaching style. As professional mentors, Vela refers to Rudy Bernal, Art Gonzales, and Herbert Jackson as exemplars of effective servants of their communities. For Vela, he experienced playing against and coaching against that trio and was always fond of how they went about their business of serving their community and getting the most out of their kids.

Photo By Yvan Salazar

“I’m not just talking about winning and losing, I’m talking about they made young men become men,” professes Vela.

Balancing the kid and ensuring that it is not just about athletics but also life lessons is pillar of his coaching style.

Belief is also vital component in Vela’s toolbelt. Believing in the objective carries the same weight as believing in your coaches and your athletes. “I don’t like to handcuff kids,” says Vela.

The belief in his kids is strong enough that Vela rarely sets limitations to his athletes. Instead, the focus is to probe for quality decision making of his athletes within the game. The extension of belief spills into the community with parents and alumni; after three district titles in five years, it is easy to see why Vela has the Mustang community believing.

A Family Affair

The Vela family is known throughout the San Antonio basketball landscape. Lorenzo and Artie Vela, Art’s sons, were once star basketball players for him at Edison High School. Celeste, Art’s daughter was also a student-athlete for the Golden Bears; Vela expressed his genuine satisfaction that he was able to coach and see his kids through their school days. Berlinda, Art’s wife and high school sweetheart, is also a coach and has supported Art vigorously throughout the 25 years that Art has been a coach. Whether it is working the scorer’s table, the concession stand, or the gate, Vela has found a cheat-code that he often encourages many coaches to experience.

“My family, the success that I have right now is because of them, because we created a family atmosphere,” said Vela.

Vela is quick to point out that the coaching profession is demanding and requires a lot of hours; however, family-time is a unique experience with the Velas as they often spend it together at home or in the gym.

A Tight-Knit Community

The SAISD high school basketball coaches have a unique relationship dynamic. Competitors on the floor, this fraternity does a great job of socializing and organizing events for the district off the floor. Much of the friendly banter and social events are facilitated by Vela. Matin Cardenas, Head Basketball Coach of Edison High School, and Joseph Martinez, Head Basketball Coach of Lanier High School both shared that Vela is a genuine mentor.

“He does a great job of connecting people through networking,” explains Martinez.

Cardenas explained how Vela has been a thoughtful mentor on how he operates within his program, even sharing insight on the community that Vela once proudly served. As the year draws closer for Vela’s 26th season, the consensus by many in the district is that he is appreciated for his excellence. Consequently, Vela is doing what many Servant Leaders do, galvanize the community and elevate their performance.

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