This winter the VYPE Media team visited the campus of St. Pius X for our annual winter media day! We had the pleasure of sitting down with the talented athletes and coaches at St. Pius X to take you inside the program.
Get ready for the season as VYPE goes Inside the Program with the St. Pius X Basketball Team.
2028 Waller (Texas) four-star quarterback Tristin 'TK' Gaines has announced his commitment to SMU.
The four-star quarterback commits to the Mustangs over LSU, Houston and Oregon among others.
While LSU looked to be the team to beat a week ago, SMU made a strong push going into the week of Gaines commitment. For the Waller star quarterback, the decision to commit to SMU came down the relationships he has built with the coaching staff.
“I mean, just the people there in general,” Gaines said on what made him commit to SMU. “Coach King and Coach Lashlee, they've been real big in the recruiting process for me. The opportunity that they're giving me there is awesome and they're doing great things there. They keep building the program up and up.”
Relationships was a big factor as Gaines said but his relationship with quarterback coach D’Eriq King stands out with King being a former high level Houston high school football prospective himself.
“Coach King and I’s relationship is good,” he said. "We connected in a lot of ways. He's from Houston like me so just talking to him a lot and getting to know him and him getting to know me it feels like the right fit.”
Gaines is one of the biggest recruits to come out of Waller since Cody Johnson and David Hunter and has brought the Bulldogs back to relevancy in his three years there. For Gaines, the ability to represent his community not only in high school but at the collegiate level means a great deal.
“It means a lot,” Gaines said. “I was born and raised here. Going through kindergarten here, all the way to my senior year next year so it means a lot. We had a lot of lot of big time guys when I was younger, like from my dad's days so bringing that greatness back to Waller, it means a lot.”
While the main focus will now turn towards a playoff run with the Bulldogs, Gaines had one final message for SMU fans on his commitment.
“You're going get a great player and a great human being coming to Dallas.”
The featured standouts of the 2026-27 Klein Oak Panthers basketball team.
No. 4 — Klein Oak Panthers
The throne as Kings of the North belongs to Klein Oak — and the Panthers have no intention of surrendering it.
Under head coach Joshua Ervin, Klein Oak has established itself among Greater Houston's elite, coming off a dominant 33-4 season that featured a perfect 16-0 district record and a trip to the third round of the postseason.
However, the Panthers have their sights set on far more than another district crown.
Standouts Tyrie Wooten Jr., Marcus Epps and Owen Denton are back in the fold, providing a veteran nucleus with the experience to elevate Klein Oak's championship aspirations. Meanwhile, Jerron Neely and Zayden Outlaw are primed for expanded responsibilities in 2026-27, further reinforcing an already formidable lineup.
The pieces are certainly in place for the Panthers to maintain their reign atop the district hierarchy. But the greater challenge lies beyond familiar territory.
Can Ervin's squad navigate the gauntlet of Region II powers and turn its regular-season dominance into a legitimate push for the state title?
The featured standouts of the 2026-27 Shadow Creek Sharks basketball team.
No. 5 — Shadow Creek Sharks
The Sharks are back — and they could be downright dangerous.
Shadow Creek quietly assembled an impressive résumé last season, finishing as district runner-up before advancing to the third round of the playoffs.
Now, with a talented nucleus back in the fold, the Sharks are poised to make an even bigger splash in 2026-27.
Reigning District Offensive MVP Daniel “DT” Green enters his senior year as a focal point of the attack, while fellow first-team selections Jaylen Addai and BJ LaFell round out a backcourt that could rank among Greater Houston's finest.
Once their football obligations conclude, Kingston Raglin and Stanford Wiley IV should provide additional versatility and depth to the guard rotation.
Meanwhile, Braylon Caldwell figures to be instrumental in the paint, where his rebounding prowess and ability to initiate the fast break with timely outlet passes could elevate Shadow Creek's transition game.
The offensive firepower is undeniable.
But can the Sharks translate their potential into a breakthrough postseason performance?
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