Oax Sport Thursdays: Chapulines de Oaxaca, August 13, 2026

Original language: Spanish (radio segment on Tribu al Extremo, 106.1 FM).

By Juan Victoria, MBA

Oax Sport. Athlete Support and Programs.

This blog series

This post is part of Oax Sport Thursdays (Jueves de Oax Sport), our written series based on selected Tribu al Extremo broadcasts on 106.1 FM.

Oax Sport transcribes and publishes selected broadcasts. Not every broadcast is transcribed, and not every transcript is published, so gaps between written entries are normal.

The series also connects with Oax Sport’s Digital Storytelling program, which teaches young people how to conduct interviews and produce their own media. Blogging and responsible online publishing are part of that program. The radio articles provide another example of careful sports reporting.

Broadcast details

• Hosts: Juan Victoria and Desiree Ramírez
• Guest: Jesús González
• Guest social media: Instagram @gonzalezxii
• Sport: Basketball
• Show: Tribu al Extremo, 106.1 FM
• Segment: Oax Sport Thursdays
• Air date: August 13, 2026
• Focus: Chapulines de Oaxaca, CIBAPAC and a proposed youth academy in Etla
• Listen live: Thursdays, 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Oaxaca time

Focus of the week

Jesús González came to the studio to explain how Chapulines de Oaxaca was preparing to compete in CIBAPAC. He introduced himself as a former professional basketball player with a career of more than 20 years, including more than 9 years with Mexico’s national team. He said he had recently worked as operations manager for Ángeles de la Ciudad de México during the 2026 CIBACOPA season.

He was now one of 4 partners behind Chapulines de Oaxaca. The discussion soon turned to the less visible side of that work: developing young players, finding money for away games and building opportunities that could continue beyond a single season.

30-second recap

González said Chapulines wanted to give Oaxaca players experience in a national competition and a route toward university basketball. He explained what changes when a player moves from weekend prize-money tournaments to a team with daily training expectations.

He also discussed travel expenses and plans for a youth academy at the Instituto Euroamericano in Etla. The academy services described in the interview were proposals at the time of the August 13 broadcast.

What Jesús González said on air

1. How Chapulines de Oaxaca came together

The project had 4 partners, González said. A partner had lived in Oaxaca for 8 years and knew the players who regularly took part in local prize-money tournaments. The group believed some of those athletes could benefit from a more structured competitive opportunity.

González recalled an earlier appearance under the Chapulines name at a tournament in Pinotepa. The organizers later examined the conditions for entering CIBAPAC. He brought his own playing and administrative experience to the effort.

2. A place for local players

According to González, the league’s rules encouraged clubs to develop talent from their home state. He described a 12-player roster in which 9 players must come from the state, plus a rule that teams field an under-17 player in the first quarter and an under-21 player in the second. Those figures reflect his explanation during the interview.

He also wanted the club to help young people think seriously about higher education. He recalled what people told him when they saw him with a basketball:

Jesús González, translated from Spanish: “Throw that ball away, put that ball down, you won’t make a living from that ball.”

Basketball had given him an opportunity to study, he said, and he hoped families in Oaxaca would see the academic possibilities of a sporting career.

3. Learning how a team plays

Desiree asked how players accustomed to weekend tournaments adjust to university or professional basketball. González focused first on the time spent training and recovering. A more demanding team also expects players to understand its tactical instructions.

He mentioned terms such as pick and roll and pick and pop. A player may know how to execute a movement but fail to recognize the coach’s instruction for it.

Jesús González, translated from Spanish: “And you also have to know them in Spanish and in English.”

He called being coachable one of the most important qualities on the team. He said a player could finish with 0 points and still make a strong contribution through defense or by carrying out the assigned role.

4. The cost of competing away from Oaxaca

When Juan asked about the obstacles to starting a team, González mentioned the difficulty of finding taller players for certain positions. Travel was another major problem.

Road trips were possible for some opponents. Reaching northern destinations, including Tijuana, required flights and raised the club’s costs. González described paying for players’ meals and accommodation on the road, along with uniforms and equipment. He also mentioned officiating and player-registration expenses.

The partners were seeking sponsors and commercial relationships to help meet those costs. González gave no season budget or sponsorship figure.

5. The proposed academy in Etla

González outlined plans for a basketball academy at the Instituto Euroamericano in Etla. The proposed sessions would include work on the court, with preparation in the school’s gym. Pool-based recovery activities were also discussed.

He described plans for initial assessments by a sports nutritionist and a physiotherapist. Sports psychology was another service he wanted to make available to students. The goal was to give families access to these resources at the training site.

The plans also included talks with experienced basketball professionals. The interview gave no opening date or academy fees, and it did not establish that these services had started.

Interview in text

The questions below were asked during the original Spanish broadcast. These are shortened English translations of the exchanges, keeping the speakers’ stated positions and the order of their ideas.

6. Juan asks how Chapulines began

Q (Juan): What is Chapulines de Oaxaca, and how did it begin?

A (Jesús): The idea was to change how young players see their future. There is a lot of basketball in Oaxaca, including many tournaments with prize money. We want young people to see that basketball can give them more than money on the weekend. We see growth as athletes and as human beings. Our priority is for young players to earn a scholarship, play first-division university basketball and later move into professional basketball.

7. Juan asks why the partners chose Oaxaca

Q (Juan): Why did you decide to do this in Oaxaca? What attracted you to the state?

A (Jesús): One of the partners has lived here for 8 years. He sees the potential of the players here, and he also sees how they get stuck. That comes from the players, and often from the parents’ mindset too. Part of our goal is to guide parents on how to work with their children toward their goals, and to show them that sport can open academic opportunities as well as financial ones.

8. Desiree asks about weekend tournaments

Q (Desiree): What is the difference between a weekend prize-money tournament and university or professional basketball?

A (Jesús): First, the work the player puts in. At university or professional level, training and recovery are part of every day. Then there is the understanding of basketball. Players here have talent, but they need to understand tactical instructions. If a coach asks you to make a cut or move to a particular spot, you have to know what that means.

9. Desiree asks how players adjust

Q (Desiree): How do you work with players who have spent years in that type of tournament and are now entering a more professional system?

A (Jesús): One of the most important things is that they are coachable. Our players have been open to receiving information from the coach. You might be good at several things, but the team needs you in a particular role. Sometimes you score 0 points and still play very well because of your defense. The player has to understand that.

10. Juan asks about the club’s difficulties

Q (Juan): What difficulties did you find when starting the project, and what difficulties are you facing now?

A (Jesús): One was finding tall players. On the administrative side, the league gave us a complicated travel schedule. Our closest rivals, Chiapas and Tampico, are reachable by road, but 3 trips, to Tijuana, Tecate and Parral, require flights, and that raised our costs a lot. So we are asking businesses that want to join as commercial partners or official sponsors to talk with us.

11. Desiree asks how Chapulines will reach more people

Q (Desiree): What strategies are you planning to reach young people across Oaxaca who may not know about these opportunities?

A (Jesús): In the short term, we have the CIBAPAC season and the academy. We want to offer time on the court and work in the gym. We are planning recovery sessions in the pool. There would also be an initial assessment so the coaches know each player’s needs. We are working on benefits for supporters and ways for businesses to become involved.

12. Desiree asks what the team hopes to achieve

Q (Desiree): What are your objectives, and what do you expect from taking part at this level?

A (Jesús): First, we want our players to be recognized nationally. We want people to see the quality of basketball players in Oaxaca. We also want the team to perform well and connect with the fans. Children should have players nearby whom they can look up to. They should be able to see a route from training toward university and higher-level basketball.

What is next

On August 13, González described ambitions for the club’s CIBAPAC season and future opportunities for younger players. He also hoped the academy could bring experienced coaches and professional players into contact with students.

The academy’s current enrollment arrangements and availability of services were not established by the broadcast. Readers should ask the organizers directly for current information.

How you can help

González invited people interested in playing opportunities or supporting the club to contact Chapulines through its social accounts. Any current academy offer or sponsorship arrangement should be confirmed with the club.

Oax Sport also welcomes people who want to support youth media work. Write to us through our contact page.

Public accounts for people and organizations discussed:

• Jesús González: Instagram @gonzalezxii.
• Chapulines de Oaxaca: Instagram @chapulinesdeoaxaca.
• Juan Victoria: Instagram @juan_victoria2, LinkedIn and Strava.
• Desiree Ramírez: Instagram @desiree_rg7 and TikTok @dess_rg7.
• Instituto Euroamericano: Instagram @institutoeuroamericanoetla, Instagram @instituto.euroamericano and Facebook Comunidad IEA.
• CIBAPAC: Facebook LigaCIBAPAC and YouTube @LigaCIBAPAC.
• Ángeles de la Ciudad de México: Instagram @angelescdmexico and LinkedIn.
• Tribu al Extremo: Instagram @tribalex106.1 and TikTok @tribalexfm.
• Oax Sport: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, YouTube and Strava.

Transparency

The academy and other future activities described here were plans discussed on August 13, 2026, not documented outcomes. The interview did not confirm that the proposed academy had opened, and it gave no academy fees.

The information about Oax Sport’s Digital Storytelling program is organizational context. It was not presented as a statement by Jesús González.

Oax Sport Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 86-3407818). Oax Sport A.C. is a registered Mexican nonprofit (RFC: OSP-230216-SG0). Contact us for receipts or tax documentation.

Listen every Thursday

Oax Sport Thursdays on Tribu al Extremo (106.1 FM) airs every Thursday, 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Oaxaca time. Follow Tribu al Extremo on Facebook.

What would help more young players in Oaxaca move from weekend prize-money tournaments into university basketball?

Last updated: October 20, 2026