In a world where dreams often clash with reality, one walk-on UT Permian Basin basketball player defied the odds. With limited college offers and a determination that burned brighter than the competition, she seized an unexpected opportunity that would change everything. 

Thomas Edison H.S.	Overall Record	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG
Senior	26-8	14.6	4.2	4.0	5.2
Junior	23-11	12.9	4.1	4.6	5.4
Sophomore	23-13	11.3	3.8	5.8	4.5
Freshman	16-17	7.1	3.8	5.2	3.1

Coming out of Thomas Edison High School Avalon Munoz had proven time and time again during her high school career that she was a hard worker who excelled on the court - getting better across the board statistically every year and helped improve her teams overall record every year. Munoz wasn't just a great basketball player in high school, she was also a great student, earning the title of Valedictorian.  

Despite the success she had on and off the court, Munoz wasn't highly sought after coming out of high school, which ended up being a blessing for UT Permian Basin Head Women's Basketball Coach Rae Boothe.  

"We were the lucky ones, Av kind of came to us. She was just looking for an opportunity to play and for some reason just didn't have a ton of options coming out of high school, despite having a great high school career. The timing was perfect, she approached us and really wanted an opportunity," said Coach Boothe. "She was her high school Valedictorian. So we knew that she'd be a hard worker. But I mean, it wasn't until we got her that we knew how lucky that we were, because she just worked extremely hard and was always completely bought in and just continued to grow and get better as a player. We are really fortunate that we had her for five years." 

Munoz came on a visit to UTPB on a Saturday – not wanting to come during the week because she didn't want to miss school. 

"I think that's what kind of made it because it was a Saturday and nobody was here. So the Associate Head Coach at the time Sam Brenner was trying to, walk me through the campus and everything was closed.  So it was really just about basketball.  I think that really helped because it was just me and the girls," said Munoz. "I watched the practice. I got to hang out with them. I got to ask them questions, and I got to see the kind of community UTPB is. I went from seeing an empty campus toa pretty good gym.  When I was there the team was playing Eastern New Mexico. Eastern was pretty good and I saw that the odds were stacked against them, and they actually pulled it off. And I was like, 'I feel like I can be a part of that'". 

Munoz stepped onto UTPB's campus the Fall of 2020 knowing she would have to work harder than anybody else on the team since she was a walk-on and was determined to help the team out anyway, she could in practice.  

Despite Munoz having to wait until December to play her first collegiate game – due to Covid-19 delaying the start of the season – her effort during the extended offseason caught the coach's eye. Her hard work not only strengthened the coach's confidence in her but also built her own, preparing her to   step into the starting lineup when the team's Division I point guard suffered season-ending injury. "She had every attribute that you want in a point guard. Extremely coachable, gritty focused really a sponge she improved very fast, she's a gym rat, and just a hard worker. She showed up every day, got the job done, and got better. She was that every day her entire career," said Coach Boothe. "So early in her freshman year, every day we saw a little bit more and a little bit more. My confidence in her grew really, really fast and then, we had a point guard, that was a Division I one transfer that went down and sustained injuries that took her out for the remainder of the year. And it was kind of next man up, you know. So, when she started and had zero fear, and just went in and battled and really from that day on, she was our starting point guard." 

While some athletes let off the gas when they finally earn a starting role, Munoz did the opposite and found another gear and started to work even harder than before as she was determined not to lose her position.  

"I just didn't want to lose it. So, I mean, with positions like that, you don't just earn them and that's it," said Munoz. "You have to keep them. So, I just I knew that whatever I was doing, just keep doing it and then make it better."  

Even though Munoz was just a freshman, once she got into the starting lineup she started to put a lot of pressure on herself when it came to the outcome of the games and she was never satisfied when people would tell her she was improving game after game  because she was determined to win.  

"I did have ups and downs because even though I was in that starting spot and coach Rae trusted me in that spot, I took responsibility, and it felt like when we weren't doing good, it felt like it was because of me," said Munoz. "I know it wasn't because Coach Rae would make sure to remind me you're a great point guard, you just do what you can. And so I would try to shorten those slumps. But I always had them every year." 

Season	Overall Record	LSC Record	LSC Standing
2020-21	6-12	5-12	13th
2021-22	8-20	4-12	14th
2022-23	13-15	10-12	9th
2023-24	24-8	17-5	3rd
2024-25	13-16	11-11	8th

In her first collegiate season, Munoz finished the season averaging 4.3 points per game, grabbed 62 rebounds, had 60 assists, and recorded 42 steals in the shorten 18 game season. During that season the Falcons finished 6-12 overall and 5-12 in Lone Star Conference play.  

Very similar to her high school career, Munoz improved her game every year and the team's overall record would also improve – leading to the team having the best season in program history during the 2023-24 season. During that season the Falcons set a program record for most wins in a season (24), most Lone Star Conference wins (17), the highest regular-season finish in LSC history (third place), made its first appearance in the LSC Tournament since joining the league in 2016, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history and the first time since 2013. 

"It was really exciting. And that's what made it a little bit devastating that third year (2022-23 season) because we were right there, and we still missed it by one game. So, it kind of made it exciting for the fourth year (2023-24 season) just because we had everybody coming back," said Munoz. "But it was something we knew, like me and my roommates knew from the first year that we could get to that spot. We just needed just a little more and we finally covered that the third year. It just was too little, too late. I think it just carried over to the fourth year. And that's what made that last year so great." 

In Munoz final season the Falcons were unable to duplicate the success they had during the 2023-24 season. However, it was still a historic season for the program as they once again qualified for the LSC Championship tournament and won key games down the stretch. 

"I think it puts UTPB in a good place for women's basketball because  it showed that if you come here, you're brought in," said Munoz "We made it with a different group of women and it just showed that as long as you're in a UTPB uniform, it's possible." 

There have been many great players that have stepped on the court for Coach Boothe over the years. But very few who from day one bought into Coach Boothe's BeGreat moto. 

"That's just who she is. She came in that way though," said Coach Boothe. "She was raised by a great family, great siblings around her, really good high school program, she's just high character kid, and everything that she does, she wants to be the best.  To have that mentality, it's contagious. She was completely bought in from day one." 

When Munoz first stepped foot on campus back in 2020, Coach Boothe knew she had found a special player but at first didn't know she would finish her career as one of the top point guards to wear a UTPB jersey. 

"No way. I mean, you got to see a glimpse of who as could become every day. But at the beginning, no, she exceeded all expectations," said Coach Boothe.  By the end of her first year, we knew we had a really special player."" 

In the UTPB career record books, Munoz ranks first all-time in minutes played (4,063) and is second in games played (134), second in assists (525), second in steals (273), second in free throws made (383), third in rebounds (531), third in points (1,059) and sixth in field goals made (311). She finishes her career just two steals away from passing the school record of 274 steals and just 12 assists away from overtaking the school record of 536 assists.  

Munoz also has made the LSC Commissioner's Honor Roll during each of her first nine semesters at UTPB (Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024). Munoz holds a 3.56 GPA in her computer science Master's program and also holds a 3.86 undergraduate GPA as a computer science major. Munoz, who was named Third-Team All-Lone Star Conference in 2022-23, was named to the LSC All-Defensive Team this past season. 

"She's the best point guard I've ever had," said Coach Boothe. "She is one of those kids that if you if you have fifteen of her, you're going to win a national championship. If you've got one of her, she's going to be that player that you're going to have on the floor for 40 minutes. If you've got a couple of her now, you're going to take your program to another level. And the more people you can get like that, the better the culture is." 

Munoz has gone on an incredible journey over the last five years and will certainly be missed when the Falcons step on the court next season. While Munoz will miss playing basketball at UTPB, she will also miss being around her teammates. 

"I miss hanging out with everybody, for sure. We used to always joke that we were always together.  We never got to not see each other. But now that I'm off, it's nice to relax and stuff, but it just feels like where is everybody?" said Munoz. "We checked in on each other and they supported me and Morgan at that All-Star game. We had lunch after, but it's just, you know, they're starting their own lives too and then the girls are doing postseason, so it's really tough. But I think I'm going to miss that. Especially because, you know, once everybody goes home or does whatever, it's going to be tough to get to see each other again." 

Like every athlete that finishes their career, the next step is figuring out what's next. 

"I'm trying to find a job. Where exactly? Not too sure. I'm pretty open to staying here, living in Midland or going back home to San Antonio. But I'd like to stay in Texas. If there was something outside of Texas, I'd probably try it out. Just kind of start something new. But I'd like to stay in Texas for software engineering or something like that," said Munoz. "My dream job has always been Google. I feel like they do fun stuff."