Houston Legends Season Preview: From Burnout to Blastoff?

Author: Brandon Borges

Last Season:

In 2024, the Houston Legends burst onto the scene and established themselves as the shocker of the season. A competitive series on the road with the solid veteran squad of the New Orleans Curse had many talking about the teams different energy.But that was just a teaser to what was to come. In week three, Houston brought home a 2-1 series win against the reigning champions, the Austin Outlaws, who hadn’t lost a single game since 2022, let alone lose a regular season series ever. The win was a shock to the league, and all of a sudden the Legends were  a dark horse contender to escape the play-in rounds of MLQ Championships. Unfortunately, this was not meant to be. Next came six straight losses to the San Antonio Soldados and the Kansas City Stampede. Four of those games were decided by 30 points or less, and two of those four came down to golden goal. A blazing comet burning out in the cold vacuum of space, the Legends failed to qualify for Champs, a heartbreak they were familiar with, but stinging more than usual with the knowledge that a berth was within grasp. To paint this simply as a tragedy, however, would be a mistake. The newly-dubbed Houston Legends have proven they are a threat to win any game they play, and this season they hope to recapture the momentum they claimed early last season for what could be a deep run at Champs.

Returning Players:

Aaron Price

Alec Webber (Texas Copperheads)

Andrew Acosta (SHSU)

Ashton Jeanlewis (Copperheads)

Billy Nellums (SHSU)

Brandon Kubena (Copperheads; Head Coach)

Caleigh Duvall (Copperheads)

Carlos Elarba (Copperheads)

Chase Contreras (Copperheads; Assistant Coach)

Christina Guckes

Conner Mason (SHSU)

Gabi Lopez (SHSU)

Juan Acevedo (Copperheads)

Kevin Raber

Kiara Webber

Mallory Hughes (Copperheads)

Raymundo Nuñez (Texas State)

Sarah Stewart (Copperheads)

New Players:

Ansel Depano (Copperheads)

Bailey Wallace (SHSU)

Daniel DePaula (Copperheads)

David Wright (SHSU)

Kiet Pham (University of Texas)

Krisyla Gillmore

Sam Reagan (Played with the Legends last in 2019)

Sarah Doverspike (SHSU)

Sean Allen (SHSU)

Sophia Araujo (UTSA)

Spencer Quintana (SHSU)

Wyatt Fredrickson (SHSU)

Notable Losses:

Hayden Boyes

Swathi Mannem

Baldemar Nuñez

Nathan Wilkinson

Chris Dorsey

Great Usiaphre

Kyle Easter

The Season Ahead:

Houston has the honor of hosting the first MLQ South series of the year, squaring off against the Kansas City Stampede in week one. Although the Legends were swept by the Stampede last season, the tightness of that matchup and the rivalries history, suggests this will be a competitive series. For the Legends to overcome the talented and young Stampede, they’ll need to make the most of their preseason and establish their internal and on-pitch identity in May.

Three weeks later, Houston will face its tallest task of the season: a series against the powerhouse San Antonio Soldados. The Soldados have bolstered their roster with a remarkable influx of talent, including several players who once logged key minutes for the Legends. But while San Antonio brought home the sweep last year, the matchup was decided by razor-thin margins: 160-130, 145-100 and 165-170. If there’s one constant for Houston, it’s this: they don’t back down from anyone. With a solid stretch of time between this series and their clash with Kansas City, the Legends will have the preparation and the confidence to step onto the field knowing they can hang with the Soldados and walk away with wins.

Finally, the Legends will come to Round Rock to face the Austin Outlaws, who are in a period of flux to say the least. Despite the short length of their roster, Austin has some incredibly impactful players such as Peter Lawrence and Isaac Sueltenfuss, and should not be taken lightly by the Legends. However, the Legends will likely see this Austin team as an opportunity to sweep and ride some momentum into Champs.

Season Potentials:

Unfortunately for the MLQ landscape, the New Orleans Curse have entered a hiatus for the 2025 MLQ Season. This creates a unique situation for the South: all teams are guaranteed a spot at the Benepe Cup in Buffalo, NY. This could mean a number of things for the Legends. One: they could supplement the development of their entire roster with gametime minutes. There are quite a few new players playing with Legends this season, and Houston could take this chance to invest in their next generation. Any new and more complex changes to strategy that Head Coach Brandon Kubena wishes to implement also can be tested without jeopardizing a spot at Champs.

However, Houston could also  focus entirely on winning, building on the strategies from last season. The bracket, at this point in time, still calls for the top two South teams to escape the play-in. The Legends coaching staff could reasonably look back at last season and recognize that they were competitive in every single game they played. Why not go all in? Why not capitalize on the parity of the South and skip the play-in? Of course, the coaching staff shouldn’t see those two options as opposites, and strive for some of both. It will be interesting to see, however, what becomes the priority for Houston throughout the summer.

Why They Won’t:

Let’s address the elephant in the room: the Legends have lost a number of the core players that contributed to their early-season success last summer. Chief among them is Number 16 on MLQs Top 24 players of the season, and the Legend’s former head coach: Hayden Boyes. Boyes has the ability to do just about anything you want an offensive ball-carrier to do, from score at will, to leading fast breaks, to timely passes on drives. He was the oil that made the Legends’ engine purr. Losing a player of that caliber forces Houston to take a step back and think of just what they want their offense to look like, and who they’re going to lean on to direct it.

Of course, losing just one player does not qualify for a “Why They Won’t,” even if it is Boyes. The Legends have had other significant losses. Gone is Baldemar Nuñez, who is one of the best beaters in the league. Having played a league-leading 258 drives for the Legends last season, Nuñez’s production and endurance is so hard to replace for any team. Gone is Swathi Mannem, who’s amazing offensive awareness, fast hands, and plug-and-play defense was especially key in Houston’s series win against Austin. Gone is Nathan Wilkinson, Houston’s second leading scorer last year. Gone is Chris Dorsey, whose physicality on both sides of the pitch helped Houston compete with the most aggressive of teams. Gone, gone, gone. Kubena, Ashton Butler, and Chase Contreras will need to work on filling the holes left by those players for a team that has not qualified for Champs since 2021. 

Another issue the Legends must grapple with: they went 2-5 last season in games determined by 30 points or less. While this is not a terrible record by any stretch, a team with championship aspirations needs to find ways to win more close games. Those losses were very obviously not an issue of talent. Rather, it was key mistakes on both offense and defense down the stretch. Overzealous shots into a set defense, too many passes without motion, forgetting assignments, passing near beaters, too many mental lapses that contrast with the confident strategy of Houston early in games. Experience in close high-level games is an obvious factor here, but the coaching staff must work to overcome those growing pains if they wish to capitalize on a great early gameplan.

That all being said…

Why They Will:

No experience will do you better than beating reigning champions in close games, and Houston now has a knack for doing so. The Texas Copperheads, the USQ club team that makes up a large part of the Legend’s players, scored a surprise win against last year’s club champion Boom Train at USQ Cup one month ago. Not to be outdone, the Sam Houston State University quadball team beat last year’s college champion Harvard in a game that came down to a golden goal. Let us not forget that again, this Legends team took out the Outlaws while they were reigning champions. The Legends are made up of players who are good enough to beat the top teams in both leagues, and Kubena should look to hammer that home.

Speaking of “hammer,” the Legends have made a living against conservative zones with beats and good quadball play around the side hoops. Leading the charge for that offense this season will be Mallory Hughes, a rising star in quadball. Hughes makes confident drives, takes great shots, has great offensive awareness in her cuts and spots and lays in fantastic hits and blocks with her hoop defense. She will be a steadying force for any chaser package the Legends will have this season, and will allow for some other ball-carriers to start entering the first and second line for Houston with a great veteran player.

One of those ball-carriers could be Andrew Acosta. In a league where speed and transition can outright win you games, Acosta is near unrivaled, having shown that prowess running fast breaks for the Legends last season. During the USQ season, Acosta was given more control of the SHSU offense this year, and has added some passing prowess to his repertoire. He brings with him a number of his SHSU teammates, including Billy Nellums, a physical chaser who can win one-on-one matchups near hoops to secure great goals in the halfcourt, beaters Conner Mason and Gabi Lopez, who should look to be slotted back into bellcow beater minutes for the Legends, and newcomer Spencer Quintana, who had coaches and fans of SHSU raving about his rookie performances.

The Texas Copperheads also bring in several key players alongside Hughes, fresh off their impressive USQ Cup run just a month ago. Sarah Stewart adds strong hoop defense and smart cuts near the hoops, an approach that was central to the Legends’ strategy last season. Chase Contreras, now serving as one of the team’s coaches, delivered a standout performance against DCQC with sharp passing and precise shooting, and he’s poised to take on an even larger role for the Legends this year. Juan Acevedo continues to be a reliable presence for both the Legends and Copperheads, and he’ll no doubt help guide the younger players on his line. Together, these veterans will shape a team culture that no longer embraces the underdog mentality. This is a Houston squad that doesn’t flinch from challenges. No longer just hoping to score a few wins, they’re emerging as a true contender that every team in the South, and across the league, will need to account for when August arrives.