Coach Salvador "Chava" Aguirre

Salvador “Chava” Aguirre grew up in Veracruz, México. By the age of 16, Chava was playing on his first professional team. He played professional basketball from 1986-1994 on several teams, including the Junior and Senior Mexican National Teams. During his professional experience, Chava played in numerous national and international tournaments. He came to the United States and attended Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa on a full basketball scholarship from 1996-2000. Chava played for a few Central American Professional League Teams in 2000 and 2001. He was also an assistant girls’ basketball coach at Evanston Township High School from 2002-2005. Chava holds a Master’s degree in education and a coaching endorsement from Drake University. He is currently the head boys basketball coach at Meredith Middle School in Des Moines where he works as a special education teacher. Chava has coached, trained, and run skills camps for several AAU programs. He has over 20 years of experience coaching youth of all ages.

Both on and off the court, Chava strives to impact students and athletes in a positive way. He strives to show them that with hard work, perseverance, and the support of someone who believes in you, anyone can realize their potential, regardless of circumstances. Chava has three sons and a daughter with his wife, Jennifer. During his free time, Chava is either coaching or watching his children play basketball. He chose to be a part of NLPA, because he believes in NLPA’s vision to develop players and better human beings, regardless of skill level, by providing them with a strong foundation in basketball and positive role modeling.