Athletic trainer Hubert Paz was not always part of de Toledo’s athletic department. Before he joined the Jaguar community, he stretched out and worked on athletes such as starting Dodgers’ pitcher Tyler Glassnow.
Hubert grew up loving sports and even played football and volleyball in high school. For college, he went to CSUN and majored in kinesiology. “I have always wanted to be an athletic trainer, working in sports, especially with teens.” Paz said.
Paz, or Hubie as the students call him, has worked in many high schools prior to de Toledo, including Notre Dame, Valencia and Sierra Canyon. He originally applied to work at Buckley, a private high school in Sherman Oaks but did not land the job.
At that same time, de Toledo also began looking for an athletic trainer. When head of athletics department Alvin Castro called Buckley asking for them to refer someone to him, they introduced him to Hubie. “It was something we’ve been talking about for a long time,” Head of School Mark Shpall said.
As soon as Hubie joined the team, it was clear the difference he made.“Having a full- time athletic trainer like Hubie on campus sets us apart from a lot of other private schools in the area,” Athletic Director David Avila said. “The time he spends at de Toledo and the assistance he gives to our students is priceless. We are lucky to have him.”
Hubie is busier than you may think. If you go into Hubie’s room during bonus or lunch you can find him taping ankles, cupping backs and wrapping jammed fingers. When he’s not working on injuries he answers emails and documents injuries.
His most common injuries are in basketball, flag football, and volleyball. Varsity basketball player Cubby C. (‘26) said he really appreciates Hubie. “Hubie attended to my injury when I had pain in my right knee,” Cubby said. “Without him, I would still be out for the season.”
Hubie’s worst injury he has ever seen was at Valencia High School, where a running back stepped on and dislocated all five metatarsals in his foot and broke seven bones.
Hubie has some more enjoyable tasks than others. “My favorite things to work on are knees and fingers,” Paz said. “But, my day gets a lot harder when someone comes in with a hurt hip or shoulder.”
