You thought school was out, but here is one report card everyone will be reviewing.
School’s back in session — if only for one day — and it’s time to hand out grades for our new coaches in Northern New Mexico.
Last week saw the last major basketball coaching vacancy in the Santa Fe area filled when the Academy for Technology and the Classics chose Joe Ray Anaya to take over its boys program. In all, there were six major openings, with Los Alamos opening both of its coaching positions before opting to run it back with the interim coaches who finished the season (D.J. Bustos and Todd Zollinger).
It was a far busier offseason than expected, and much of that was due to the late resignations of Capital coach Darren Casados and Pojoaque girls coach Cindy Roybal and the departure of Bobby Romero at ATC.
The new hires face plenty of challenges, but they could benefit from the off-season rule changes that allow coaches to operate their programs without worrying about violating New Mexico Activities Association bylaws. They will be the test subjects to see if the summer sessions that have long been considered the lifeblood of program success remain true.
With that said, here are the initial grades, from highest to lowest, of these new coaches.
Grade: A
Bobby Romero, Pojoaque Valley girls — This one is a no-brainer. Romero’s track record shows he gets results (district titles at Española Valley and ATC, a state title with the Phoenix). He takes over a program that won the District 2-4A title but has holes to fill due to graduation. Still, there is talent with guards Lauren Salazar and Monique Arrietta plus forward Alison Paytiamo. The program might see a drop-off, but it should be short-lived. Pojoaque will be competitive, but there is a lot of work to be done.
Estrella Flores, Capital girls — Flores spent the past six years in an administrative role, but she pined for a coaching job. A star four-sport athlete at Desert Academy, she gets her shot with a struggling Jaguars program that has languished near the bottom of District 5-5A standings. The program needs an infusion of enthusiasm and energy, of which Flores has plenty. But she will have to do as much teaching as coaching to make Capital competitive.
Grade: B
Bustos, Los Alamos boys — The apple doesn’t fall far from the coaching tree, does it? The son of long-time head coach David Bustos showed his coaching chops in leading the Hilltoppers through a midseason coaching change to win the 2-4A title. Given a chance to build his own program, the younger Bustos should do fine. He gets an early challenge since he has to replace senior Niko Garcia with a young and unproven group.
Anaya, ATC boys — Anaya’s first varsity job is a doozy: Maintain the competitiveness the Phoenix showed the past two seasons in one of the toughest districts in the state as the program moves up to Class 3A. Anaya emphasized player development as a club coach, and he will need to maintain that with a mix of veterans and inexperienced players. A double-digit win total should be enough to get the program into the state tournament, thanks in large part to being a part of District 2-3A.
Grade: C
Montoya, St. Michael’s boys — This hire screams “low floor, high ceiling.” Montoya will face the expectations of a fan base that is used to competing for state titles and has a core group capable of doing that. Montoya also emphasizes player development, but he will be expected to win with the talented, experienced group he inherited.
Oh, and the sub-varsity teams are equally as good, so don’t expect the demands to change much in the near future. Horsemen Nation will be watching intently.
Zollinger, Los Alamos girls — Zollinger took over a program three games into the season that had the best player in the North in GG Romero, who led the Hilltoppers to the 2-4A tournament title. Rumor is she and her sister, Gerianna Romero, are no longer a part of the program, which will make Zollinger’s job that much harder. This team could be young and inexperienced, so Zollinger’s coaching and development skills will be put to the test quickly.
Remember, grades always change, depending on the quality of work.
November can’t get here soon enough.
