OK, so I lied. I don't have answers, but I can give odds as to who I think will become the head coaches at Capital (for football) and at Santa Fe High (Or in Lenny Roybal's case with the boys basketball position, will remain). The positions ought to be filled within the next seven-10 days, and then both coaches will have to hit the ground running because the summer is coming very quickly. And the summer is when programs are made. So, here's my handicap. Please, no bets of over $50, the house might not be able to cover it.
Capital football
1. Bill Moon (4-1 odds). You look at Moon's resume and it screams "proven." But you look at his record, especially since he left Capital in 1996, and it indicates a coach who can get a program to the creek. It just doesn't get that sip of water. Perhaps because it rider (Moon) was picked off before he could get that next step. He set the Rio Rancho program up for success, and it made a playoff appearance before falling apart after he left in 1999. Santa Fe High got to 5-5 in 2002, but politics and a 3-7 season in '03 paved his departure route. At Española Valley, Moon's teams went 2-8, but again administrative squabbles ended his tenure.
But that in itself is also a troubling trend, which is why the odds are higher.
2. Quevin Redding (7-1). Redding's youth and enthusiasm make him a strong candidate. His spread offense could attract more talent because of the wide-open brand of football, compared the Moon's tried-and-true I-formation philosophy. He brought Pojoaque its first winning varsity record last year as well as the school's second playoff appearance. He also has experience with programs at schools that has a higher ratio of students from lower-income backgrounds, having coached at Española Valley. The question then, will be can he get a strong enough staff around him.
3. (tie) Mike Dalton and Johnny Carson (15-1). Both are assistant coaches (Dalton with Albuquerque Valley, Carson at Ruidoso) looking to get a valued head coaching job. Dalton has experience at Capital, having coached under Steve Castille in 2004, so he does know the program. It will take a knockout interview for them to move ahead of the other two.
5. Joshua Wallace. If a coach ever gets a job from a phone interview, especially at Capital, he's got to be the second coming of John Calipari or he has no idea what he's getting into. And if he does, why apply?
Santa Fe High boys basketball
1. Porter Cutrell (2-1). He was a very successful coach at Denver prep school Mullen High, compiling a 234-107 record with two Class AAAAA state titles and four championship appearances. Cutrell also has coached athletes to the Division I level, so he has the pedigree. His resume is impressive enough to make him the leader out of the group of nine interviewees. However, coaching at a public school - and at Santa Fe High - is a different ball of wax. No doubt the Demons will be successful under Cutrell, but how long would he stay?
2. David Rodriguez (3-1). He was good enough for Hobbs (albeit that was 11 year ago), but not good enough for Santa Fe High (three years later). But Rodriguez, who coached the Demons from 1992-2002, still commands respect as a candidate. That he will face the likes of Capital, Espanola and Los Alamos instead of La Cueva, Sandia and Valley plays into his hands. The Rodriguez coaching family tree is steep (dad Bob coached the Demons and St. Michael's; brother Ernie is the SFIS head man) and Rodriguez has a reputation that is above reproach. If the committee wants to play it safe, he would be the perfect choice.
3. Rick Apodaca (6-1). I'll say this right off the bat: I'm an Apodaca fan. He was done wrong at Taos, but he had the program moving the right direction. Two seasons under St. Michael's head coach Ron Geyer's tutelage makes him that much better. He already knew Geyer's system, having been under another Geyer protege in Mark Gallegos at Portales, but he is a head coach in waiting. He's communicative, affable and very much a coach players will rally under. Any program - be it Santa Fe High or otherwise - would be better to have him handling it.
4. James Branch/Lenny Roybal (10-1). Sorry, Lenny, I like your chances as County Commissioner better. Roybal says he has the program ready to win a AAAA title right now, but he also said he felt the Demons would play for a state title in the next three years. That was in 2007. The 2009-10 season was a huge disappointment, and I attribute much of that to the falling out between Roybal and former top assistant Gordon Betancourt. Branch is hedging his bets that he won't keep his job at Taos (he is being investigated by the school district over his handling of players), but I've always felt his heart was set on Taos. And I believe he'll stay there.
5. Danny Trujillo/Tom Montoya/John Carpenter (50-1). Trujillo and Montoya are assistant coaches (Trujillo at Taos; Montoya at Santa Fe High) with different backgrounds. Trujillo is looking for his first head coaching opportunity; Montoya is still trying to get back into the game after resigning at St. Michael's in 2002. Both are good coaches, but given the caliber of candidates here, they, too, will have to knock the committee out to get to the top of this list. Nothing is known on Carpenter, so he remains a mystery.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
