The Coaches Office: Hondo's James Voight Rising To The Top
- By J Grine
- New Mexico High School Basketball - Boys
- 7 Replies
The Coaches Office: Hondo's James Voight Rising To The Top
Joshua J Grine of NMPreps.com
Today, at NMPreps.com we bring back a fan favorite feature were we interview and share the stories of the head coaches around the state. In the past we have run features on Saul Perez (Onate), Britt Cooper (Roswell), Jim Murphy (Cleveland), Roy Sanchez (Eldorado) and Damian Sequra (St. Pius X).
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It's 6:00 am in the morning and the Hondo Valley High School Eagles are already on the track or running in the gym preparing for a chance at another state championship. They have gone through two-a-days, miles of running and a high standard to achieve what, maybe others, don't experience during their high school careers. This for a program coming off several appearances at the state championships to still be out early, sacrificing everyday to achieve what others have done before them. Reach the final day at the WisePies Arena aka The PIT.
This season however would be different as they have a new head coach sitting at the end of the bench. One that brings plenty of knowledge and history to his name. A coach who has built a program from scratch and finished with a title at another small school in New Mexico to a season in Kentucky. With a philosophy built on discipline and getting players to reach their fullest abilities. He brings an up tempo, aggressive approach with a defense first mindset. Add in a teamwork and the ability to have fun while not taking this game for granted.
Before we take you through the journey of one of the rising head coaches in the New Mexico, we introduce a coach who loves tee times on the golf course, a strong approach to family and friends. A coach who played four years of collegiate basketball at New Mexico Junior College and the University of the Soutwest (Hobbs). Also, one thing you may not know who his best sport was as a lefty on the baseball diamond.
Born Into It
When you think of the Voight name you could be assured that 'coach' will follow shorty behind or in front as the title before their first name. Now is the time we get to enjoy the name James Voight in New Mexico High School basketball. At the young age of 28 he has already accomplished more than many coaches who spend a lifetime coaching this beautiful game of basketball. He now serves as the head coach the 3-seed Hondo Valley Eagles of 1A basketball and a favorite to play for the title.
James Voights' journey has just begun but in a short 5-year span he has compiled 124 wins and only 28 losses so its difficult to not take notice of a coach barely on the rise to the top of the coaching fraternity. He has coached in two state championships - winning one in 2014 as the head coach of the Dexter High School Demons. It's not by accident that Voight has found so much success early into his coaching career as his entire family is considered a basketball family from his father to grandfather along with his brother, who served as his assistant on the 2014 title team. He'll be the first to inform you that this title of coach was one given to him long before he was born.
"I got into coaching because of my family. I was born and raised into a basketball coaching family. My grandpa coached for 35 years at the High School and College level and won over 700 games. He is in the Hall of Fame at Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky. My dad has always been a coach as well coaching at the High School and College level. He has won over 500 games. So I guess you could say I have always wanted to follow in their footsteps and hopefully be a better coach than them one day. I have a real passion and love for the game of basketball and just always wanted to be around the game. I thank my dad and grandpa for that."
With over 1300 wins to the Voight name, winning and coaching sort of go together but the reason this family does either of those first two comes from the love for the young men that they coach.
" I coach because of the kids. Coaching means a lot to me, probably more so than other people because of how much I’ve been raised around the game of basketball. It gives me the opportunity to stay involved with the game and helps me teach kids not only the game of basketball but life lessons as well. It’s all about the kids."
With a record of 124-28 in a short five years as a head coach, one title and a runner-up along with a great chance to reach the final day you have to begin to wonder how a young head coach can achieve the success that some coaches, coach their entire careers to achieve. Most head coaches have those special things that former players look at and could tell you why they had success. Most talk about a coach who has impacted them. So why at 28 years of age is he sky rocketing to the top so quickly? We let him explain.
"I like the relationships that you can build with your players and the chance you have to impact their life in a positive way. I want to help them be successful not only on the basketball court but try to help teach them life lessons off the court. I think if you ask any of my past players about my coaching they would let you know Coach Voight is all business on the court but off the court he is there for us in whatever we need help with."
The Journey Begins
It was during my third year at NMPreps.com, I was first introduced to the name James Voight as a young head coach with blue pants and a faux hawk. A young 25 year old at the time in only his second season as head coach of the Dexter Demons playing for the 2013 State Championship against the favorite in Laguna-Acoma. However, that season was only the start to what a journey his time at Dexter had been and what would follow into the 2014 season.
A season devoted to someone special and a program on the verge of something special
"My second year at Dexter was where we turned the corner and turned into title contenders. We had a good summer. I took the boys everywhere to play the bigger schools that summer. I only had the boys play up in division, it helped us tremendously because we were competing with the big schools and actually beating some of them. Right before the season started my mom lost her battle with cancer and I wanted to have a special season for her. We had a great season but I wish it would have ended a little different. We finished 27-4 and we had a 22 game win streak going that ended at The Pit. We lost to Laguna Acoma in the State Championship but it was a great experience for our team."
The Keys Are Yours
Before we dive into the special 2013-2014 season we take a look at the first year into his coaching career. When he was hired as the head coach for a program that had only been to the state championship game one time in the history of the school a runner up in 2004. A program that it took two years to win 17 games alone. The keys were handed over to a 24 year old with coaching in his blood and a plan to build a program.
"My first year at Dexter it was all about getting the kids to buy into the new system I was bringing to Dexter. It was getting them to believe that they could win a State Championship. Dexter really wasn’t known for basketball. They had only had one runner-up finish in 2004. The two years before I got there they had only combined for like 17 wins. But during the middle of the season I noticed that they had bought in to the things my coaching staff and I were teaching them. We ended up 22-7 that season and got beat out by Mesilla Valley in the Quarterfinals at Santa Ana. That was a big step for us getting up there because I had a real young team mostly sophomores that year."
The Title Season
" We finished the season 29-2 and beat Texico for the State Championship. Winning the title at Dexter was special because it was three years of hard work paying off and the fact we made history by being the first ever Boys Basketball Champions there was special. It’s always a great feeling to win but to win the Championship with those boys and my coaching staff which consisted of my brother (Brad Voight) and my best friend (Tony Regalado) made it even better. That team was really close and played for one another. So I was really glad to see those boys accomplish their goal. I still have players from that team that will call me or text me things about winning the championship. That’s what it’s all about they will always have that memory to take with them and tell their kids or grandkids one day."
Coach Voight went on to express his time in Dexter, "The three years I spent at Dexter were great. I have nothing but great things to say about Dexter. The school, the people there, the community, and the kids they are all great. It’s a small place but they make you feel like family there."
Headed East
After the 2014 season coach Voight took the journey to Knox Central High School in Kentucky.
"The year in Kentucky was a good one for me personally and as a coach. Kentucky High School basketball is very tough and it is huge there. They have no classes (6A-A) none of that everyone plays everyone and there is only one state champion at the end of the season. It doesn’t matter if you are a school with 200 students or 2000 students. They have around 300 high schools and the competition level is great. To get to the state tournament you have to place first or second in your district then you can advance to regionals. There are 16 regions in the state and you must win the region to advance to the Sweet Sixteen is what they call it and they host that at The University of Kentucky Rupp Arena."
Knox Central
" My team finished 19-13 on the season and we got beat by 1 point in the regional semifinal to advance to the regional championship game for the right to go to the Sweet Sixteen. I learned a lot there as a coach. I believe it has helped me better myself as a coach. I faced a lot of great coaches over there with great schemes and strategies. It was a great learning experience."
Headed Back to New Mexico
"I’m glad to be back in New Mexico. I really missed it here last year. The main thing I missed was my support group. All my good friends and girlfriend were back here in New Mexico. I was in Kentucky and I missed not being here close to them. Basketball was going good last year but something was missing out of my life and it was not being around them. So being back here again with them means a lot to me and it feels good to be back."
Hondo Valley
The Hondo Valley Eagles as mentioned are the 3-seed in this years 2016 State Tournament at 26-2 and the favorite for several who follow each classification. Unlike at Dexter where he had to build a program, this time around he had to develop a program quickly after it lost talent from previous championships. Getting a program to stay at the top is difficult but they were able to maintain that by hiring a coach with the background to do it.
" We are a totally different team now than what we were in November and December and a lot of that has to do with them getting use to me as a coach and some of the boys getting comfortable playing. Hondo lost a few key players last year and they only returned 3 that even got to play. Some of these boys it’s their first time getting meaningful minutes. As their confidence has gotten better and as we have gotten healthy we have gotten better as a team. They have really bought into my system and the way that I want things done. They understand what we are trying to accomplish and they are in the gym working hard right now preparing to try and make a State run this year. That’s all I can ask for as a coach."
With a week left into the season, he reflects on a successful season no matter how they finish this 2016 state tournament and what he takes away from what has been and what could be a special season.
"The year at Hondo has seemed like it has went by fast especially the season. You know I haven’t really had a lot of time with these guys so we have been progressing during the season which is great to see. I didn’t get to work with them during the summer and most of them play football. So whenever their football season ended we had one week to prepare before our first game. We have come a long ways so far this season."
This may be just the introduction to a coach that will find his name among the best of them by the time he hangs the whistle up but it's the first chapter to a coach who understands how beautiful this game is and what it means to coach it. It's not a stretch to say though, that we will see him running down the PIT floor for another title game or two along this journey. We are likely to see him with the famous last day photo with the bracket after winning the final game. Though he loves his time at Hondo Valley I believe in a short time we will see him at a program in the big school division at a 6A or 5A. Either way coaching and coaching the right way I can promise you that.
Joshua J Grine, writes for NMPreps.com and can be reached at (505) 414-4313 or grinejosh@yahoo.com
Joshua J Grine of NMPreps.com
Today, at NMPreps.com we bring back a fan favorite feature were we interview and share the stories of the head coaches around the state. In the past we have run features on Saul Perez (Onate), Britt Cooper (Roswell), Jim Murphy (Cleveland), Roy Sanchez (Eldorado) and Damian Sequra (St. Pius X).
---
It's 6:00 am in the morning and the Hondo Valley High School Eagles are already on the track or running in the gym preparing for a chance at another state championship. They have gone through two-a-days, miles of running and a high standard to achieve what, maybe others, don't experience during their high school careers. This for a program coming off several appearances at the state championships to still be out early, sacrificing everyday to achieve what others have done before them. Reach the final day at the WisePies Arena aka The PIT.
This season however would be different as they have a new head coach sitting at the end of the bench. One that brings plenty of knowledge and history to his name. A coach who has built a program from scratch and finished with a title at another small school in New Mexico to a season in Kentucky. With a philosophy built on discipline and getting players to reach their fullest abilities. He brings an up tempo, aggressive approach with a defense first mindset. Add in a teamwork and the ability to have fun while not taking this game for granted.
Before we take you through the journey of one of the rising head coaches in the New Mexico, we introduce a coach who loves tee times on the golf course, a strong approach to family and friends. A coach who played four years of collegiate basketball at New Mexico Junior College and the University of the Soutwest (Hobbs). Also, one thing you may not know who his best sport was as a lefty on the baseball diamond.
Born Into It
When you think of the Voight name you could be assured that 'coach' will follow shorty behind or in front as the title before their first name. Now is the time we get to enjoy the name James Voight in New Mexico High School basketball. At the young age of 28 he has already accomplished more than many coaches who spend a lifetime coaching this beautiful game of basketball. He now serves as the head coach the 3-seed Hondo Valley Eagles of 1A basketball and a favorite to play for the title.
James Voights' journey has just begun but in a short 5-year span he has compiled 124 wins and only 28 losses so its difficult to not take notice of a coach barely on the rise to the top of the coaching fraternity. He has coached in two state championships - winning one in 2014 as the head coach of the Dexter High School Demons. It's not by accident that Voight has found so much success early into his coaching career as his entire family is considered a basketball family from his father to grandfather along with his brother, who served as his assistant on the 2014 title team. He'll be the first to inform you that this title of coach was one given to him long before he was born.
"I got into coaching because of my family. I was born and raised into a basketball coaching family. My grandpa coached for 35 years at the High School and College level and won over 700 games. He is in the Hall of Fame at Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky. My dad has always been a coach as well coaching at the High School and College level. He has won over 500 games. So I guess you could say I have always wanted to follow in their footsteps and hopefully be a better coach than them one day. I have a real passion and love for the game of basketball and just always wanted to be around the game. I thank my dad and grandpa for that."
With over 1300 wins to the Voight name, winning and coaching sort of go together but the reason this family does either of those first two comes from the love for the young men that they coach.
" I coach because of the kids. Coaching means a lot to me, probably more so than other people because of how much I’ve been raised around the game of basketball. It gives me the opportunity to stay involved with the game and helps me teach kids not only the game of basketball but life lessons as well. It’s all about the kids."
With a record of 124-28 in a short five years as a head coach, one title and a runner-up along with a great chance to reach the final day you have to begin to wonder how a young head coach can achieve the success that some coaches, coach their entire careers to achieve. Most head coaches have those special things that former players look at and could tell you why they had success. Most talk about a coach who has impacted them. So why at 28 years of age is he sky rocketing to the top so quickly? We let him explain.
"I like the relationships that you can build with your players and the chance you have to impact their life in a positive way. I want to help them be successful not only on the basketball court but try to help teach them life lessons off the court. I think if you ask any of my past players about my coaching they would let you know Coach Voight is all business on the court but off the court he is there for us in whatever we need help with."
The Journey Begins
It was during my third year at NMPreps.com, I was first introduced to the name James Voight as a young head coach with blue pants and a faux hawk. A young 25 year old at the time in only his second season as head coach of the Dexter Demons playing for the 2013 State Championship against the favorite in Laguna-Acoma. However, that season was only the start to what a journey his time at Dexter had been and what would follow into the 2014 season.
A season devoted to someone special and a program on the verge of something special
"My second year at Dexter was where we turned the corner and turned into title contenders. We had a good summer. I took the boys everywhere to play the bigger schools that summer. I only had the boys play up in division, it helped us tremendously because we were competing with the big schools and actually beating some of them. Right before the season started my mom lost her battle with cancer and I wanted to have a special season for her. We had a great season but I wish it would have ended a little different. We finished 27-4 and we had a 22 game win streak going that ended at The Pit. We lost to Laguna Acoma in the State Championship but it was a great experience for our team."
The Keys Are Yours
Before we dive into the special 2013-2014 season we take a look at the first year into his coaching career. When he was hired as the head coach for a program that had only been to the state championship game one time in the history of the school a runner up in 2004. A program that it took two years to win 17 games alone. The keys were handed over to a 24 year old with coaching in his blood and a plan to build a program.
"My first year at Dexter it was all about getting the kids to buy into the new system I was bringing to Dexter. It was getting them to believe that they could win a State Championship. Dexter really wasn’t known for basketball. They had only had one runner-up finish in 2004. The two years before I got there they had only combined for like 17 wins. But during the middle of the season I noticed that they had bought in to the things my coaching staff and I were teaching them. We ended up 22-7 that season and got beat out by Mesilla Valley in the Quarterfinals at Santa Ana. That was a big step for us getting up there because I had a real young team mostly sophomores that year."
The Title Season
" We finished the season 29-2 and beat Texico for the State Championship. Winning the title at Dexter was special because it was three years of hard work paying off and the fact we made history by being the first ever Boys Basketball Champions there was special. It’s always a great feeling to win but to win the Championship with those boys and my coaching staff which consisted of my brother (Brad Voight) and my best friend (Tony Regalado) made it even better. That team was really close and played for one another. So I was really glad to see those boys accomplish their goal. I still have players from that team that will call me or text me things about winning the championship. That’s what it’s all about they will always have that memory to take with them and tell their kids or grandkids one day."
Coach Voight went on to express his time in Dexter, "The three years I spent at Dexter were great. I have nothing but great things to say about Dexter. The school, the people there, the community, and the kids they are all great. It’s a small place but they make you feel like family there."
Headed East
After the 2014 season coach Voight took the journey to Knox Central High School in Kentucky.
"The year in Kentucky was a good one for me personally and as a coach. Kentucky High School basketball is very tough and it is huge there. They have no classes (6A-A) none of that everyone plays everyone and there is only one state champion at the end of the season. It doesn’t matter if you are a school with 200 students or 2000 students. They have around 300 high schools and the competition level is great. To get to the state tournament you have to place first or second in your district then you can advance to regionals. There are 16 regions in the state and you must win the region to advance to the Sweet Sixteen is what they call it and they host that at The University of Kentucky Rupp Arena."
Knox Central
" My team finished 19-13 on the season and we got beat by 1 point in the regional semifinal to advance to the regional championship game for the right to go to the Sweet Sixteen. I learned a lot there as a coach. I believe it has helped me better myself as a coach. I faced a lot of great coaches over there with great schemes and strategies. It was a great learning experience."
Headed Back to New Mexico
"I’m glad to be back in New Mexico. I really missed it here last year. The main thing I missed was my support group. All my good friends and girlfriend were back here in New Mexico. I was in Kentucky and I missed not being here close to them. Basketball was going good last year but something was missing out of my life and it was not being around them. So being back here again with them means a lot to me and it feels good to be back."
Hondo Valley
The Hondo Valley Eagles as mentioned are the 3-seed in this years 2016 State Tournament at 26-2 and the favorite for several who follow each classification. Unlike at Dexter where he had to build a program, this time around he had to develop a program quickly after it lost talent from previous championships. Getting a program to stay at the top is difficult but they were able to maintain that by hiring a coach with the background to do it.
" We are a totally different team now than what we were in November and December and a lot of that has to do with them getting use to me as a coach and some of the boys getting comfortable playing. Hondo lost a few key players last year and they only returned 3 that even got to play. Some of these boys it’s their first time getting meaningful minutes. As their confidence has gotten better and as we have gotten healthy we have gotten better as a team. They have really bought into my system and the way that I want things done. They understand what we are trying to accomplish and they are in the gym working hard right now preparing to try and make a State run this year. That’s all I can ask for as a coach."
With a week left into the season, he reflects on a successful season no matter how they finish this 2016 state tournament and what he takes away from what has been and what could be a special season.
"The year at Hondo has seemed like it has went by fast especially the season. You know I haven’t really had a lot of time with these guys so we have been progressing during the season which is great to see. I didn’t get to work with them during the summer and most of them play football. So whenever their football season ended we had one week to prepare before our first game. We have come a long ways so far this season."
This may be just the introduction to a coach that will find his name among the best of them by the time he hangs the whistle up but it's the first chapter to a coach who understands how beautiful this game is and what it means to coach it. It's not a stretch to say though, that we will see him running down the PIT floor for another title game or two along this journey. We are likely to see him with the famous last day photo with the bracket after winning the final game. Though he loves his time at Hondo Valley I believe in a short time we will see him at a program in the big school division at a 6A or 5A. Either way coaching and coaching the right way I can promise you that.
Joshua J Grine, writes for NMPreps.com and can be reached at (505) 414-4313 or grinejosh@yahoo.com
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- By kyle h
- BASEBALL MESSAGE BOARD
- 59 Replies