1-on-1 with Hatch Valley's New Head Coach
J Grine of NMPreps.com
Today, we take a few questions with newly hired Hatch Valley head coach Raul Tellez, the former assistant coach at Las Cruces High School.
More: Sit Down With New Socorro HC
JG: Tell us about your background?
RT: I have 16 years of coaching experience and have coached from elementary players to high school players. I was involved with the AAU circuit for many years and recently was the JV and Varsity Assistant coach at Las Cruces High School for 6 years.
JG: Who are some of your mentors?
RT: Greg Foster of the Milwaukee Bucks has been my mentor since his coaching stint at UTEP. He was able to coach my son for AAU so we talked frequently about the game and coaching in general. He has a wealth of knowledge not just as a former pro but as a NBA coach so when he spoke I soaked everything up. He is always a phone call away and is willing to help in any way possible. Another mentor I have is George Maya (Mayfield girls basketball head coach). Coach Maya is a very personable coach to his players and other coaches. Just this past weekend I was able to sit down and talk about the Hatch program with him and he always gives sound advise. He's built the girls program into the powerhouse it is today but it wasn't like that when he took over the program.
JG: Tell us about your time with Las Cruces?
RT: Coaching at Las Cruces High was a great experience for me because I was able to learn all aspects of running a 6A basketball program. Coaching is the easy part, its the other things that coaches have to deal with that some people don't understand and I was lucky to have coached under a head coach that included me in all aspects of the program. I was a part of the 2012-2013 state title team and experienced going to the pit every year. It was really a blessing to be apart of the Las Cruces High program.
JG: What is your philosophy?
RT: I am deeply passionate about player development in life and the game of basketball through a system of play that our team can execute efficiently. This will allow us to experience the consistent results of being successful on and off the court. I believe the promotion and enhancement of student learning and personal development is the primary purpose of athletics. I believe student learning and personal development includes the development of intellectual, emotional, social, physical and ethical capacities.
JG: What style of play will we see at Hatch Valley next season?
RT: You will see an up tempo style with a focus on defense.
JG: What are you looking forward to with Hatch basketball program?
RT: I am really looking forward to building the Hatch program into a program that the community will be proud of.
JG: What do you know about your team and district next season?
RT: We have a great group of young men excited to work hard this summer to get better. Socorro just hired a new coach so we are going to see some fresh faces out there. Silver City has been very tough and their coach does a great job getting them ready. Cobre and Hot Springs always have tough kids so Its going to be an exciting district this year but we will be right there in the mix.
J Grine of NMPreps.com
Today, we take a few questions with newly hired Hatch Valley head coach Raul Tellez, the former assistant coach at Las Cruces High School.
More: Sit Down With New Socorro HC
JG: Tell us about your background?
RT: I have 16 years of coaching experience and have coached from elementary players to high school players. I was involved with the AAU circuit for many years and recently was the JV and Varsity Assistant coach at Las Cruces High School for 6 years.
JG: Who are some of your mentors?
RT: Greg Foster of the Milwaukee Bucks has been my mentor since his coaching stint at UTEP. He was able to coach my son for AAU so we talked frequently about the game and coaching in general. He has a wealth of knowledge not just as a former pro but as a NBA coach so when he spoke I soaked everything up. He is always a phone call away and is willing to help in any way possible. Another mentor I have is George Maya (Mayfield girls basketball head coach). Coach Maya is a very personable coach to his players and other coaches. Just this past weekend I was able to sit down and talk about the Hatch program with him and he always gives sound advise. He's built the girls program into the powerhouse it is today but it wasn't like that when he took over the program.
JG: Tell us about your time with Las Cruces?
RT: Coaching at Las Cruces High was a great experience for me because I was able to learn all aspects of running a 6A basketball program. Coaching is the easy part, its the other things that coaches have to deal with that some people don't understand and I was lucky to have coached under a head coach that included me in all aspects of the program. I was a part of the 2012-2013 state title team and experienced going to the pit every year. It was really a blessing to be apart of the Las Cruces High program.
JG: What is your philosophy?
RT: I am deeply passionate about player development in life and the game of basketball through a system of play that our team can execute efficiently. This will allow us to experience the consistent results of being successful on and off the court. I believe the promotion and enhancement of student learning and personal development is the primary purpose of athletics. I believe student learning and personal development includes the development of intellectual, emotional, social, physical and ethical capacities.
JG: What style of play will we see at Hatch Valley next season?
RT: You will see an up tempo style with a focus on defense.
JG: What are you looking forward to with Hatch basketball program?
RT: I am really looking forward to building the Hatch program into a program that the community will be proud of.
JG: What do you know about your team and district next season?
RT: We have a great group of young men excited to work hard this summer to get better. Socorro just hired a new coach so we are going to see some fresh faces out there. Silver City has been very tough and their coach does a great job getting them ready. Cobre and Hot Springs always have tough kids so Its going to be an exciting district this year but we will be right there in the mix.
