First-year basketball program takes root at Española college
10/13/2008
With the women's first game scheduled for 6 p.m. Oct. 24 against Westminister College in the Eagle Memorial Sportsplex on the Española campus, Todd Huffman, women's head coach, was on the telephone Monday, tracking down the Lady Eagles' yet-to-be-delivered uniforms.
"It's crazy," Huffman said. "This is the first time I've started a program from scratch. The start-up cost is much higher than the Athletics' Exploration Committee thought. And sleep — I don't know what sleep is.
"I feel like I've already coached a season, putting in about 80 hours a week, and the season has yet to start," Huffman said.
Huffman, who last served as assistant women's basketball coach at Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill., and head men's coach Enzley Mitchell IV were hired in June. They started their new jobs in July.
Mitchell, also the athletic director, brings four years of college coaching experience to the first intercollegiate program in the school's history.
"Todd and I started in July and we hit the ground running," Mitchell said. "The biggest challenge was scheduling and recruiting."
Three players on the men's team were recruited from the region. James Gallegos and Jeremiah Cordova played for Española High and Peter Aquino comes from the Santa Fe Indian School.
The remaining players on the Eagles' roster are out-of-state recruits.
A couple of Mitchell's go-to guys are Eddie Simmons, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Chicago with NBA range; and Darrell Adams, 6-foot-9, from Elizabethtown, N.C.
"Simmons is a flat-out scorer and Adamas is one of the best shot blockers I've ever seen," Mitchell said.
The women's roster also has three players from Northern New Mexico.
Kara Tafoya, who ripped the nets for more than 1,000 points at Pojoaque High, transferred from Adams State to join the fledgling Lady Eagles' team.
Tafoya said it was kind of weird when she first heard about the proposed NNMC program because she never thought the college would have a basketball team.
"Transferring to Northern was a no-brainer for me," Tafoya said. "I'm from Santa Clara, and this is an opportunity to be close to home and play in front of my family. I'm excited."
Although just 5-foot-2, Tafoya said she was able to compete at Adams State thanks to a weight-training program.
Huffman said he likes Tafoya's court sense and her ability to break down a defense by herself.
Rachel Berryhill of Española and Gabrielle Gonzales from Peñasco are the other two women from Northern New Mexico.
Huffman said Berryhill is a little rusty because she hasn't played competitively for three years, but the 5-foot, 10-inch forward is "starting to get her game back."
Gonzales, fresh out of high school, is a defensive dynamo. "Gabriel loves defense," Huffman said. "She'll give fits to whomever she guards."
Kristal Hill at 6-foot-1 will be the tallest Lady Eagle. A transfer from Weatherford College in Texas, Hall will be joined by Ashley Davis, 5'-10", another Weatherford transfer who was highly recruited by NCAA Division 1 schools.
Torreya Edwards is a prize recruit transfer from the College of the Sequoias in Eureka, Calif. Edwards will add instant offense. She averaged 20 points per game last year and was an all-conference point guard.
Since the basketball program is in its infancy, the school will be classified as an independent this year, playing under the U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association, a governing body for small colleges. Future plans include a conference made up of regional universities, Mitchell said.
Despite being a first-year team, Huffman said the Lady Eagles will not go unnoticed.
"I want to play in a post-season USCAA tournament," Huffman said. "I didn't accept this job just to be mediocre."
And the uniforms? As of Thursday, they had yet to arrive.
"They tell me the uniforms are on the way," Mitchell said. "UPS will save the day."
To view the women's and men's schedules go to www.nnmc.edu
Contact John Knoll at johnknoll77@hotmail.com.