Forty players.

Three teams.

Two hours.

One gymnasium.

Ernie Rodriguez should be a time-management consultant. What the Santa Fe Indian School head boys basketball coach has endured for 10 years makes him an expert at getting every little bit out of every single minute in Francis L. Abeyta Memorial Gymnasium.

His plight is no different than any other coach — boys or girls — who has graced the halls of SFIS.

"The challenges that our students face are immense," Rodriguez says. "And having one gym for 40 guys for two hours ... What we have to compact in the time we have is significant."

If only there was another gym ...

Wait a minute, standing majestically next to the school's current basketball home is the future. The new facility will rival the gyms at Pojoaque (Ben Luján), Santa Fe High (Toby Roybal Memorial) and Española Valley (Edward Medina) as the finest and largest in the region.

Construction on it began in 2007, but for the past two years, it has been inert. Funding for the gym ran dry and the school has yet to find additional money for its completion. It would be nice even if the gym only had a court and baskets, but that is exactly what it's missing.

And so another season of Santa Fe Indian School basketball commences with a standstill dream overlooking the current reality.

But the effort to build a competitive — and perhaps even a thriving — basketball team does not yield.

"We don't always get to where we want to get," Rodriguez says. "But I can honestly say, our kids accept the challenges. We're not shying away from it and we're not using these challenges as any kind of an excuse. Our goal is to compete with the best in the state."

The 2009-10 edition of the Braves might very well live up to that task.

Coming off a 16-14 record in 2008-09, SFIS returns eight seniors and 11 letter winners from a team that advanced to the Class AAA state quarterfinals, where it lost 84-50 to eventual champion Albuquerque Hope Christian.

Eight months later, the Braves find themselves still using the Huskies as a measuring stick. They will know more about their progress Tuesday when they travel to Albuquerque for the big, early-season battle.

"We gotta keep working hard and keep the same mind-set," senior guard Trevor Merhege says.

That mind-set is built upon pressuring the ball all 94 feet of the court, using speed and quickness, and showing patience and good judgment on offense. SFIS showed all those elements in season-opening 89-39 win over Laguna-Acoma. That result showed a 40-point improvement by the Braves from last year (they beat the Hawks 60-50, also in the season opener).

What Rodriguez likes about his team is its strength and size, something the Braves have mostly lacked. He has interchangeable parts in Jody Atencio (6-foot-3), Darren Pedro (6-1) and his son, Stevan Rodriguez (6-1).

"I know in past teams, we've had a couple of physical players," Rodriguez says. "On this team we have more than just a couple. We got kids who will flat-out battle."

He points to 5-8 guard Jamaal Anderson as an example of that. His broad shoulders and strong upper body make him a handful for most defenders. And his leaping ability makes him an asset on the boards — he averaged 16 rebounds per contest last year after transferring from Thoreau.

"I just got to see the game
and notice everything that goes on," Anderson says. "Then I
just had to get to the spot where I need to be."

But even with all the talent and experience returning, the Braves are still learning to play together. While most schools have the summer to go to camps and play in open gym, the SFIS varsity is spread across the state.

Rodriguez says the team got together for one camp in the summer, but he added that several players often played in area recreation and private leagues together.

Still, it's one thing to play with a couple of players as opposed to 12.

"This bunch has got to get to know each other," Rodriguez says. "They have to learn to play according to what each other does. Other teams have that opportunity to a greater extent, but we have to do it quicker."

Rodriguez knew that in the summer. He's known it for the last decade.

And he still gets the most he can out of the limits he faces.

That's the value he gets from two hours for 40 players.

Contact James Barron at 986-3045 or jbarron@sfnewmexican.com. Read his blog, the Read Barron, at thereadbarron.com.