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Santa Fe native Joe Estrada becomes new head girl’s basketball coach at Espanola Valley

He recently was head girl’s coach at Valencia, but decided to head north and landed with the Sundevils  

By Arnie Leshin
Commentary by Arnie Leshin

The Espanola Valley girl’s basketball program has had quality teams and faithful fans, but has never hoisted the state championship trophy.

Now it welcomes new head coach Joe Estrada. A Santa Fe native, he knows the area well after being an assistant girl’s coach at Capital and Pojoaque Valley. 

After the Elkettes engineered a undefeated season and tacked on back-to-back 3A state titles, he answered a call to coach at Tularosa High, a 2A small-town school approximately a four-hour drive from Santa Fe. 

The Wildcats had never won a state championship until he arrived. In five years, he compiled a 116-16 record, won a 2A state title in 2013-14 over Texico, 49-46, and bringing a 17-game win streak to the final.

Except for the initial season when he went 14-12, he took Tularosa to the state tournament each time. In 2014-15, his team was unbeaten in 31 starts before falling 43-37 to Texico in the 3A state final. It also had a 16-game win skein stopped in the state tournament, 56-52 versus Clayton. And each time it carried long winning streaks down the stretch.

His teams at Tularosa became threats to the other small schools down south. He brought All-State honors to several of his players. He could have run for mayor down there, but settled for the post-season parades. He also designed uniform shirts to say “Lady Wildcats.”  

Then he decided to head north to 6A Valencia in Los Lunas in the same role. He thought a change would be good, would get him closer to his friends and relatives in Santa Fe.

But his two years with the Jaguars didn’t go well, nothing like his success story with the Wildcats. They were both losing seasons. He was still officially head coach there when he checked out vacant positions up in the Santa Fe area. He applied for several, even took his name out of the running the morning after interviewing at one school.    

His interest had switched further north, to Sundevil country. He knew about the hoop programs there, the quality of the players, and realized next season’s squad would be returning four starters to go with the same number of talented freshmen. It has sufficient height and a sharpshooting junior in guard Kaylee Chavez, who will be playing her fourth year. 

He has already won state two times, why not win one at Espanola? 

The Sundevils were among the top teams in 5A in Cindy Roybal’s three years there as head coach, but never made it past the quarterfinals. After Roybal accepted the vacant position at 6A Santa Fe High, assistant Bobby Romero was named head coach, but not rehired after one season.

In steps Estrada. Now he and his girlfriend, Sandy, are much closer to their relatives and friends and Sandy can spent more time with her ill mother in Las Vegas, N.M. 

He was among the finalists for the Sundevils’ job, was selected recently, and officially signed this past Monday where he’s also friends with Espanola head boy’s basketball coach James Branch.

He brings the program a winning attitude. He has won state at two different sites. He’s happy to make this move, to take over a program that has long waited to celebrate at the University of New Mexico Pit. He’s done it twice. 

That, and a return to the northern part of the state.

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