Few breaks for many prep basketball athletes

LOS LUNAS — Old timers will remember a time when there were four distinct high school sports seasons — fall was football, basketball belonged to winter, baseball sprung in the spring and summer was reserved for vacations. Those days appear to be over.

Basketball is a prime case study with this dynamic. Local gyms buzz with activity in the spring and summer, hosting hoop tournaments and camps.

“It’s gotten crazy, I’d say in the last 10 years,” said Jesse Hathoot, Valencia boys basketball coach. “Basketball, especially in this state, has become an 11, 12-month-a-year sport.”

New Mexico Activities Association guidelines that once put specific limits on out-of-season competitions have been relaxed in recent years. Individual school districts have discretion over how they want to handle off-season play.

Athletes can now play their chosen sport or sports almost anytime, with fewer restrictions on coaches. Gone are the days of a specific “season” for basketball, football, volleyball, soccer, cheer and other sanctioned sports. Many athletes split their time between high school and club teams.

Hathoot and fellow boys basketball coaches Pablo Gabaldon, of Los Lunas, and Belen’s Donald Marquez all entered squads at the three-day Los Lunas team camp, which ended June 1. They were joined by other varsity squads from around New Mexico, including Farmington, Roswell and Las Cruces.

In addition, nearly 20 sub-varsity squads kept busy in the LLHS auxiliary gym.

“This is probably our sixth or seventh weekend that we’ve played since our season ended in March,” Hathoot said during the LLHS camp.

A few days earlier, Valencia was one of the host schools for the Kenny Thomas I-25 Tournament.

“It has pretty much turned into an all-year deal,” Gabaldon said of the busy schedule. “I’m OK with it. Selfishly, I do like to have my kids as much as I can.”

The situation for Belen’s Marquez is a little different. He goes from the traditional high school basketball schedule to head coach of the BHS golf team.

“I enjoy it. It keeps me young,” said Marquez. “Golf gives me kind of a break. One of my assistants will take over (basketball) for a little, then I’ll be back for the summer.”

The trio of coaches agree that there are good and bad aspects to the extended play. Programs can host tournaments to raise funds for camps and other needs.

“We’re going to Denver for the Gold Crown — it pays for that,” said Hathoot about a popular team camp that all three Valencia County programs attended.

The bottom line for many coaches, including Hathoot, is, “If you are not playing right now, you are going to fall behind,” other schools. “If we’re taking time off, someone else is working. It’s definitely time-consuming and exhausting.”

That additional commitment does not come with added compensation for any of the coaches, who volunteer their time in the offseason. It is also an added commitment and expense for parents and families, spending plenty of spring and summer hours on the road and in the gym, too.

“They seem to love it,” said Marquez. “They love to see their kids play.”

Parents and athletes in other sports have a similar routine, and may echo what the basketball coaches believe.

“A lot of the kids love it,” Gabaldon said, with some athletes pleading, “Come on coach, let’s play one more weekend.”

“I’d rather the kids be in the gym on weekends instead of in front of the TV or video games,” Hathoot adds.

For those looking ahead, official high school basketball practice begins Nov. 17 — only 145 days away.