Hobbs and fellow assistant Glenn Miller were assistant coaches when Ollie was a player. Abbott apparently learned a lot from Task-er, his mentor. Daelyn Pacheco, Santa Rosa High School, senior: "Easily a double-double with points and assists every game". But it was a requirement for the job when Abbott coached the Scorpions. The next two weeks, the Eagles ran two miles every other day. We knew what people were going to try to do, so it was a matter of who could execute a little bit better.. He always told us that an assist was worth more than two points. They really werent happy about that.. [19], National champion Such scenarios ran through Russ Gilmore's mind before the 1998-99 season when presented the opportunity to coach the boys' basketball team at Hobbs High School (New Mexico). In the championship game, a precursor to many memorable state tournament contests between Hobbs and Albuquerque High, the senior-led Eagles were seeking their third straight basketball crown. One of them would pop out, catch and look for the other one inside. Offensive line coach Harry Hiestand also departed, choosing to . Were fighting to try and get those home games in the first round and quarterfinals and if we can get to the Pit, see where everything falls from there.. He wound up enlisting for three years, and spent much of his time as a physical activity specialist in Ft. Carson, Colorado. Tasker, who leaves as the third winningest coach in boys high school basketball history, knows that his regimented life is about to change drastically. If you are coaching high school basketball, you will be working with a lot of different personalities that each have various learning styles. There were players like Duane Henry and Randall Pugh, who both played college ball for Trinity University. It marks the end of his coaching career at Hobbs High School _ an era in which boys yearned to play for the man with an unwavering passion for the game. Victor Rotunno. [13] The Colonials finished the season with a winning season for the first time in three years, and Hobbs had two players receive conference postseason honors for the first time in three years as well. We could have played with anyone in the country.. Head Coach. Withering opponents with a trademark full-court press, the Eagles did it to everybody. -Eagle Teams From 1950-1983 -The Ralph Tasker Story In 53 years of coaching boys basketball in New Mexico, Taskers career record stands at 1,119 wins and 290 losses. Verbal (linguistic): Prefer using words, both in speech and writing. (Courtesy of Rick Shed), Members of the 1970 Hobbs state championship team reunite in Albuquerque last March for 50th anniversary of the '68-'69 state title squad. Duane is the glue that kept in touch with everyone, Clampitt stated. After graduating from HobbsHigh, Abbott went on to attend FortLewis Junior College in Durango,Colorado, where he played basketball well enough to earn All-Conference honors. They took it to us.. We were always in better shape that the teams we played.. He had spent the previous four years at Lovington and led that school to a state championship. Hobbs played for the Rhode Island Gulls of the USBL in July 1985 before returning to Connecticut and finishing his Bachelor of Science degree in family studies in the summer of 1986. They started pressing us when we were in the parking lot. Hobbs Coaching Records: 1954-98: Ralph Tasker: 1003-215.823: 1999-12: Russ Gilmore: 288-84.774: 2013-18: Mike Smith: 153-59.722: 2019-Shelby Reeves: 71-25.740 . ``If we want Hobbs to grow, than we should keep our most valuable asset, and right now thats our basketball team.. He said they could outrun us. Coach Tasker always stressed team effort. Then, he joined Jim Calhoun as an assistant at UConn where he stayed from 19932001. Hed already been a part of the program since the 1949-50 season and had implemented his full-court press by the 1955-56 season. Hobbs' stats have been entered for the 74-56 win @ Clovis on 1/27/2023 7:00 PM. JAN. 10, 1970: Hobbs 143, Lubbock Dunbar 84. They dont play the third-place game anymore, Ashcraft said, but it used to be when you lost in the semifinals youd turn around and play the third-place game.. Read even more great stories in this edition of Focus on Lea County. We know there are 5 or 6 teams that could possibly win this, said Reeves. Visual (spatial) : Prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding. Youd think hed slow it down and spread it out to try and keep the score down, Ashcraft said. 16 overall in the country in the class of 2024. To improve their quickness, they wore heavy oilfield boots while running the football stadium bleachers. Nowhere in sports is consistency more valued than on the high school level, where a coach can lead fathers and then their sons at the same school. (Courtesy of Rick Shed), This is a team photo of the 1969-70 Hobbs squad that won the large school New Mexico boys basketball title. (Jacey Zembal/The Wolfpack Central) Hobbs was known for his enthusiastic demeanor on the sidelines. Hobbs beat Albuquerque High 123-87 for the title. ``The majority of students and the community know they are losing something great, said Pete Lewis, another former Eagle who went on to play at Oklahoma and has returned to coach Hobbs junior varsity team. The knowledge he gave us about basketball was big for me., From Tasker to Reeves, not much has changed. Board President Patricia D. Jones said in December that Tasker appeared to be breaking a gentlemans agreement by discussing it. Abbott guided Farmington to four state tournament appearances, including one third-place finish. Lets say this: It was like a hurricane hit me, said Albuquerque coaching legend Jim Hulsman, who was coaching in his first title contest. The Eagles, packed with nine seniors, won the state title during the 1969-70 season, just like they did the year before, and the year before that. 2 for the. They never slowed down for a minute. During his time in the Army, hed worked in the intermural office at Ft. Carson, and putting together sports leagues felt like a natural fit. They are: Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Mike Hall and J. R. Pinnock. ``Its a terrible empty feeling, Tasker said in an interview at the gymnasium that bears his name. . His team compiled a 5-11 record competing in the rural Crawford County League. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps for most of the next five years, being stationed in Missouri, Texas, and Kirtland Field in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Eaglettes advanced to the Class 4A Region II finals before falling to Dallas Lincoln. [17] NCAA coach Rob Evans is a former Hobbs Eagle player under Tasker,[18] and Nolan Richardson credits Tasker with inspiring the "40 Minutes of Hell" defense which he popularized at the University of Arkansas. The Eagles press and score a lot of points. FIRST TEAM Asia. Abbott, who passed away recently, attended Hobbs High, graduating in 1959. The 2018-19 All-Southwest District girls high school basketball teams, as selected by a media panel from the district: DIVISION I FIRST TEAM: Destiny Bohanon, Huber Heights Wayne, 5-foot-9, senior, 15.1 points per game; Chance Gray, West Chester Lakota West, 5-9, fr., 14.8; Mya Jackson, Wilmington, 5-7, sr., 25.0; Gabbie Marshall, Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame, 5-9, [] But Abbott had far more success in his career than games like that. We ran into all sorts of methods. School Hub School Hub Clubhouse Clubhouse Schedule Schedule Roster Roster Coaches Coaches JV Team JV Team Freshman Team Freshman Team. FROM TASKER TO REEVES, NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED FOR HOBBS BOYS BASKETBALL, https://www.nmact.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/nmaa-logo-full.png, https://www.nmact.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/hobbs-boys-basketball.jpeg, LORDSBURGS QUINCY CONNOR CURRENTLY LEADS STATE IN SCORING, 2023 Nusenda Credit Union State Basketball Brackets & Highlights, Coaches Comment On State Basketball Tournament Talent, NUSENDA CREDIT UNION STATE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS & TICKETS, Monday Morning News presented by Final Forms. It made it very difficult for someone to throw the ball in, Henry says. We had size and quickness. The Hobbs Eagles have dominated the court pretty much since basketball came to New Mexico, and certainly for most of legendary coach Ralph Tasker's lengthy reign, but there was something awfully special about the '69-70 Hobbs team that went 26-1 and included standouts like Larry Williams and Larry Robinson. [14] The 1969-70 Eagles team averaged 114.6 points per game and scored 100 points or more in 14 consecutive games, both national high school records. Coach Tasker was usually the good guy and his assistant coaches were usually the ones that did the discipline. I learned how to talk fast broadcasting his games. Required fields are marked *. Hobbs (16-7) is headed to the state tournament for the 39th time since Tasker took over the program in 1949. Basketball was the . (Hobbs High School archives), Coach Ralph Tasker poses with his Hobbs High School boys basketball team during practice in 1969-70. But Abbott was a Hobbs guy, an Eagle first. A high school girl's basketball game erupted into a violent brawl last weekend when an argument between one of the referees and a coach led to a heated blowout. The new Boys & Girls Club had 1,400 kids signed up and averaged 350 visitors a day over the summer, Clampitt noted. He was 43. 5:05 p.m., 10/17/2022 60 Two and a half months later, Tasker was told by the school board that this season would be his last. Tim McPhail died Tuesday at his residence after a year-long battle with brain cancer. During his tenure, the Colonials won two Atlantic 10 Conference championships and made three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2005-07. Hobbs has 17 state titles, but none since 2015. But another winning season has done little to ease the pain Tasker has felt since he announced last summer, under pressure from the Hobbs School Board, that he would retire. And as a result, the Eagles loss margin that day was in the 50-point range. The Eagles hope to avoid a third setback on Friday night against the Cavemen. Eva Love, La Cueva High School, junior: Versatile guard with a good range and leadership skills, Good mid-range jumper: Leilani Love, Albuquerque High School, senior: One of the top post players in the state with range off the block as well, scored over 1,000 points in her career, Aspen Salazar, Centennial High School, senior: The top scoring player from the south at almost 20 points a game, passed the 1,000 point mark this season, Caitlin Turnbow, Organ Mountain High School, junior: 510 forward averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds a game, Rock solid, Kera Beall-Gleason, Kirtland Central High School, junior: Can hurt you in many different ways, Kiera Livingston, Gallup High School, senior: A great shooter, Alyssa Maes, St. Pius X, junior: A great playmaker, Azalia Malizia, Valencia High School, junior: A point guard with speed and a pesky defender, Kathleen Obisike, Hope Christian School, senior: Forward capable of a double-double almost every game, scored over 1,000 points in her career and grabbed over 1,000 rebounds, Rylie Whitehair, Gallup High School, sophomore: Very tough post who draws a bunch of double teams, Emma Lewis, Santa Fe Indian School, sophomore: Tough to guard and a good rebounder, Alexis Pacheco, Robertson High School, sophomore: Fast and can create havoc, Lauryn Pecos, St. Michaels High School, senior: Versatile player that can run the point or beat you in the paint, Morgan Crisp, Clayton High School, senior: Sharpshooting guard with unlimited range, Analise MacAuley, Penasco High School, junior: Versatile double-double player with good footwork, Brycelyn Martinez, Escalante High School, senior: Experienced player, game changer that does it all, Daelyn Pacheco, Santa Rosa High School, senior: Easily a double-double with points and assists every game, Isabella Poison, Santa Rosa High School, senior: Dominant on the block offensively and defensively, Bailey Vigil, Dulce High School, junior: Usually the best player on the floor in most of her games, Harmony Abalos, Cliff High School, senior: Point guard who leads her team in every game, Alyce Apachito, ToHajiilee High School, senior/Tyler-Rose Apachito, ToHajiilee High School, senior: Both are experienced players who average double figures, Alyce is unstoppable on the low post, Jordan Clifton, Cliff High School, senior: Experienced post player, Tough to stop inside and out, Tanna Crisp, Roy/Quemado, senior: A post who can play inside or outside, Addy Offutt, Animas High School, senior: Aggressive defensively and outworks everyone on the court, can shoot from the outside or take you off the dribble, Hard to stop everywhere on the floor, Isabelle Sena, Melrose High School, senior: Experienced point guard and glue for that group, Kenyon Aguino, Volcano Vista, sophomore: Can play inside or out with his length and soft touch, Sean Alter, Volcano Vista, senior: Experienced 69 post player that is difficult to defend, Jalin Holland, Los Lunas High School, sophomore: Can score in a variety of ways with excellent ball-handling skills, Andrew Hill, Sandia High School, senior: 62 guard with good ball-handling skills, capable of putting up a big number, Brandon Kehres, Organ Mountain High School, junior: 65 forward who is the top player in District 3 and can get his points in a variety of ways, Michael Mackey, Hobbs High School, senior: Three-year starter scored 51 points earlier this season against Clovis, The Eagles go as he goes, Alex Alfaro, Deming High School, senior: 61 captain, hes our district MVP, Alexis Dominguez, Highland High School, senior: An experienced guard with very high basketball IQ, He gets his shot off quickly and knows when to make the right pass.