LOS LUNAS
It has been a season touched with sadness and pain for the Los Lunas High School tennis team.
In January, longtime LLHS tennis coach Michael Velasquez died at the age of 69 after a brief illness. When Velasquez became sick late in 2022, he resigned from coaching, which his widow, Barbara, called “his passion.”
“He meant everything to us,” said Samantha Dodd, a senior for the Tigers.
“Mr. Velasquez started the team here. He was pretty much the heart of the team,” Dodd said, fighting back tears.
Stepping into the void is new coach Kukutla Motlojoa, who goes by K.K.
“It’s a very, very sad situation. It has not been an easy transition,” said Motlojoa.
Motlojoa has had support in his new role. Barbara Velasquez, who was an assistant under her husband, has offered advice and has been to several matches for encouragement. The players have also stepped up.
“I couldn’t be more appreciative of the work that they’ve done,” Motlojoa said.
It was a tennis scholarship which brought Motlojoa to the United States from Lesotho, a country landlocked in the middle of South Africa. He spent two years at New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, finished up his degree at Southern Virginia University, and then returned to New Mexico.
“I was welcomed with warm hands, open arms,” he said. “I am grateful for the opportunity. I don’t take it lightly at all.”
Before the season, the Tigers decided to honor their late coach by playing hard and wearing blue
ribbons.
“Whatever they need to do, whatever they want to do to honor the late coach, I’m totally for that,” said Motlojoa.
The ribbons are pinned on equipment bags and worn on shoes to keep the memory of coach Velasquez close by. The ribbons are also offered to opposing players, many of whom seem touched by the gesture and wear the symbols during their matches.
“With the loss of our coach, I was hoping that we could all stay together as a team and continue the program so it’s very strong,” explained Dodd.
“We all miss him dearly. We all want to make him proud so we’re going to do what we can to make him proud.”
Mike Powers spent more than 40 years as a television news and sports anchor, mostly in the Albuquerque market. He has won numerous awards including New Mexico Sportscaster of the Year. He covers a wide range of sports, including the Valencia County prep scene.