LOS LUNAS — David Medina has resigned as girls basketball coach at Los Lunas High School after one season. The Tigers finished with a record of 6-22 overall, and 3-7 in District 5-5A.
Mike Powers | News-Bulletin photo
LLHS first-year girls basketball coach David Medina resigned on Friday.
“Relieved” is how Medina described his resignation, which came one day after the Tigers lost to Albuquerque High in the district tournament.
“When you’re not having fun anymore, it is time to get out,” Medina said about being a new coach in the program. “Too many headaches.”
Medina, 57, said the schedule was “brutal,” making it difficult for players to gain confidence. “The talent level (at LLHS) is not what it used to be. It just isn’t. It’s not that I’m afraid of working with kids, it’s just tiring — it’s too hard for them to be competitive.”
Medina believes the community needs to be patient.
“Upperclassmen parents wanted the results right away,” he said. “The position we were in was just too hard.
“It is disappointing because I know it takes time,” Medina said about leaving after just one season. “They need to have someone in there who’s going to have fun and have a willingness to be there three years at least. Otherwise, it’s going to become a graveyard of coaches.”
In a statement to the News-Bulletin, Wilson Holland, Los Lunas Schools director of athletics, said, “LLS would like to thank coach Medina for his time and effort. LLS is hoping to have a new girls basketball coach named by the end of March.”
Medina is well known to area basketball fans after coaching the Belen High School boys for many years before moving on to Del Norte High School, where he led the girls’ program for 14 years.
The resignation will bring an end to a family rivalry with his daughter, Micaela, who is the girls basketball coach at Valencia High School.
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.
669
April 19, 2024
