First-year Demonettes coach Roybal resigns after 11 straight losses
Leader with history of turning teams around went 0-10 in District 2-6A
The Cindy Roybal era at Santa Fe High made it through one year.
Roybal resigned last week as the school’s head girls basketball coach, citing personal matters. She declined to elaborate.
Roybal, who has enjoyed a highly successful high school and collegiate coaching career of more than 30 years, guided the Demonettes to a 9-18 record this season, and an 0-10 mark in District 2-6A.
Larry Chavez, Santa Fe Public Schools athletic director, said Roybal expressed similar reasons for her decision, and that the position will open up for applications Monday.
“We do appreciate Roybal’s time here at Santa Fe High, and we do wish her luck in the future,” Chavez said.
Roybal came to the Demonettes program after a successful three-year stint at Española Valley, in which she compiled a 71-16 record and three straight semifinal appearances in the Class 4A (in 2015) and 5A (in 2016 and 2017). Roybal promised to change the program’s culture around, even changing the team’s name on its jersey from the traditional Demonettes to “Lady Demons.”
This was her first stint at the big school level, and it got off to a rocky start with a 3-6 mark.
The Demonettes turned the season around by winning six of their next seven, behind Adonica Baca-Martinez and Taylor Salazar plus the improved play on the defensive side.
Unfortunately, the excitement heading into the 2-6A season lasted all of a quarter before Salazar tore her right ACL at Albuquerque Sandia on Jan. 16. Santa Fe High lost its last 11 games after that.
“She started to see the development of skills and fundamentals, and she started to see the girls click at times during the season,” Chavez said. “You saw the growth in the program, and she did start to lay that foundation for the program to continue to move forward.”
The downside to Roybal’s departure is that the program will be on its fourth head coach in the past 16 months. Rick Apodaca was placed on leave just days before the start of the 2016-17 season as the school district investigated a complaint against him regarding his job with the special education department. Lanse Carter took over on an interim basis and guided the Demonettes to an 11-17 record plus a spot in the Class 6A State Tournament.
Carter was a finalist for the permanent post, but SFPS chose Roybal. It wasn’t hard to see why, as Roybal owned a 377-105 record at St. Catherine, the Institute of American Indian Arts, SFIS, Pojoaque Valley and Española Valley. She also led the Lady Braves to consecutive Class 3A titles in 2010 and 2011 and a runner-up finish in 2012.
Roybal also spent 17 years at New Mexico Highlands University, where she won 228 wins, two Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championships and one NCAA Division II tournament appearance. Roybal toured with the All-American Red Heads in 1972, and was a part of a group of more than 70 former players who represented the organization when it was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2012. She also was inducted into the New Mexico High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor in July.