Robertson coach calls it a day
Barela resigns with a 71-44 record over four seasons as head of Lady Cardinals
Leroy Barela decided Tuesday morning that he’d rather be a basketball dad than a basketball coach.
So he resigned as the the head girls basketball coach at Las Vegas Robertson after a 71-44 record over four seasons.
Barela said, ultimately, he felt that the stress of being a head coach was becoming too burdensome. That he had a daughter on the team, sophomore Maria Barela, and two younger sons he wanted to watch grow up made the decision much easier.
“As a coach, you carry that game with you overnight and into the next morning,” Barela said. “I was at a point where I just wanted to go watch my kids and be happy. I didn’t want to go through emotions. I just wanted to be able to pick up my [chairback seat] and go home at the end of the day.”
It wasn’t an easy choice. Robertson went 47-11 over the last 2½ seasons and won consecutive District 2-4A titles in the process. In 2016-17, the Lady Cardinals went 22-7 and reached the Class 4A semifinals before losing to eventual state champion Shiprock in overtime. This season, Robertson went 25-4, earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament, but lost in the quarterfinals to district foe Pojoaque Valley after beating the Elkettes three times during the 2-4A season.
Barela said he treasured the program he built and the players who played for him, which made it tougher to walk away. He was especially proud of the Lady Cardinals’ accomplishment of beating Shiprock, 4A champion Portales, Albuquerque Hope Christian and
Pojoaque Valley on the road in 2017-18.
“I know what I did here,” Barela said. “I can leave here and say that I did the best I could. I didn’t lose the job. It’s just time to go do the family thing. It really is.”
Barela got his head coaching start at Pecos, leading the Lady Panthers to identical 8-19 marks before moving on to Robertson.