◆ Coaches help players work through death of teammate, rival.
Coaches are reaching out to their grieving players after latest teenager’s death
First came the shock, followed by grief. As the Santa Fe community — and prep athletes in particular — comes to grips with the tragic death of Santa Fe High basketball great Fedonta “JB” White, some coaches are trying to help their players deal with the aftermath.
White was shot and killed Saturday morning while at a party in the Tesuque area. Sixteen-year-old Estevan Montoya was arrested Saturday and faces four charges, including murder.
White’s death transcended his sport and the region, as athletes from other sports and from around the state have felt the sting. Andrew Martinez, the head football coach at Santa Fe High, said he has had a few conversations with his players. He said the most important thing he wanted from those discussions was to take inventory of players’ emotional and mental states.
“We’re just listening to them, because JB was their classmate,” Martinez said. “We just have to really keep in contact with them, more so now. It’s a dead period right now [for team activities] and you can’t really meet with any of them. But to text them, to call them individually, to have coaches call them is important because they are all going through different things. It’s hard to go through this with JB, but it’s also been a really bad summer in Santa Fe.”
Martinez alluded to the deaths of teens Ivan Armando Perez Chumacero, a rising senior at Capital, and Aiko Perez, a graduate of the Academy at Larrogoite, that created a pall over the city. Perez Chumacero was shot and killed July 15 during a fight outside a south-side apartment complex, witnesses told The New Mexican. On June 5, Perez was fatally stabbed by a friend who told police he was under the influence of LSD, according to court records.
Bill Moon, the head football coach at Capital, said some of his players have been doubly affected by the deaths, as they knew more than one of teenagers who were killed. He said it has been challenging trying to offer perspective because of the way they died.
One thing Moon said he has been consistent on players is to focus on carrying White’s legacy forward instead of dwelling on what happened.
“I tell people, ‘There is a reason you are alive — to pick up the ball JB left behind,’ ” Moon said. “‘Carry it forward. Don’t look back. Pick up the ball and run.’ ”
Española Valley head boys basketball coach Gabe Martinez is familiar with the challenges Martinez and Moon are facing. He took over the Sundevils team a year after the death of former player Cameron Martinez, who was shot and killed in October 2018 in a case of mistaken identity. His death still lingers, especially with the upperclassmen who played with Cameron Martinez, a 2018 graduate.
Coach Martinez said many of his players already were aware of White’s death and he and his coaches made sure they were available to talk to them. Martinez said he emphasized that they can make a difference in the world, especially when it comes to gun violence among their peers.
“We, as coaches, have a unique position in that we can try to affect these kids’ lives a little differently than teachers and parents,” Martinez said. “Coaches have a unique relationship with their kids and can influence them to make the world a little better place.”
The coaches also believe the coronavirus pandemic had an impact on the recent deaths. Moon said the COVID-19 epidemic took away some of the structure that student-athletes had in their lives, such as summer workouts, scrimmages or club team tournaments. Not only do those events provide them with opportunities to improve their skills, but they often serve as social functions with peers.
The pandemic left many teenagers with idle time, Moon said, and their need for interaction can lead them to try and find other outlets. He pointed out that dozens of teens were at the party that White attended, and some of them will suffer from “survivors’ guilt.”
“One of my throwaway lines to my guys is that the trick in life is to live through your childhood,” Moon said. “If you make the mistakes that all of us have made — and we all made them — and you make it to adulthood, you’re more appreciative of what you have.”