Vacancies galore all of a sudden for Ags, Lobos
Ex-NMSU women’s coach raids both schools to fill out staff at USC
California’s gain is New Mexico’s loss when it comes to women’s college basketball coaches this offseason.
Mark Trakh’s recent departure from New Mexico State to take over the head coaching job at Southern California is having ripple effects in Las Cruces and Albuquerque. NMSU must replace its entire women’s hoops coaching staff, while New Mexico is in the market for an assistant coach.
Trakh this week named his assistants at USC, and all were employed in New Mexico last season. They include former NMSU assistants Jason Glover, Blanche Alverson and Ashley Ford, along with Aarika Hughes, who assisted Mike Bradbury at UNM.
As a result, the women’s basketball offices at New Mexico State are quiet and empty at the moment, athletic director Mario Moccia said.
“All the coaches are gone, so I guess I’m the interim coach,” Moccia said with a chuckle. “We’re communicating with the returning players and recruits about the hiring process, but they’re a little antsy. It’s fair to say we have an extra sense of urgency.”
Moccia said there has been considerable interest in NMSU’s head coaching position. Trakh left the program on a high note, coming off three straight Western Athletic Conference titles and NCAA Tournament appearances.
The Aggies went 24-7 and led Final Four qualifier Stanford for most of three quarters before falling 72-64 in a first-round game last season. NMSU loses five seniors from that squad, including three starters, but has a solid group of returnees
in place.
Trakh had a base salary of $140,000 at NMSU, and Moccia said the new head coach will likely receive a similar amount.
“That’s our financial reality,” he said.
Moccia said NMSU has formed a hiring committee that is in the process of choosing and interviewing finalists. He did not have a specific time frame but said he hopes to name a new coach “by the end of next week.”
Swishappeal.com reported Friday that Colorado State assistant Brooke Atkinson, an Aggies assistant from 2003-10, visited NMSU’s campus Friday along with a “mystery candidate.”
Rumors have linked former UNM head coach Yvonne Sanchez and her onetime assistant Edwina Brown to the opening. Sanchez, who assisted at NMSU from 199399, said she has not spoken to Moccia about the position. Brown, a former star player at Texas who worked for Sanchez at UNM for two seasons, is an assistant at SMU.
Bradbury, meanwhile, said hiring a replacement for Hughes could take several weeks. He and UNM’s other assistants are on the road recruiting this weekend, but Bradbury said several coaches have already contacted him about the opening.
Hughes came to UNM after spending five seasons assisting Trakh at New Mexico State. She also played for Trakh at USC and found the opportunity to coach at her alma mater enticing, Bradbury said.
“I actually thought she could get the head job at New Mexico State,” Bradbury said, “but coaching where she went to school was a big deal for Aarika. She did a great job here, that’s for sure.”