Spring sports teams vie for titles, Kiké Hernández visits ABQ and Eric Olen signs an extension

Former UNM assistant Scott Waterman excited for opportunity to build a winner at Highlands

Scott Waterman’s life has been in boxes in recent years as he has followed coaching opportunities, but he’s hoping he’ll now be able to fully unpack and settle down for a while. The former University of New Mexico’s men’s basketball assistant coach was named the head coach of the program at New Mexico Highlands in late June and has been hard at work assembling a squad that can compete in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Waterman joins Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron to talk about his coaching journey and why he was drawn to the opportunity in Las Vegas, N.M. Waterman first talks about building a winning program at Division II Academy of Arts University in San Francisco. He inherited a program that had never won more than 12 games and helped the team win 20-plus games in four straight seasons, including two NCAA Tournament appearances. The school decided to discontinue its intercollegiate sports programs at the end of the 2024-25 season, leaving Waterman looking for another job. He ended up joining Eric Olen’s staff at UNM last season as the Lobos made a deep run in the National Invitation Tournament. In the episode, Olen shares his thoughts on Waterman and what he brought to the Lobos’ program. Waterman discusses the differences between coaching at the Division I and Division II levels and offers some insight on how his roster is shaping up. In the second segment, the guys discuss quarterback situations at Santa Fe High and St. Michael’s, then about a change coming to high school baseball that could lead to an increase in offensive output. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

USMNT crashes out of World Cup; Will and James discuss NCAA’s new five-year eligibility rule

Eight matches remain in what's been a pretty thrilling World Cup as the cream of the crop national teams head into what’s sure to be a scintillating quarterfinal round, but the tournament is effectively over for Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron. The U.S. men’s national team is out and so are these two, who tune into soccer but once every four years. In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, the guys express their frustration over the USMNT’s epic flame-out against Belgium in the Round of 16. They also chat about the NCAA’s new five-year eligibility rule and the quarterback situations for Santa Fe’s prep football teams. Will and James feel like they were played by the U.S. men’s national team, having their hopes raised during group play and a gutsy Round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, only to have them dashed with a dud of a performance against Belgium. Will the U.S. ever be able to compete with the top-tier powers? Not with Matt Freese’s disasterclass of a clearance, old Tim Ream frozen in time on the back line and “Captain America” Christian Pulisic laying an egg on home soil. After venting, the guys chat a bit about American football and Capital quarterback Ace Bachicha [https://www.santafenewmexican.com/sports/capital-qb-bachicha-hopes-past-two-years-of-experience-help-jaguars-fashion-winning-season/article_04f1d873-25c3-44f4-924e-e2e4dd311661.html], who is hoping to make his final season with the Jaguars a winning one. In the second segment, Will and James discuss the NCAA’s new five-year, aged-based eligibility rule [https://www.ncaa.org/division-i-adopts-age-based-eligibility-model/] and its potential impact on the college sports landscape. Will the rule hold up against litigation? Should all eligibility rules be thrown out the window and college athletes be able to play as many years as they want? The guys have some interesting thoughts. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Gripped by World Cup fever, Will and James have some gripes, plus discuss a new-look Mountain West

Disregarding the world’s most popular sport for most of their days, Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron can’t help but get caught up in the drama of the World Cup when it rolls around every four years. Will filled out his bracket for the knockout rounds on Sunday, and by Monday his pick to win it all (the Netherlands) was sent packing. Nevertheless, in the latest episode of “The Sports Den,” the guys feel a moral responsibility to fulfill their duty as sports pundits and spout off some takes. There’s too much flopping and flailing. Players should be able to use their hands. Are some of these teams even from real countries? The classic All-American gripes are on full display. In a short interview with University of New Mexico men’s basketball player Federico Grani last week, Will greeted the 6-foot-9 forward by prodding him about how his nation’s team — a four-time World Cup champion — hasn’t qualified for the tournament the last three cycles. Welcome to New Mexico, Federico! After an unprecedented full segment of soccer, the guys come out of the break talking about a new era for the Mountain West, which will look quite different this year. The Lobos should now be the big dogs of the conference, Will and James say. A trip to the College Football Playoff could eventually be in the cards, as odd as that sounds. With little else to talk about in this slow period for local sports, the guys bring up high school football, making some predictions about how the Santa Fe squads could look this year. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Schools approve 'one-time' transfer rule; Will and James discuss the next big prep sports shakeup

The highly anticipated vote on instituting a “one-time” transfer rule took place Monday, with New Mexico Activity Association member schools approving the measure by a narrow 67-60 margin. Student-athletes will now have the option to transfer to another school once without losing eligibility for their respective sports. In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Santa Fe New Mexican sports reporters Will Webber and James Barron discuss the vote and the impact it could have on New Mexico high school sports. James gives his forecast on how much he expects the number of transfers to increase, and the guys talk about how small schools, large schools and charter schools could be impacted differently by the change. After discussing the new transfer rule, Will asks James what he thinks the next big shakeup for high school sports in the state may be. In the second segment, the guys chat about coaching and administration moves in the area, including an athletic director change at St. Michael’s and a boys basketball opening at Capital following the resignation of longtime coach Ben Gomez. And what’s this? Have Will and James caught World Cup fever? Not exactly, but they’re getting at least a little excited about the USNMT’s impressive start to group play and enjoying videos showing our foreign friends reacting to America’s food and culture. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Owner/founder Peter Trevisani talks New Mexico United’s staying power and stadium outlook

The New Mexico United launched as an expansion franchise of the USL Championship in 2019 to overwhelming support, leading the league in attendance in its inaugural season and developing an electric atmosphere that generated buzz across the state. While many other Albuquerque-area pro sports franchises have come and gone over the decades, the United has shown to have staying power. Now in its eighth season, the club has hosted over 100 matches and drawn more than 1,000,000 fans. In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, United Owner/CEO Peter Trevisani joins Santa Fe New Mexican sports writer Will Webber to discuss the franchise’s journey from an idea to a community-building sensation. Trevisani shares what was going through his mind during the lead-up to the club’s launch and the dream first season that blew away his expectations. Webber also asks Trevisani about the struggles of trying to get a soccer stadium built for the club and the challenges that come with sharing a stadium with the Albuquerque Isotopes baseball team. Trevisani talks about the current proposal of having the stadium built at the New Mexico State Fairgrounds, and the revitalization he thinks it could bring to that part of the city. In the latter portion of the interview, Webber asks Trevisani about his college football playing days as a walk-on at Boston College, including his debut that came against a future NFL linebacker legend and photo-bombing a team picture next to Doug Flutie. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.