There’s no guest on the “Sports Den” this week, and maybe that’s for the best after the disorder of last week’s episode. Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron begin their latest episode by reminiscing about their memorable interview with Pecos League president Andrew Dunn and also talk some Santa Fe Fuego baseball before diving into prep and college athletics.

The guys discuss NCAA conference realignment and its impact on the Mountain West Conference and the University of New Mexico. They also discuss how the recent $2.8 billion settlement in the House vs. NCAA case will impact UNM athletics.

Will and James close the show by discussing local high school sports, starting with a bevy of coaching vacancies. They also chat about their picks for the NorthStars male and female athletes of the year — St. Michael’s Soren Annon and West Las Vegas’ Alexis Pacheco.

There&rsquo;s no guest on the &ldquo;Sports Den&rdquo; this week, and maybe that&rsquo;s for the best after the disorder of last week&rsquo;s episode. Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron begin their latest episode by reminiscing about their memorable interview with Pecos League president Andrew Dunn and also talk some Santa Fe Fuego baseball before diving into prep and college athletics.
The guys discuss NCAA conference realignment and its impact on the Mountain West Conference and the University of New Mexico. They also discuss how the recent $2.8 billion settlement in the House vs. NCAA case will impact UNM athletics.
Will and James close the show by discussing local high school sports, starting with a bevy of coaching vacancies. They also chat about their picks for the NorthStars male and female athletes of the year &mdash; St. Michael&rsquo;s Soren Annon and West Las Vegas&rsquo; Alexis Pacheco.

Hosted by award-winning sports scribes Will Webber and James Barron, The New Mexican Sports Den podcast provides coverage of the local sports scene in Northern New Mexico with a focus on prep sports and the University of New Mexico Lobos. Dialed into the New Mexico sports landscape for decades, Will and James share their insight on the latest developments from season to season. They also welcome guests for lively and colorful conversations.   
The New Mexican Sports Den with Will and James is a production of The Santa Fe New Mexican.

Hosted by award-winning sports scribes Will Webber and James Barron, The New Mexican Sports Den podcast provides coverage of the local sports scene in Northern New Mexico with a focus on prep sports and the University of New Mexico Lobos. Dialed into the New Mexico sports landscape for decades, Will and James share their insight on the latest developments from season to season. They also welcome guests for lively and colorful conversations.&nbsp;&nbsp; The New Mexican Sports Den with Will and James is a production of&nbsp;The Santa Fe New Mexican.

The New Mexican Sports Den with Will and James

Hosted by award-winning sports scribes Will Webber and James Barron, The New Mexican Sports Den podcast provides coverage of the local sports scene in Northern New Mexico with a focus on prep sports and the University of New Mexico Lobos. Dialed into the New Mexico sports landscape for decades, Will and James share their insight on the latest developments from season to season. They also welcome guests for lively and colorful conversations.  

The New Mexican Sports Den with Will and James is a production of The Santa Fe New Mexican.

Hosted by award-winning sports scribes Will Webber and James Barron, The New Mexican Sports Den podcast provides coverage of the local sports scene in Northern New Mexico with a focus on prep sports and the University of New Mexico Lobos. Dialed into the New Mexico sports landscape for decades, Will and James share their insight on the latest developments from season to season. They also welcome guests for lively and colorful conversations.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The New Mexican Sports Den with Will and James is a production of&nbsp;The Santa Fe New Mexican.

Will and James talk prep athletes of the year, area coaching vacancies and UNM athletics

The most exciting sports week in New Mexico is in the books and three local teams capped it off with a dream ending.

In the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron are joined by a few newly crowned state basketball tournament champions — Santa Fe Indian School girls coach Khadijha Jackson, Mesa Vista girls coach Jesse Boies and St. Michael’s boys coach Dakota Montoya. The coaches relive moments from their title runs and share life has been like in the days following their teams’ immense achievements.

In the first interview, Jackson discusses the Lady Braves’ journey to winning the program’s first state title since 2011 and ending Navajo Prep’s quest for a three-peat. Jackson, who played for coach Rainy Crisp at Navajo Prep, talks about what it was like playing for Crisp and the experience of coaching against her former coach in the 3A state title game.

In the second interview, Boies talks through the final moments of the Lady Trojans’ thrilling 2A championship game win over defending champ Tatum. Mesa Vista clawed back from a nine-point deficit and capped its comeback with a deep 3-pointer by freshman Aaliyah Boies, Jesse’s daughter, with two seconds left for a 49-47 win. Jesse Boies shares what it was like to see his daughter come up clutch such a monumental moment and what the program’s first state title means for its basketball-crazed community.

In the last interview, which was cut a bit short due to some recording issues, Montoya discusses St. Michael’s 3A championship game rematch with Robertson and what allowed the Horsemen to avenge last year’s difficult loss. Montoya talks about his team being blessed with size and depth, and shares what he’s been doing to decompress since the big win.

The most exciting sports week in New Mexico is in the books and three local teams capped it off with a dream ending.
In the latest episode of &ldquo;The Sports Den&rdquo; podcast, Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron are joined by a few newly crowned state basketball tournament champions &mdash; Santa Fe Indian School girls coach Khadijha Jackson, Mesa Vista girls coach Jesse Boies and St. Michael&rsquo;s boys coach Dakota Montoya. The coaches relive moments from their title runs and share life has been like in the days following their teams&rsquo; immense achievements.
In the first interview, Jackson discusses the Lady Braves&rsquo; journey to winning the program&rsquo;s first state title since 2011 and ending Navajo Prep&rsquo;s quest for a three-peat. Jackson, who played for coach Rainy Crisp at Navajo Prep, talks about what it was like playing for Crisp and the experience of coaching against her former coach in the 3A state title game.
In the second interview, Boies talks through the final moments of the Lady Trojans&rsquo; thrilling 2A championship game win over defending champ Tatum. Mesa Vista clawed back from a nine-point deficit and capped its comeback with a deep 3-pointer by freshman Aaliyah Boies, Jesse&rsquo;s daughter, with two seconds left for a 49-47 win. Jesse Boies shares what it was like to see his daughter come up clutch such a monumental moment and what the program&rsquo;s first state title means for its basketball-crazed community.
In the last interview, which was cut a bit short due to some recording issues, Montoya discusses St. Michael&rsquo;s 3A championship game rematch with Robertson and what allowed the Horsemen to avenge last year&rsquo;s difficult loss. Montoya talks about his team being blessed with size and depth, and shares what he&rsquo;s been doing to decompress since the big win.

Chatting with champions: SFIS, St. Mike’s and Mesa Vista coaches relive their teams’ title runs

State basketball week is a grinder for The New Mexican’s sports guys as they pump out several stories each day, but the excitement generated from the atmosphere and the memorable games keep them going. This season has been no exception.

On the latest episode of “The Sports Den” podcast, Will Webber and James Barron share their favorite memories through Thursday and look ahead at the storylines and matchups for the semifinals and finals on Friday and Saturday.

The guys start off by discussing the Mesa Vista boys team’s heartbreaking loss to Rehoboth Christian, which rallied from a 22-point second-half deficit to advance to the 2A semifinals.

They also talk about the high level Santa Fe Indian School and St. Michael’s are playing at as they prepare for a 3A semifinal that they guys say could just as well be the championship. On the other side of the bracket, Robertson and Bosque have their own interesting storylines.

And oh look, the Pecos boys are back in another state semifinal.

On the girls’ side, Will and James talk about Santa Fe Indian School’s dominant semifinal win over Robertson and how the Lady Braves could match up with top seed Navajo Prep.

They also look at Mesa Vista’s run to its first state title game in program history.

Between the boys and girls tournament discussion, Will and James chat a bit about the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team ahead of its opening game of the Mountain West Tournament against San Jose State.

State basketball week is a grinder for&nbsp;The New Mexican&rsquo;s&nbsp;sports guys as they pump out several stories each day, but the excitement generated from the atmosphere and the memorable games keep them going. This season has been no exception.
On the latest episode of &ldquo;The Sports Den&rdquo; podcast, Will Webber and James Barron share their favorite memories through Thursday and look ahead at the storylines and matchups for the semifinals and finals on Friday and Saturday.
The guys start off by discussing the Mesa Vista boys team&rsquo;s heartbreaking loss to Rehoboth Christian, which rallied from a 22-point second-half deficit to advance to the 2A semifinals.
They also talk about the high level Santa Fe Indian School and St. Michael&rsquo;s are playing at as they prepare for a 3A semifinal that they guys say could just as well be the championship. On the other side of the bracket, Robertson and Bosque have their own interesting storylines.
And oh look, the Pecos boys are back in another state semifinal.
On the girls&rsquo; side, Will and James talk about Santa Fe Indian School&rsquo;s dominant semifinal win over Robertson and how the Lady Braves could match up with top seed Navajo Prep.
They also look at Mesa Vista&rsquo;s run to its first state title game in program history.
Between the boys and girls tournament discussion, Will and James chat a bit about the University of New Mexico men&rsquo;s basketball team ahead of its opening game of the Mountain West Tournament against San Jose State.

Already ‘some incredible memories’: Will and James share favorite moments from state tourney so far

Fans from across the state will pack The Pit and the Rio Rancho Events Center this week to watch their favorite teams vie for a blue trophy at the boys and girls state basketball tournaments.

In the latest episode of “The Sports Den,” Will Webber and a dapper James Barron zero in on the quarterfinals matchups that catch their eye, including 3A boys showdowns involving Santa Fe Indian School versus Navajo Prep and Cobre against Bosque.

The guys also chat a bit about the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team, which will likely need to win the Mountain West Conference Tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament.

In the second segment, Will and James chat with St. Michael’s graduate Estevan Sandoval about his journey from student manager at UNM to assistant coach at the University of North Dakota. Sandoval discusses his close ties with newly named UNM athletic director Ryan Berryman as well as what he learned under Craig Neal and Paul Weir.

Check back Thursday evening for a bonus episode of "The Sports Den" as Will and James discuss the state semifinals and finals. 

Fans from across the state will pack The Pit and the Rio Rancho Events Center this week to watch their favorite teams vie for a blue trophy at the boys and girls state basketball tournaments.
In the latest episode of &ldquo;The Sports Den,&rdquo; Will Webber and a dapper James Barron zero in on the quarterfinals matchups that catch their eye, including 3A boys showdowns involving Santa Fe Indian School versus Navajo Prep and Cobre against Bosque.
The guys also chat a bit about the University of New Mexico men&rsquo;s basketball team, which will likely need to win the Mountain West Conference Tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament.
In the second segment, Will and James chat with St. Michael&rsquo;s graduate Estevan Sandoval about his journey from student manager at UNM to assistant coach at the University of North Dakota. Sandoval discusses his close ties with newly named UNM athletic director Ryan Berryman as well as what he learned under Craig Neal and Paul Weir.
Check back Thursday evening for a bonus episode of "The Sports Den" as Will and James discuss the state semifinals and finals.&nbsp;

Will and James talk prep athletes of the year, area coaching vacancies and UNM athletics

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