My Dec. 1 column on the Española Valley boys basketball team establishing a winning tradition stirred up a hornet’s nest of controversy over what was the best team in the history of the Sundevils. Most respondents to the column on the SUN’s web site argued that the 1990-1991 team was better than last year’s state semifinalists.
Since I was living in Santa Fe in 1991 and couldn’t have cared less about high school basketball at the time, I thought I should familiarize myself with the 1991 team that seems to hold a special place in the hearts of Española Valley fans. I dug through the archives of the SUN to find out more about them.
Like last year’s team, the 1991 Sundevils advanced to the semifinals of the Class AAAA state tournament, where they, like last year’s team, lost. Alamogordo finished off the Sundevils 44-36 March 15, 1991, to advance to the championship game. Alamogordo would go on to win the state championship.
There were just four classes of competition in high school sports in 1991 as opposed to the present-day five, and Española faced the largest schools in the state in Class AAAA. La Cueva and Alamogordo are now classified as AAAAA schools.
The fact that Española’s District 1AAAA competition consisted of teams like Santa Fe High School, Albuquerque’s Sandia High School and Gallup, which are now Class AAAAA schools, as well as Los Alamos and Farmington, was one of the arguments that people like to use when they call the 1991 team the best in Española Valley history. They argue that the level of competition was higher for the 1991 team.
Guard Tony Gallegos was among the top scorers in the state that season and went on to a successful collegiate career at Adams State University. I never saw him play in high school, but I’ve seen him shooting baskets just messing around on the court as a coach. That guy does not miss, even now.
Fabian Diaz was another star on that 1991 team, which was coached by Lenny Roybal. The Sundevils finished the 1990-1991 season 21-6 overall. Last season, the Sundevils finished with a record setting 28-2 mark.
It’s tough to compare teams from different eras, because so much has changed in sports. It might be interesting to see who people think is the best local player. Gallegos comes to mind immediately, as well as Antoine Lostetter of the mid-1990s and Jolen Montoya of 2001. Let’s not forget George Maes, who played for the old Santa Cruz Crusaders in the 1960s and still holds the state scoring record in a single game with 81 points.