Pojoaque Valley High School is bringing a Hall of Famer to their sidelines.
Cindy Roybal has been hired to coach the Pojoaque girls basketball team, Pojoaque Athletic Director Mark Mutz told the Rio Grande Sun on Wednesday.
“She’s got 40-plus years of coaching under her belt, and she’s been successful every place she’s been,” Mutz said.
Roybal has had a long and storied coaching career in northern New Mexico, most recently coaching Santa Fe High. She won back-to-back state championships with Santa Fe Indian School in 2010 and 2011, and was one point shy of making it three in a row. Roybal was inducted into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.
“I have been looking for the opportunity to go back to coaching, and it just presented itself,” Roybal said. “I just missed it. I missed it tremendously.”
She is a somewhat divisive figure in the community, evidenced by comments to Facebook posts breaking the news; many comments congratulated the new coach, but some were more critical of the decision.
Roybal had a previous coaching stint with the Elkettes from 2002-2005, and has also coached Española Valley, as well as in college at New Mexico Highlands University. Her most recent coaching experience with the Demonettes ended in 2019. Roybal said she has interviewed in many places since, but not been selected.
“Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve had to build the team,” Roybal said. “What mattered most was the fact that I would get the opportunity somewhere. I know I can win.”
The Elkettes are looking to recover after three down years since the departure of coach Seledon Martinez. Under Martinez, who also applied for the job, Pojoaque made the final four in 2018 during a run of three 20-win seasons, and produced a pair of college athletes in Ashten Martinez and Michaela Martinez.
“Her expectations are for them to be competitive again at the state level,” Mutz said. “She makes these girls, just better. She has a way of connecting to the kids.”
Former Española girls coach Joe Estrada was also a finalist for the position, according to Mutz.
Under Jonathan Salazar, Pojoaque was 18-35 in two seasons. In 2022-23, they finished 9-18 and 2-6 in their district. There was also controversy surrounding an 80-0 win at their home Ben Lujan Tournament in December, with some criticizing the team for running up the score.
“I’m bringing the fire, desire and determination to get them back to their championship ways,” Roybal said.
Cindy Roybal celebrates a win over Los Alamos at home in 2016. Roybal, previously the coach of the Española Valley Lady Sundevils, will become Pojoaque’s newest girls basketball coach.