Rams name new basketball coach

RIO RANCHO — Rio Rancho High School has a new head coach for the boys’ basketball program, and it’s someone coaches in the Metro area are familiar with: Steve Heredia.

Heredia has been coaching the Atrisco Heritage Academy boys since taking over for the Jaguars’ original coach, Adrian Ortega, who left his post at AHA in December 2021 to become the athletic director for Albuquerque Public Schools.

He replaces Wally Salata, who was told March 26 that he was no longer the RRHS boys’ head coach, where he’d spent the past 16 seasons, winning the 5A blue trophy as the 12 seed in March 2016.

Salata has not yet commented on that decision.

“I’m staying busy officiating. That’s what I’ll be doing for the time being,” Salata said Monday. “I have no comment on my dismissal at this time.”

“(Heredia) comes with a tremendous amount of experience, having been at three different high schools and being successful at each,” said Rio Rancho Public Schools’ Executive Director of Athletics Todd Resch, who also wouldn’t comment on Salata’s exit.

Heredia, 48, is a native of Las Cruces; he graduated from Las Cruces High School in 1994. He then attended Eastern New Mexico University, where he played baseball.

Heredia’s trio of stops had been at Chaparral High (35-74 there from 2008-12); Centennial (109-91; 2012-19) — where, like Ortega, he was the original head coach of those Jaguars; and then at AHA (62-29 in his three full seasons; 2022-25), where he first served as an assistant to Ortega.

Heredia led Centennial to the Class 4A state title with a 52-38 victory over Gallup in March 2015. On Jan. 26, 2024, he claimed his 200th coaching win, leading AHA to a 101-97 overtime victory — at Rio Rancho High School.

“I was always impressed with his teams when we would play Atrisco Heritage,” Resch added. “I think he’s really good with his players. He brings an exciting brand of basketball to Rio Rancho High School.

“As an added bonus, he is an experienced and exemplary special ed teacher,” he said. “He represents the entire package that we’re looking for, as far an outstanding coach and teacher.”

The other finalists, among 18 original applicants, were Matt Melvin, former head coach at Navajo Prep (102-26, 2019-24), where his team not only beat the host Rams by 20 points at the late December 2023 tournament in the RAC, but also won the Class 3A state championship; Michael Dominguez, who resigned at the end of March after six seasons (66-74) as head coach at New Mexico Highlands University; and longtime Salata assistant Dalon Bynum.

“I think he’s a good fit,” said Salata’s former assistant Ramon “Swoops” Montano, “but I think Dalon would’ve been a good fit.”