NMMI Sports Press

Local middle school teacher and former ENMU Greyhound football player Lawrence Hall Jr. was recently hired on as the new head coach of the Lady Colt basketball team.

“I’m honored to have been chosen as the new coach for the Lady Colts and I want to thank athletic director Jose Barron and the NMMI community for welcoming me aboard,” Hall said. “I’m excited to take on this challenge and I know we have the kind of athletes that will work hard and compete.”

Hall is a native of Sacramento, California where he played running back for Mesa Verde High School, earning conference player of the year honors in 2011. He also earned all-conference honors as a basketball player his sophomore and junior year.

He played one season as running back for the University of Nevada-Reno, but after suffering an ACL injury, returned home and restarted his football career at American River College.

With a clean bill of health and a new position, Hall went on to earn All-Northern California honors at linebacker during his two seasons with the Beavers and came up just shy of winning a conference title.

Hall had several offers on the table, but ended up at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales after a chance encounter with a recruiter in town to see another player.

“They wanted a versatile linebacker that could play different spots, cover slot receivers and stay on the field in different packages,” said Hall. “Eastern helped me transfer early and the head coach really impressed me with his knowledge and the way he presents himself as a leader and a winner.”

That head coach was Josh Lynn, former Bronco Football head coach and defensive coordinator, under whom Hall earned All-Lone Star Conference accolades.

Hall earned a bachelor’s degree in health and wellness in 2020 and the next year moved to Roswell with his girlfriend, former Roswell High softball standout Tiffanie Bolanos. The couple have a 2-year-old daughter named Liliana.

Hall began his teaching career at Sierra Middle School before moving over to Mesa Middle School where he coached the seventh-grade boys’ basketball team in 2023.

“Most of my boys never played before, so we started with the basics, learning the fundamentals of the game,” Hall explained. “We didn’t win a game, but toward the end of the season we were leading going into the fourth quarter in several games, instead of getting blown out by 40.”

Hall said he made the move to Mesa and started coaching because he felt he could connect with students from a lower socio-economic background.

“Mesa is right up my alley because I can relate with those kids, because that was me growing up,” he said. “I wake up with a sense of purpose because I know those kids enjoy my energy and the conversations that we have.”

How did a college football player end up coaching basketball?

“Basketball was my first love, and I received one offer to play for Chico State, but I thought football would take me farther at the time,” he said. “And I’m only 6-foot-1.”

Barron said Hall is just the kind of coach the Lady Colts need; an educator with the patience and knowledge to teach the fundamentals.

“We are excited to have coach Hall on board to usher in a new era of Lady Colt Basketball,” Barron said. “He has a strong athletic background and is the kind of teacher that I think will greatly benefit our girls’ basketball program. Hats off to assistant coach Chantale Riddle for guiding the program during our coaching search and making the transition as smooth as possible.”

Hall has been with the team for a week and so far he likes what he sees as far as competiveness and leadership.

“Some of the older kids are very vocal, which can be hard to teach. You need players that are willing to communicate clearly on the court. We’ve been getting after it and I really like the fight in these girls. They aren’t afraid to mix it up,” said Hall. “I see players that won’t back down and that’s exactly what I want.”

The Colts return six players from last year’s squad, including seniors Paulina Sanchez, Anastasia Ament and Yasmeen Marrufo. Newcomers include freshmen Kaytlyn Lackey and Jaylah Clay.

The Lady Colts tipoff their season Tuesday at 5 p.m. at the Godfrey Athletic Center against the visiting Hondo Valley Lady Eagles. Home games can be watched free of charge at KSVPtv.com.