When the La Cueva High School boys basketball team takes the court this season, it will be with a new head coach at the helm. La Cueva Athletic Director Brandon Back told the Neighborhood Journal on Monday that Eric Orell has accepted the job of head coach, elevating him from assistant head coach, a role he has filled since 2017. Eric also serves La Cueva as the head coach of the golf team, as well as a health teacher.
According to Orell’s LinkedIn profile, he has been in the APS system for 17 years, both as a teacher and a coach and he received his Master’s in Science in Educational Leadership and Administration from UNM.
Orell will take over a promising Bears program that rolled through its district with a 24-4 record last year and an 8-2 record in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
“Eric is a great coach,” Back said. “His work here at La Cueva over the past six years made him a strong candidate.”
The Bears kick off their season on Dec. 2 in Las Cruces when they face the Hawks of Centennial High School.
— This story was written by Neighborhood Journal contributor Taylor Hood
