The New Mexican Sports Den with Will and James

Pecos League founder and president Andrew Dunn surely has many great stories about the independent baseball league that is home to the Santa Fe Fuego. Unfortunately, Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron will have to wait to hear them. 

In the latest episode of “The New Mexican Sports Den,” Dunn struggles to communicate his Pecos League stories and knowledge as he boards a plane to travel from Kansas City to Houston. The guys try to keep it together as they conduct the shortest and most chaotic interview of the podcast’s brief history. 

Things go much smoother as Fuego general manager Yvonne Encinias makes an appearance. Encinias discusses how she became the Fuego’s GM, talks about how operating the organization has become a family affair, and shares how her experience with nonprofit organizations has helped her in running the team.

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Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron discuss their most memorable moments from the 2024-25 high school sports seasons, including the good and the bad. They also discuss some of the changes they’d like the New Mexico Activities Association to implement in coming years.

Back from his Indy 500 birthday weekend, Barron shares a bit about his experience at the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. And reporting from Fort Marcy Ballpark, Webber talks gives an update on the Santa Fe Fuego ahead of their Pecos League opener.

The guys also chat a bit about the recent Mountain West and Pac-12 meetings, which Webber wrote about in his latest column, and what possible outcomes could mean for the University of New Mexico.

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The 2024-25 prep sports season came to an end last weekend with champions crowned at state competitions for track, baseball and softball. Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron put a bow on the academic year by chatting with graduating multi-sport standouts Raylee Hunt of St. Michael’s and Cy Anderson of Santa Fe High.

Both athletes took home hardware at the state track and field meets. Anderson discusses battling through an injury to help the Demons’ 1,600-meter relay team take home the gold. Hunt also talks about dealing with injuries and her experience in helping the St. Michael’s girls team come from behind to win a dramatic team title.

The pair also discuss their futures, with Hunt heading to Duke to swim and Anderson going to Colorado University Boulder.

After the interview, Will and James chat a bit about coaching shakeups and what’s to come for the summer.

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Joey Fernandez said when he started coaching at St. Michael’s in the early 1990s his dream was to bring a state championship to the school because he never won one as an athlete. The St. Mike’s alum has been living the dream for more than two decades while leading the football and track programs to a combined 20 state titles since 2003. Fresh off watching his boys and girls track teams lift blue trophies over the weekend, Fernandez joined Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron to discuss St. Michael’s success. Fernandez looks back on the championship weekend and reflects on his coaching career, which he says he doesn’t plan on ending anytime soon. The guys ask Fernandez how he went about building a powerhouse track program that had few resources in his early days, and about how he worked to turn the football program into a perennial title contender after it hadn’t experienced much winning for three decades. Fernandez, the winningest active football coach in New Mexico, talks about what it’s like to perform under high expectations. He also shares the names of some of the people who influenced him as a person and athlete.

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At long last, Eric Olen makes his ‘Sports Den’ debut as he chats with the Santa Fe New Mexican’s Will Webber and James Barron about his first month-and-change in the most high-profile coaching job in the state. The new University of New Mexico men’s basketball coach talks about hitting the ground running to construct a staff and completely retool the roster after the departure of Richard Pitino and the players that led the Lobos to a second-round run in the NCAA Tournament. Olen goes over the players he’s brought in so far and what they bring to the table. The guys talk to Olen about his long stint at the University of California, San Diego and how he was able to take a team that transitioned from Division II to Division I to the NCAA Tournament so quickly. They also ask him about his thoughts on the NIL landscape and how it impacts mid-major conference teams. Olen expresses his excitement about experiencing The Pit and gets questioned about what his wardrobe will be on the sidelines. He said the Lobos job was one he wanted as soon as Pitino left, and he felt he recruited UNM as much as the school recruited him. With his family still in San Diego as he has worked to find a house in Albuquerque, Olen talks about the challenges of filling out a program as he tries to get settled in a new city. After the interview, Will and James discuss what’s to come in the days ahead for the prep spring sports postseason.

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Well looky here. After securing one guest interview over their first twelve episodes, Santa Fe New Mexican sports guys Will Webber and James Barron cram two interviews into their latest offering. Will and James first bring on former St. Michael's track and field standout and current University of New Mexico pole vaulter Jacquelyn Gorman before chatting with Santa Fe Prep tennis star and former New Mexican sports intern Henry Kaufman.

The guys speak with Gorman about her return to track and field after a year off following her graduation from St. Mike's. She talks about what led her to joining the team at UNM, what it's like competing at the Division I level, what got her into pole vaulting in the first place, and more. 

Kaufman then joins the show to discuss his decorated tennis career at Prep, which is coming to a close. One of the top players in state, he talks about his aspirations for the end of his senior season, his plans after he graduates, and what it was like to be a member of the media asking questions of UNM's men's basketball coach and star player while he was helping out as a New Mexican intern.

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After poking fun at University of New Mexico men’s basketball coach Eric Olen for missing his scheduled podcast appearance, Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron change their tone as they share their memories of brothers Jason and Nathan Abeyta. The two were killed in a car crash near Abiquiú on the morning of April 17, sending a shock wave of grief across the region. 

The brothers, members of Ohkay Owingeh, left an indelible mark at Santa Fe Indian School, where Jason served as boys basketball coach and Nathan as the assistant athletic director. They were both graduates of the school and beloved members of its community. 

Will and James talk about the impression the brothers left on them and share what other members of the athletic community have said about the Abeytas as those who knew and loved them mourn their passing.

The guys then discuss what’s been happening in the spring sports scene with the end of seasons quickly approaching.

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He’s been a team manager for Jim Boeheim at Syracuse, an assistant coach under Billy Gillispie at Tarleton State, and got his first college basketball head coaching job at age 27. Now, Zach Settembre is in the Land of Enchantment looking to make his mark as the new men’s basketball coach at New Mexico Highlands. 

Settembre, 34, was hired as coach of the Cowboys on April 8 and has been busy trying to build a roster for the 2025-26 season. The Louisville, Ky., native took some time Tuesday to chat with Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron to discuss his career path, his vision for the Highlands program, and what it’s like coaching across different levels of college basketball in today’s NIL landscape.

Settembre shares the story of playing with legendary coach Rick Pitino’s youngest son, Ryan, while attending middle school in Louisville. He also talks about what it was like to be around Boeheim and future NBA players at Syracuse.

Settembre got his first college head coaching job at Tallahassee Community College at age 27. He talks about the valuable experience he gained from that opportunity, and from his other coaching stops. 

No stranger to New Mexico, Settembre discusses what he learned about the passion the state’s fans have for basketball while he was an assistant at New Mexico State University. He also talks about what he thinks it will take to build a winning program at Highlands, and the type of players he’s looking to recruit.

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Spring sports are well underway, but Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron have some winter sports items to wrap up. The guys discuss who they selected as the winter’s NorthStars — the top prep athletes in the area in winter sports. They also talk about the Final Four, which featured some screen time for former University of New Mexico Athletic Director Eddie Nuñez, who is now the vice president for intercollegiate athletics at the University of Houston.

With Will reporting from UNM football practice, he talks about the changes he’s noticed so far under Jason Eck, Bronco Mendenhall's successor. Will says things are looking brighter than he originally thought, and he’s enjoying better access to the team. The guys also chat more about new Lobos men’s basketball coach Eric Olen and his early recruiting efforts. 

Will closes by promising that the podcast will have its first guest next week. Stay tuned.

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On a blustery spring day in Albuquerque, where dust storms obscured views of the Sandia Mountains, Eric Olen was introduced Tuesday as the University of New Mexico’s head men’s basketball coach to mark the beginning of a new era after a whirlwind end to March for the program.

Santa Fe New Mexican sports writers Will Webber and James Barron share their initial impressions of the new face on campus and the work Olen has in front of him in the latest episode of “The New Mexican Sports Den.”

The guys talk about Olen’s background and what it took for him to guide the University of California, San Diego program from Division II basketball to the NCAA Division I Tournament. He’ll have a lot more heavy lifting to do as he looks to hire a coaching staff and rebuild the Lobos’ roster. Will and James discuss the expectations Olen will face and whether some of the Lobos who entered the transfer portal may return to the program.

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