One man has called Mancos home for nearly half of his life, but it was only when he was a kid in fifth grade that he knew what he wanted to do.
At the age of 28, Gary Hill began 33 years of high school basketball coaching at Shiprock (N.M.) High School. Hill coached the Lady Chieftans basketball team for three years and taught U.S. History and American government at SHS for 10 years, while commuting from Cortez.
In 1981, the boys basketball coaching position at Mancos High School opened up. When Hill got the job to coach the Bluejays, he and his family moved to Mancos. Gary and his wife of 38 years, Glenda Hill, raised their two daughters and son, Casey Zordani, 33, Cara Hill, 31, and Clint Hill, 26, in the Mancos Valley. From that day in 1981, Mancos got a man who taught history and government for 15 years at MHS before becoming principal. He also served as the schools athletics director for 12 years. But for 30 years, Hill turned the Bluejays basketball program into an efficient machine of pure consistency.
Seventeen San Juan Basin League regular-season championships, 12 district titles, 17 regional tournament appearances, eight state tournament appearances, and what do you get? Eighteen of the past 22 seasons of post-season basketball at MHS. With all of the success, Hill never moved on to coach at a bigger school. It was simply because Mancos offered something more important, family.
The community has just been super for me an my family, Hill said about Mancos. When my kids got old enough, I wanted them to go to school there. My girls graduated in 95 and 97, and having the opportunity to coach my son when he was there (2000-2003), those are just indescribable terms. I couldnt have had a better place.
From 1992-96, Mancos was a Colorado 2A basketball power, making it to the state championship game in 1993, placing fourth in 1995 and winning the state consolation title in 1996. From 1988-92, Hill coached one of the greatest athletes in Colorado high school history in Luther Elliss, who was a football All-American at the University of Utah and two-time NFL pro bowl selection for the Detroit Lions as a defensive lineman.
He was an exceptional player. He understood he could take over a game, but he was the ultimate team player, Hill said about Elliss. He could have played college basketball. Luther is just one of those special people not only a great athlete and basketball player, but hes always been a quality young man. He worked hard. He gave you 100 percent, and nobody can give over that.
Hill has coached hundreds of players over the years at Mancos. Some were better than others, but there were many players who worked hard and did the best with what they had.
I will always maintain that good kids make good coaches. Ive been blessed in Mancos with kids that want to work hard, Hill said. I think our program at Mancos has been of the highest degree not only in being competitive, year in and year out, but the quality of young men that have come out of there.
He coached all kinds of talent level. Luther Elliss there wasnt a better kid than him athletically in the state. No matter what talent he had, he always got them to play to their potential or beyond. He drew the best out of them, former Montezuma-Cortez High School basketball coach Wade Mortensen said. To me, thats the sign of a great coach. His teams always got better as they went along.
Hill ran the same system on the court for 30 years with those players and had mountains of success as high as the towering La Platas in the process. His secret?
We had three rules. You work hard, you play together, and you have fun, Hill said. Youve got to learn how to win and how to lose, and to play the game the right way. The quality of young men that have played for me the last 30 years, I wouldnt trade any of them.
Things didnt start off well in the early 1980s, as Mancos struggled. But a certain 1985 graduate remembers his four years of Bluejays basketball as a cherished experience.
Playing, we werent very good, but he was always positive and he made us work on the right things, Rodney Cox said about playing for Hill. He was always encouraging, always demanding, but always fair.
Cox returned to the Mancos bench 20 years later as the junior varsity head coach and Hills assistant varsity coach.
His passion for the game never changed. The first day I walked in the gym as a player to the last practice this year. He just has an amazing passion for the games and the kids, Cox said about Hill. You talk about role models; theres a lot of kids needing an adult figure in their lives. I think he is a great role model for anybody. He just taught a lot of life lessons through the game of basketball. Anybody that can make it coaching at one school for that long is amazing.
Through 33 years of coaching high school basketball, Hill has developed many friendships. His relationship with Cox is one that will always stand out to him.
Rodney, hell always hold a special place because when I first came to Mancos, I remember this scrawny little kid palming a basketball and being a basketball junkie just entering high school, Hill said about Cox. I had the privilege of coaching him for four years. When we had an opening (to coach), he wanted to be a part of the program again. It was great having someone come back. I enjoyed working with Rodney immensely.
Hill made many friends competing against coaches, too, as well as inspiring coaches to further their careers, or by just encouraging young people to coach.
He was at Mancos when I first came to Cortez, and he had an outstanding program. We got to be friends because of coaching realms, Mortensen said. I knew right away he was a man of character and principle. He ran a defense of matchup zone that was as good as Ive ever seen. I wanted to learn more about it. Hes just a good man.
I began student teaching in Mancos, and I wanted to see if coaching was going to be for me or not, M-CHS girls basketball coach Justine Bayles said. I asked Mr. Hill if I could volunteer, and he actually allowed me to be an assistant coach and it was an amazing experience. I only have to say good things about Mr. Hill. I think he had a big impact on the kind of coach that I want to be and to be in the school system, while coaching. I got so much advice from him. He was willing to take his level of coaching down to the level that I needed.
In the 2A SJBL, the Ignacio Bobcats have been the Goliath, winning the past three regular-season and district crowns. Ignacio coach Chris Valdez has been competing against Hill since he suited up for the Bobcats in the early 1980s. Valdez has built Ignacio into a juggernaut and has emulated his program around elements he learned from Hill.
He was just getting his feet wet back when I was playing. The guy has always been a competitor. A lot of times, he doesnt get the best athletes, but he always gets the best out of his athletes. Those are the coaches I have a lot respect for, Valdez said about Hill. Hes the kind of person that Ive patterned my coaching after. Hes disciplined and aggressive. He and his teams are ready to go at the end and theres not a lot of people I respect more than him. Hes always been an upstanding coach. He never has bad remarks for people. During the game, hell glare at your bench because hes a competitor. But after the game, hell hug you and buy you a cup of coffee. Hes a legend, and when you lose a legend, things change.
This past season, Mancos won seven of its last 10 games to cap off a 12-9 year where it advanced to the post-season 2A Region 1 tournament in Alamosa at Adams State College. It was the Bluejays ninth post-season appearance in the past 10 years.
With nine SJBL Coach of the Year honors, having coached the 1991 and 1997 Colorado High School Coaches Association All-State games and being recognized by CHSCA as a Level 4 coach for surpassing 335 wins, 61-year-old Hill did not have his contract at Mancos renewed for a 31st season. Hills overall coaching record is 447-273 (.610).
You will find no coach (more than me) that had more admiration for another coach than Gary Hill. What hes brought to the Mancos program, is impressive in every win, Telluride High School boys basketball coach Mike Hughes said. The number of wins and state championship (tournament) wins, and the state of class that they do it, its hard for me to see a program transition like that, that Ive modeled my program after. I feel blessed that I got to coach against Gary all those years and learn basketball form him. Not just Xs and Os, but to get that level of expertise out of those kids. Im just saddened that he wont be able to continue for that school.
Hill has turned to the next chapter in his life, and that is to mentor young basketball players and coaches. In February, Hill created Southwest Basketball LLC. Its a business where Hill offers his expertise with coaching clinics and seminars, and youth basketball camps. Hill has 30 years experience in running elementary school basketball camps, and he also ran summer high school tournaments at MHS.
I do feel like I have some knowledge. It would be ideal if I could help train younger coaches, give them some ideas and things like that. Not only the Xs and Os, but the intangibles of coaching. (I want to) hopefully (show them) how to build a better foundation to be successful in life. I think thats the most important thing in life that we as educators and coaches really do.
Hill has a bachelor of arts degree from Fort Lewis College (1971) and a masters of arts degree from Western State College (1976) with an emphasis in Western U.S. history.
For more information about Southwest Basketball, LLC., log on to www.southwestbasketballco.webs.com.
Reach Bobby Abplanalp at bobbya@cortezjournal.com.