Eldorado's Sanchez to coach at McDonald's All-American Game

Only Jim Hulsman has sat where Roy Sanchez will sit.

The longtime Eldorado High boys basketball coach is going to be one of the head coaches for the boys McDonald’s High School All-American Game, it was announced earlier this week.

The contest is March 31 at Desert Diamond Arena in Phoenix, and will be televised by ESPN. Sanchez, 61, who has led the Eagles to multiple state championships, will coach the East roster.

“Working with the best of the best, kind of neat,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez met the major requirements of having a minimum of 20 years coaching and at least 500 career victories. He reached No. 500 early in the 2024-25 last season, and this is his 33rd campaign with the burnt orange.

Hulsman, the Albuquerque High coaching legend, coached one of the McDonald’s squads when the All-American Game was held at the Pit in 1988. Some of the elite talent that appeared that year were Alonzo Mourning, Chris Jackson, Christian Laettner and Shawn Kemp.

Sanchez is taking with him two other Eldorado coaches, including his former longtime assistant Adam Huff, who now coaches the Eagles’ girls varsity, and Issac Massie.

The East roster includes players who have committed to the likes of Duke, Kansas and Michigan State.

Sanchez found out two Sundays ago. He was taking a walk on the day of the AFC and NFC Championship games, and came home to find an email alerting him to this honor – an email, Sanchez said with a laugh, that his wife thought was fake.

“Wow. I had to read it twice,” he said.

And now he’ll have a front seat to watch a slew of future NBA stars and be “in awe of the talent that we get to coach.”

THIS AND THAT: Arguably the shot of the year in prep basketball was authored on Tuesday night by a 5-10 sophomore guard from Portales.

Aiden Mestes, with the home team down by two as the clock melted away, heaved a shot from just beyond midcourt, and swished through as the unranked Rams stunned 4A’s second-ranked Artesia, 64-63.