The resignation of Dolores High School girls’ basketball coach Larry Schwartz was made official on Tuesday, athletic director Jimmie Lankford confirmed on Thursday.
Schwartz had been at the helm of the Lady Bears for the previous two seasons, compiling total record of 19-24 and securing a trip to the Class 2A Region 1 Tournament last season.
Schwartz also coached the Dolores boys for the past five seasons, and he cited the workload of handling two varsity squads as the primary reason for stepping down as the girls’ head coach.
“The workload and doing two films all the time – like coming back from Sangre, I had six films in a row that I had to dissect and put on MaxPreps – and the workload of doing two practices, even though I love basketball, by the end of the season it was a grind,” he said.
“It was really hard to give up those girls, but it just came down to the workload and the amount of time I had to spend,” he continued. “I’m going to miss it. But I know those girls are on the right track and there’s a ton of talent. Whoever takes over next is going to inherit a really good squad.”
Schwartz also mentioned the emotional toll of coaching both teams, as well as the tie to his daughter, Sierra – currently a sophomore – who plays guard for the Lady Bears.
Although the move is bittersweet, he is looking forward to watching Sierra next season from the stands as “Dad” rather than from the bench as “Coach.”
“I would love to finish out with my daughter,” he said. “But for her sake, having a different perspective might help her too.”
Now, Schwartz can narrow his focus to Dolores’ boys team, and he’s already preparing to take the Bears to camps this summer in Rangely and at Fort Lewis College.
“We’ve been grooming this boys team since they were in middle school, in sixth grade,” he said enthusiastically. “So I’ve just been waiting for this group to come, and I’ve got really good assistants in Joel Balderrama and Mike Nielson.”