Bernalillo's Terry Darnell takes on double duty

Apr. 18—At nearly 4:30 on a Thursday afternoon, Terry Darnell is settling in for a Zoom meeting. The laptop has been flipped open, and at the other end of this virtual connection, the five members of the Bernalillo Public Schools board of education await.

There's nothing terribly out of the ordinary about this setup, except for the specifics of Darnell's location — at Valley High School, hunkered down inside an office just off the weight room — and the natty grey suit he's wearing.

About 2 1/2 hours from the start of this meeting, Darnell will coach the Spartans varsity boys basketball team, as he has for the last 27 years.

But as this meeting is about to begin, Darnell is filling another job title: Superintendent. Since Jan. 1, Darnell, 52, has been serving as the district's interim superintendent, following the retirement of Keith Cowan.

"Busiest I've ever been in my career," Darnell said with a laugh. "I always sat back and said, 'If I was the superintendent' ... now I have that opportunity."

This is hybrid rarity: superintendent by day, varsity basketball coach by late afternoon and evening.

"For the first time in a long time," he said, "I feel like I can make a difference in our schools and our community. I grew up here, and I know first-hand our school district."

When Cowan retired, Darnell, after some initial reluctance to apply, threw his name in the hat, and among what Darnell said were 20-plus other applicants, was given the keys to the district.

"I knew I could do the job as interim," he said. "I wasn't thinking long-term at the time."

But even as he stepped into the most important job of his career, there was a condition. He wanted to coach Bernalillo High's boys for this spring season. In the midst of the pandemic, more than ever he didn't want to abandon that post. Especially if there would be a season, and three months ago, no one could be certain there would be one.

"It would have been unfair for me to walk away on such short notice," Darnell said.

And the Spartans (7-1 overall) are flourishing. They are ranked No. 4 in the state in Class 4A, and, at 4-0, lead District 6-4A.

Because basketball season this spring has been shortened so much — by more than 50 percent in both duration and games — Darnell felt it was doable to perform both tasks, even if he is often extended into 70 or 80 hours a week. He has an undergraduate degree from New Mexico Highlands and earned his Master's degree from the College of Santa Fe.

"Actually, since he took the superintendent's job, he's been more relaxed with us," said senior guard Gabriel Prairie. "He's always taught us academics comes first, and even as a leader, he's doing academics first, then coming to us."

Darnell is part of that rare group that has won state basketball championships both as a player and as a coach with the same school.

Bernalillo last won state in 2005. Darnell was a standout guard for the Spartans in their state championship season of 1987, the year he graduated.

"His heart and soul is with Bernalillo," said Bernalillo High principal Tim McCorkle. "In my mind, he's a legend for the things he's done at Bernalillo."

When Cowen retired, Darnell said, some in town urged him to consider the job. Until then he also had been Bernalillo High's athletic director, a position he had for 18 years.

But this administrative post, he knew, would be far more demanding. He decided to vacate the AD job for a loftier purpose.

"I said, 'I'll give it a shot and see what it's about,' " Darnell said. "I've been in this community my whole life, and the school board felt I was a good fit for the interim spot."

And, as it turns out, basketball has proven to be a welcome relief.

"It's been a good thing for me," he said. "It gives me time, those two or three hours a day, to take my mind off the superintendent's job. It's that mental rejuvenation you need every day."

The playoff fields are to be announced May 1 in basketball. The Spartans last made a state final in 2018.

And Darnell has them feeling confident they can make a run next month, even if it is a bit strange to be playing for one's Superintendent.

"I guess it's a little bit weird," senior post Damien Lopez said. "But we've always known him as coach, and I think that's what it's always gonna be."

Darnell said he will apply to be the permanent superintendent, which will be determined in the next couple of months.

"For me, I think he's navigated through the challenges that we've had quite well," said McCorkle, himself a former coach. "What he does offer, is a perspective that maybe a lot of people don't have."

If Darnell becomes the full-time superintendent, he said he'll leave coaching. Which makes this possibly his swan song with the Spartans, and his final two weeks patrolling Spartan Alley, which has long been his home away from home.

Darnell has flirted with the idea of retirement over the past few years, but he said this unique double duty has re-energized him.

"It put a passion into me (coaching) at Bernalillo," he said. "My desire to help our community and the school has fueled my passion to coach these guys. I've thought about retiring from coaching, but this gives me a passion to be better as an educator and be better for our community."

His players are acutely aware that these could be his final weeks coaching the Spartans.

"Since this might be his last year," Prairie said, "we want to send him out with a bang."