Sandian’s local basketball club helps young female athletes get into college.

Carl Rhinehart started coaching girls’ basketball in 2011 the way many parents do, as a volunteer helping with his kids’ team. Turns out that coaching gig would be the springboard for something much bigger.

During his first year of coaching, Carl, Sandia’s chief of staff, noticed a stark difference in the resources available to his girls’ team when compared to the boys’ teams.

“My girls were practicing at the worst facilities, community centers without regulation-sized courts. There wasn’t even a three-point line,” he said. “Meanwhile third-grade boys were playing on full-sized courts at some of the nicer high schools around the city.

“I wanted more for our girls.”

The club

Carl took it upon himself to give them more and, in 2012, he founded the New Mexico Clippers Girls Basketball Club.

The club started with a simple goal in mind, to make sure girls had safe, regulation-sized courts to practice on. He’s been able to do that and in the club’s history it’s gone from one team with eight girls who barely knew how to play competitive ball to a club with a reputation for helping girls get into college.

“If your goal is to get a basketball scholarship, we’re the club you want to play for,” he said.

Since 2019, Carl has helped nearly 100 girls get into college with the help of basketball scholarships.

Pathways for success

But, as he explains, basketball isn’t the endgame for these girls — it’s college.

“Caitlin Clark is one of the most famous basketball players out there and her starting WNBA salary is just shy of $80,000,” he said. “That’s less than you’d make fresh out of college with a degree in engineering.

“Everything I do is to make sure these young women have as many opportunities as possible. Many of my players may not have been able to afford college otherwise, and now they can. Having the ability to further their education is going to give them those pathways to success.”

What Carl’s doing in New Mexico is a big deal. The Land of Enchantment, while known for its vibrant landscape, rich cultural traditions and great weather, is not exactly known in the sports world and consequently, Carl said, that can affect recruitment.

“A lot of schools don’t recruit female athletes from New Mexico because there is this perception — in those circles — that players from here are reluctant to leave home, and when they do leave, they don’t stay long,” he said. “It’s a hurdle I’ve had to help coaches get past.”

Another stereotype Carl is actively breaking down involves Native American players.

“People assume kids on the reservations only know how to play Rezball, and don’t take them seriously when it comes to playing in college,” he said. “But these assumptions are wrong, and I’ve got several Native American players playing Division One ball who can prove it.”

Hidden gems

New Mexico is not a “sports destination” and in the absence of a major league professional team, that’s not likely to change. For Carl, that adversity only helps build stronger players.

“There are opportunities in the right environment. New Mexico may not have the same facilities, development or level of competition we see in neighboring states, but that doesn’t mean we can’t turn out players capable of playing at those higher levels,” he said. “For example, our kids are usually shorter — we don’t have the same height advantage other regions do — so our players have to work harder at building their skills. I tell my girls, ‘If a taller kid can do everything you can, you’re not going to get noticed,’ and it may not seem fair, but that’s life. And as a result, my players are known for their ability to shoot the ball really well.

“I want New Mexico to become known for what it really is, a place where you can find great players where you didn’t think to look — hidden gems.”

Carl signed up to coach 14 years ago to support his daughter, but as the saying goes, “it takes a village.” When reflecting on what Carl’s built and the pathways he’s paved for girls and young women in New Mexico, it’s fair to say that, through this process, he’s supporting our daughters too.