By James Baca
The 2025–26 New Mexico Highlands Cowboys are playing meaningful basketball in March.
In his first season at the helm, head coach Zach Settembre has guided Highlands to an 11–9 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference finish, securing the program’s first winning league record since 2019–2020. On Tuesday night, the Cowboys will travel to Grand Junction to face No. 2 seed Colorado Mesa University inside Brownson Arena (7:30 p.m., RMAC Network).
The reset was visible before the opening tip. Debuting this season were purple and white candy-stripe warmups and a script “Highlands” across the chest — subtle branding adjustments that coincided with a completely reconstructed roster. With no returning players from the previous year, the updated look mirrored the fresh start taking place inside the program. The visual changes were modest, but they aligned with a broader shift in direction.
Settembre is quick to point out that progress did not begin on the practice floor alone.
“First off, everything starts with administrative support,” Settembre said. “I am extremely grateful to Dr. Neil Woolf and Dr. Paul Grindstaff for giving me the opportunity to lead this program. All of us at Highlands are lucky to have those two men in positions of leadership, and along with Frank ‘Harpo’ Sanchez leading our Board, the sky is the limit for us.”
He continued, “Our success this year started with how we approach anything and everything related to competitive success. Our practices are intense and competitive, and our program’s commitment to preparation and detail orientation have helped us get over the hump and win close games down the stretch.”
Sustained success is not built on nostalgia. Programs are not defined by what they once were, but by the standards they commit to daily. Habits shape the future.
The rebuild required months of layered work — from recruiting and conditioning to culture development and community engagement — and it was comprehensive by design.
“We spent hundreds and hundreds of hours constructing this roster from scratch,” Settembre said. “We did not return one player who played one second from last year’s team, by design, as we wanted a clean slate to build from the ground up.”
The roster blends experienced transfers with emerging local talent.
“We’ve had huge contributions from transfers with experience, but we’ve also infused young talent from the state of New Mexico to help us grow our foundation,” Settembre added. “Caileb Parham, Latavious Morris, and Lukas Turner have all been key in our success, and having local student-athletes from New Mexico has helped the energy in our crowd and our talent base locally.”
The commitment extended beyond the roster. Highlands hosted more than 200 high school prospects at elite camp this summer.
“Getting to evaluate so many excellent young campers gave us a huge advantage in restarting our program’s effort to transform Highlands into a winner both regionally and nationally,” Settembre said. “Now the next step is combining a tremendous season with more strong recruiting as we move into postseason play.”
The early season tested that foundation. Highlands opened 0–7 against a non-conference schedule that ranked top 20 nationally in strength.
“Our non-conference schedule was top 20 nationally,” Settembre explained. “We played at least six games against teams that will play in this year’s 2026 Division II NCAA Tournament. We also scheduled Division I North Texas, New Mexico, and New Mexico State. While most people called me certifiably insane with the schedule we put together, our program’s entire goal was to get Highlands back to RMAC Tournament play.”
The growth became visible in conference play, beginning with the 72–57 road win over Regis University to open RMAC action. From there, the Cowboys settled into league rhythm. Defensive consistency improved. Late-game execution sharpened.
“Having an 11–9 record in RMAC conference play was more than anyone outside of our locker room expected after starting 1–9,” Settembre said. “But playing a brutally tough schedule tested our team in ways that no one could have imagined, and these guys have never quit.”
He added, “We are honored to be the first athletics team, men’s or women’s, at Highlands since the 2019–2020 season to finish with a winning record in the RMAC. That stat will carry much weight soon as our football program is poised to take another giant step forward. As we know, a rising tide raises all boats.”
Tuesday brings a quarterfinal matchup against Colorado Mesa, which finished 15–5 in conference and 19–9 overall. Brownson Arena presents a challenge, but it also represents progress.
“Dr. Woolf and Paul have invested resources and time in our athletics program, and they truly care about our student-athletes,” Settembre said. “I’ve never seen a university president be as present at athletic contests as ours is, and the byproduct is staggering. We are excited for our quarterfinal matchup against traditional RMAC power Colorado Mesa, and we cannot wait for the challenge.”
And beyond Tuesday, the vision remains steady.
“Whenever our season ends, we cannot wait to reload our roster and take another gigantic step forward in year two,” Settembre said. “Go Cowboys.”
For the 2025–26 Cowboys, meaningful March basketball is not the finish line. It is the foundation.
On Tuesday night, they step onto the floor carrying the standard forward.
