When standout shooting guard
Adonis Saltes moved to Albuquerque after spending his first two years of high school at Farmington, he was looking to transfer to one of three schools: Albuquerque, La Cueva and Valley.
Saltes had a friend who attended Albuquerque and knew of La Cueva's rich and storied tradition, but he didn't know much about
Valley (Albuquerque). All it took was one meeting with longtime Valley boys basketball coach Joe Coleman for Saltes to get the message.
Adonis Saltes, Valley
Courtesy photo
"I went into coach Coleman's office and he told me that he really wanted me there, but that if I didn't pick his program, his team would beat me wherever I went," said Saltes, who is rated as one of the top five players in New Mexico. "I thought what coach said was cool because it showed his competitiveness."
Even though Saltes had two productive years at Farmington, Coleman didn't know who he was when Saltes called him initially.
"I had to call a couple of coaches in town to find out who he was," said Coleman, who is in his 17th season as Valley's coach. "When one of them told me he was a pretty good player, it was a shock to me. Then my concern was how would he fit in with the team because we had a lot of returning guys who had played together for a long time. But Adonis has been nothing but a pleasure to coach."
Saltes didn't take any offense that his new coach didn't have a clue who he was.
"Coach Coleman is not involved with AAU or anything outside of high school hoops," Saltes said. "He's not the kind of guy to look into the newspaper and pay attention to stats. He's more like a country guy in a city who doesn't get caught up with anything."
Saltes, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound senior, has fit in nicely at Valley. After a solid junior year in which he averaged close to 20 points per game, Saltes is one of the many standout players for a Valley squad that has goals of winning the 5A state championship.
The Vikings are off to a 6-0 start and host Cleveland (Rio Rancho) Friday at 7 p.m. It didn't take Saltes long to send the rest of the state an early message, as he poured in 32 points in a season-opening win over Rio Rancho three weeks ago.
"I feel more comfortable with all my teammates this year," said Saltes, who said he has offers from Utah State and South Dakota State. "Last year I played good, but I didn't want to step on any toes. The guys are great, and we've got some serious talent on this team. This year I'm just playing more free."
Speaking of free, Saltes is the grandson of former NBA standout World B. Free, who currently works with the Philadelphia 76ers organization. Saltes comes from the richest of athletic bloodlines: His dad, Fontaine, played basketball at Weber State before playing professionally overseas, and his mom, Laticia Decory, played at BYU.
Saltes' parents never got married, and their relationship ended when Fontes was in the fifth grade. Saltes lives with his mom, while his dad lives in New York. However, Saltes said his dad is involved in his life, and he's thankful for having two loving parents.
Saltes is a whirling dervish on the court, able to contort his body in mid-air for spectacular, acrobatic shots. He can take defenders off the dribble, spot up for a 3-pointer and is tough once he gets in the lane against taller, bigger players.
He is averaging 23.2 points per game on 52-percent shooting, and is draining 86 percent of his free-throw attempts.
"Adonis is not big by any means, but he's able to score a lot around the basket," Coleman said. "He's got strength and can score a bunch in transition. From the moment he showed up here, I knew he would fit in because he was quiet and humble."
On the court, Saltes is always on the move. Off the court, his life bears a similar resemblance. Born in Pine Ridge, S.D. (population 3,308), on the the Oglala Lakota Indian Reservation, Saltes, whose aunt was Native American, moved to Phoenix when he was 11 before relocating to Farmington just before his freshman year.
Wanting to live in a bigger city, Saltes welcomed the move to Albuquerque, as he wanted to test himself against the state's best at the 5A level.
"My last two years of varsity basketball, I wanted to have 5A competition on my resume," Saltes said. "Nothing against Farmington, but I hated it at first because it reminded me of Pine Ridge. It's too remote, and I just need to be in a bigger city."
That's why Saltes looks back at his stay in Phoenix with fond memories. Even though his mom wasn't making much money at the time because she was attending medical school, Saltes said he never felt poor because of the richness of his mom's love.
"My mom would start work at 4:30 a.m. and then go to school," Saltes said. "I just remember all the times going to a dollar store and getting roller blades for 50 cents or jackets for 25 cents. Man, that was the best time in my life even though it could've been the worst time in my life. But mom always found a way for me to have fun and enjoy being a kid."
Saltes' mom is now a lung specialist at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, a dream realized. For Saltes, his dream is just beginning.
"It would be a dream to win state," Saltes said. "After high school, I want to make an impact at the college level, then see where I can go from there."
