PUEBLO — When Uncle Sam calls, Ben Garcia doesn’t hesitate to step away from basketball.
Halfway through his ninth season as coach of the Pueblo East girls, Garcia will leave the team Sunday to travel to Kuwait. As a civil engineer with the government, Garcia will be gone for six months to aid in the transition of military headquarters from Iraq to Kuwait as the troops begin their withdrawal.
“Troop members are over there all the time. I just am doing my part to help them out,” said Garcia, who coached his final game Tuesday. “We are transitioning the logistics of supplies, equipment and other things we need to be accountable for. That’s all I know at this point.”
Garcia, 55, said with his commitment to the government, these opportunities can present themselves at any time. After taking the job, he said he wasn’t sure when he would get the call.
“In the field I’m in, there is a lot of need to help our troop support,” Garcia said. “When they asked, I thought it was a good opportunity and took advantage of it. I didn’t know the timing and I couldn’t control it. This was just the best time for them.”
The Eagles (13-4) are deep into conference play. Garcia said he tried to time his announcement to the players so that it would not distract them if the plans fell through, but without waiting too long. After a bout with cancer in 2007, Garcia said he didn’t want rumors to swirl about his health or possible retirement.
“I told them the night before it was released that there was a possibility of some big changes,” Garcia said. “I wanted them to hear it from me before anyone else. I wanted to let them know that it was just a change that I have to do for my job.”
Garcia’s day job as a supervisor in the emergency management field, in addition to his contributions at Pueblo East, makes him an influence in the community. His time leading the basketball team is a decade shorter than his 19 years coaching the softball team.
The coach has a softspoken approach on the bench but has obvious respect from his players. Three of his starters stood up to hug him in the final seconds of a 58-41 loss to rival Pueblo South before his departure. Now, Garcia said he wants the ideals he instilled to continue.
“The kids just have to remember that they have a job to do,” Garcia said. “Practice is where the work gets done, not the game. I hope they continue to work hard.”
In his final game Tuesday against Pueblo South, more than a handful of well-wishers and a pregame speech from senior Alexa Snyder gave Garcia an idea of the community he has waiting for him in Colorado.
In his absence, Molly Borgstedt, a science teacher at Pueblo East, will be the interim coach.
“(Garcia) has been there for us, so when he is gone, we will still take on what he has taught as a coach,” said Snyder, who has played softball and basketball for Garcia. “His focus is defense, and he will want us to play our game and not fall off just because he isn’t here.”
