Former Clovis High School and Farwell girls basketball coach Miles Watters will be among five inductees into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame, with ceremonies scheduled for June 26–27, 2026. A native of Clayton, New Mexico, Watters’ induction recognizes a lifetime of excellence as both an athlete and one of the most accomplished coaches in New Mexico girls basketball history.
Born on April 16, 1955, Watters was a standout multi-sport athlete at Clayton High School, graduating in 1973. He quarterbacked the Yellowjackets to a 10–0 regular season and No. 1 state ranking, earned multiple All-District and All-State honors in football and basketball, and qualified for the state track meet in both the pole vault and high jump. He was also active in FFA, competing in parliamentary procedure, dairy, and grass judging.
Watters continued his athletic career at Lubbock Christian University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education in 1977. A four-year basketball letterman, he led his team in rebounding and free throw percentage in 1976 and topped the roster in scoring, rebounding, and shooting percentages during his senior season. His collegiate career culminated with All-Texhoma Conference honors and the school’s prestigious LD Hays Award as Outstanding Athlete of the Year.
Watters began his coaching career in 1977 at Sudan High School in Texas, serving as the boys head basketball coach and assistant football coach. After two seasons, he returned home to Clayton High School, launching one of the most dominant runs in New Mexico high school sports history. Over 15 seasons, Watters guided the Lady Yellowjackets to a staggering 373–57 record, 13 district titles, 13 regional championships, and a state-record 11 state basketball championships, including eight consecutive titles from 1983–90. His teams went six full seasons without losing to a New Mexico opponent, posting an 86 percent winning rate during that span.
In addition to basketball, Watters also coached girls track and field, leading Clayton to seven state championships and 10 district titles, and one season famously coached both the boys and girls basketball teams — with the boys finishing third at state and the girls winning the championship.
Watters moved to the collegiate ranks in 1994, spending six seasons as head women’s basketball coach at Lubbock Christian University, where he helped lay the foundation for a nationally respected program competing in the Sooner Athletic Conference. He left the college game with an 84–83 record, becoming the first women’s coach at LCU to post a winning mark.
He returned to New Mexico in 2000, first as an assistant at Clovis High School before taking over the girls program. Over seven seasons, Watters led the Lady Wildcats to a 153–48 record, three trips to the state finals, and a perfect 30–0 season capped by the 2005 Class 5A state championship. That title run included victories over Texas state champion Canyon High School and undefeated Las Cruces Mayfield in the finals.
In 2006, Watters became the first girls basketball coach in New Mexico history to reach 500 career wins. He retired from coaching in New Mexico in 2008 but returned to the sidelines in 2009 at Farwell High School in Texas, where he guided the girls program to a 97–59 record, three playoff appearances, and two district and bi-district championships over five seasons before retiring in 2014.
Across 36 years in education and coaching, Watters coached more than 1,000 games and compiled an overall basketball record of 759–293, ranking him among the winningest girls basketball coaches in New Mexico history and in the national top 50. His teams were known for unselfish play, disciplined execution, and gritty defense, highlighted by the grueling preseason tradition known as “Gut Week.”
Beyond the court, Watters made lasting contributions to his communities. While at Clovis, he choreographed basketball scenes and appeared as a rival coach in the movie “Believe in Me,” instituted the “Cats Can Read” elementary literacy program, hosted countless instructional camps, and worked with underprivileged youth across the state. He has served as a guest lecturer at UNM and Texas Tech clinics and continues to support athletics as a broadcaster and fan.
His accolades include multiple New Mexico Coaches Association Coach of the Year awards, National Federation of High School Coaches Association sectional honors, induction into the Lubbock Christian University Sports Hall of Fame, and the New Mexico High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor. In 2022, Clayton High School renamed its gym floor the “Miles Watters Basketball Court.”
“It’s been a blessing to coach in New Mexico and at the high school level. I’ve been fortunate to have so much support from administrators and other coaches, but mainly it was a blessing to coach boys and girls teams during my coaching journey. It is such an honor, and I’m so grateful and humbled to be a part of this year’s Hall of Fame inductees.”