I interviewed Heriberto “Eddie” Anglero, Jr., US Army veteran and multi-time champion at Reidsville Middle, about his rise to the head coaching position at Rockingham County High School. He has had an interesting journey to this point, and is only thirty-four years old. Though he cherished his time at Reidsville and the people who helped him get to this point, he is laser-focused on doing his best to improve the Cougars basketball program.
Eddie Anglero’s career took off in 2008-2009, when the “late, great” Curtis ‘Stink’ Pass gave Anglero an assistant coaching position by his side at Reidsville Middle. After the season, Coach Pass gave him another opportunity, allowing him to be the head coach of the 13U age group for the Rockingham Xplosion, an AAU Team that he created. However, Anglero then left coaching to serve his country by joining the US Army.
In 2019-2020, Anglero returned to the coaching profession as an assistant under Coach Jarrod Neal. “This is when I started taking coaching seriously.” Coach Neal encouraged Eddie to continue to pursue coaching. It was a tough year to return to coaching, as the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic soon hit. The middle school season was cut that year, and Neal then left Reidsville Middle to become an assistant coach for Reidsville’s varsity.
It turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Anglero was bumped up to head coach for the Reidsville Raiders, and the team was very dominant. In his first season, they went undefeated in eleven games, earning both the regular season and conference championship. “During my second season as head coach, I received a call from the varsity head coach of Reidsville, Jason Ross, asking me if I wanted to be a part of the staff as an assistant.” Anglero detailed that Ross believed having the middle school head coach as his assistant would help better prepare the future varsity players, as Anglero would be equipped to teach the players what would be expected of them once they reached the varsity level.
The middle school team did not suffer, even though Anglero was pulling double duty their head coach and a varsity assistant. They went 10-2, repeating as regular season and conference champions. At this time, Eddie began to think about one day becoming a varsity head coach. He soaked everything in that he could from Coach Ross. “I am one who likes to learn everywhere I go, because I feel that if you’re not learning, you’re wasting time.” He studied how Ross ran his program in preparation for his future hopes of becoming a varsity coach, and “who better to learn from than Coach Ross and the Reidsville High School program?”
After his second championship season as the middle school coach, an opportunity came open at Rockingham for the varsity head coach position. Eddie first talked to his wife, who “signed off on it,” as she knew it was a goal of his. He then applied and started the process, having conversations with Coach Ross and Coach Neal, who were all for his pursuit.
He describes himself as “up for the challenge” with this Rockingham basketball program, which has had three coaches in three years. But, he knows how to win from his time at Reidsville. Anglero states that coaching the Cougars has certainly been a much different experience, but he is “learning how to manage those things.” He is confident that as he gets more experienced, he “will definitely adjust and learn.” The thirty-four year old is definitely no stranger to adaptability, which bodes well for the Cougars.
Even with a 2-6 start, Anglero feels confident about his team’s strengths. He considers it a major advantage that his guys, while young, have experience playing at “varsity speed, especially in the conference [they] are in.” Four of Rockingham’s five starters, Dalton Johnson, Lane Powell, Luke Strittmatter, and Nick Rumbley, played good minutes on varsity last year. Rumbley and Strittmatter are both sophomores, while Johnson is a junior and Powell is a senior. Developing chemistry with these young guns is going to be an important factor in changing this Rockingham basketball program for the better.
The head coach of Rockingham then heaped praise on Dalton Johnson, who has put up some big numbers this season. “I feel that on any given night we have one of, if not the best, point guard on the court… Dalton Johnson is underrated and needs more exposure on the next level. He has uncanny court vision and play-making ability. He can shoot and defend well.” Also, Lane Powell’s ability to “light you up from 3” is always there, and Nick Rumbley is their “hidden treasure” in the post, with his size, footwork, and “soft touch.” Brady Ross and Carter Matthews are able to come off the bench and keep the momentum going when it is needed. So, you can see that there is no shortage of talent on the court for Wentworth’s high school.
“We have a lot of strengths, in my opinion, we just have to start to work it all together.” Confidently, Anglero stated, “We will definitely wake people up to who and what Rockingham basketball is all about!”