New Girls Basketball Coach Is Changing the Culture At Highland

From coaching at Summit Academy High School, to being a 10-year ball boy for the Utah Jazz, Josh Archuleta – better known to the girls’ basketball team as coach Arch – has seen many years of basketball go by. Beginning his coaching career at Judge Memorial 15 years ago, the new Highland girls’ basketball head coach declares he “accidentally” fell into coaching.
Accident or not, he’s never looked back.
As a sophomore at the University of Utah, Archuleta was roped into a unique coaching opportunity at Judge when his buddy, James Lee (now the assistant coach of the Highland team), was pleasantly surprised with twins. Suddenly unable to find extra time for coaching, Lee asked Archuleta if he could step in and help. Graciously saying yes, Archuleta was now coaching alongside Jeremy Chatterton, Judge’s head coach at the time, and Highland’s present day principal.
Just two years later, Archuleta found himself as the head coach of Juan Diego Catholic High School’s girls basketball team. In that first year as head coach, Archuleta led his team to a 25-0 season record and a well-earned 3A region championship. Star players Monique and Dominique Mills (twins) led the team to victory, and both went on the play college ball after graduating.
Archuleta also gained experienced from working with the Jazz, from ages 16-25. Inside of locker rooms, meetings, huddles, and literally being courtside for each game, gave him many cool experiences, and sparked a fuse for coaching all different levels of basketball. Jerry Sloan, the head coach of the Jazz at the time, gave him insight and allowed him to be a fly on the wall during many team meetings. Archuleta remembers all of those lessons.
While coaching at Summit Academy, Archuleta found himself looking at the Highland girls basketball job application and wondered if the job would fit into his lifestyle. Living in Riverton, it definitely isn’t convenient, but despite the long commute Archuleta thought it looked like a good opportunity, and so far, it has proven to be.
“Me and a few other girls on the (Highland) team played on a comp team for him this summer,” senior basketball player Meredith Kimball said. “So, when he told us he was going to coach at Highland I was surprised but very excited for a change.”
This being her fourth year on the team, Kimball has experienced many different and sometimes inefficient coaching styles and shares her gratitude for the new and experienced coach.
Archuleta also emphasized that the familiarity developed while coaching several of the girls during the summer has helped accelerate establishing a winning culture.
Kimball immediately recognized Archuleta’s strong conviction for team culture, and appreciates the how important high standards are for team success, both on the court and off.
“It’s hard, I think, in general to embrace mistakes, just for embarrassment or whatever that feeling may be,” Archuleta said. “The more you grow up, it’s important to just understand that you can embrace failure.”
To Archuleta, making mistakes includes a willingness to look like a fool at times. Being able to drop that stress, realize that it doesn’t really matter, and be comfortable with failure, leads you to gaining self-confidence and becoming a better athlete and person.
This is something Archuleta lives by, and a lesson he works hard to convey in these girls every day.
Last year, the Highland girls’ basketball team didn’t win a single game, and the year before, they only experienced one victory when they beat Skyline. Taylor Gurgel, a junior on the basketball team, expresses her love for the squad and all its players but acknowledges the struggles they have had in the past.
“Arch is strict and pushes us to be better, while still being uplifting,” Gurgel said, “After last year […] I think all the returning players are really determined to make a change this season, and coach Arch is just as determined as everyone else is to win.”
Gurgel speaks for the whole team when saying the Rams are looking forward to a better record this year, and coach Arch is helping them reach that aspiration.
A switch to 4A region 10 this season means the team won’t have to play traditionally strong 5A programs like: Olympus, West, Brighton, and Alta, making the goal of winning more games much more attainable.
Having held several different coaching positions over the years, including as a varsity head coach for nine seasons, Archuleta brings significant experience. This experience has helped him learn how to recognizes the reasons a team is struggling, root out the negativity and begin to rebuild a winning culture. This newfound belief has the team expecting to win many more games this year and they are putting in the work to ensure this happens.
Archuleta knows that pushing the players harder than ever will lead them to better performance, increased mental toughness, and comradery from doing hard things together.
“His (Archuleta’s) expectations are a bit higher than the last coach, but overall, it’s been fun to get to know him and the other coaches,” Kimball said. :I feel like they will bring a new energy to the gym that we didn’t have before.”