Nov. 25—Who is ready to take the Class 5A boys basketball mantle from Volcano Vista?
The Hawks have owned the 5A division for four consecutive seasons, have constructed a modern dynasty, and they have been the prohibitive favorite the last couple of years. But all indications are, the 2025-26 season could venture in a few different directions.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"5A's gonna be exciting," Albuquerque High coach Leroy Barela said.
Sandia, which was one missed jump shot from beating Volcano Vista in a scintillating overtime state final eight months ago, will most certainly be prominent in the conversation. La Cueva and Albuquerque High both reached the quarterfinals at the Pit.
Inside treacherous District 1-5A, New Mexico's best and deepest league, and a district that has produced nine of the last 10 state champions, Cleveland likes its chances. So does Rio Rancho, a team that seems poised to make a deep run with new coach Steve Heredia who left Atrisco Heritage in the offseason.
Outside the metro area, Las Cruces' stock appears to be high.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPerhaps even Volcano itself might make a run at a fifth straight blue trophy.
"To be frank, until someone solves the Volcano riddle, to me they're clearly the team to beat," said Heredia. "Even with all they lost."
That list of the lost is topped by current Montana Grizzly freshman Kenyon Aguino, a multiple Gatorade Player of the Year for the Hawks.
"With us, it's gonna be just really not chasing anything more than being our best every day," Hawks coach Greg Brown said. "And if we can do that, we feel like we'll be right there in the mix. ... It's gonna take some time to get there."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementVolcano Vista graduated six, but not 6-4 junior forward David Lunn, who is possibly 5A's most fearsome player. He averaged 18 points last season, and is already part of the school's 1,000-point club. New Mexico State and West Virginia have already offered him, Brown said.
Senior guard Spirit Penn-Cook, who is 6-1, and 6-4 senior post Eli Covell will also be integral to the Hawks' chances.
We will not see a fully stocked and healthy Sandia team until early in the new year. But the Matadors have three excellent sophomore guards — Isaiah Brown, Gad Harris and Robertson transfer George Smith — who are going to generate massive headaches for everyone the Matadors play, largely because the high volume of 3-pointers this trio is going to shoot. Sandia opened Saturday night with a road loss at Hobbs.
Harris, recovering from a leg injury suffered midway through football and a "huge piece to our puzzle," coach Danny Brown said, is not likely to return until early in January.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"We're small, so we'll have to turn people over and hold our own on the glass as much as we can," Brown said.
Albuquerque High, which is going to be the favorite in District 5-5A, returns two all-district standouts in 5-10 senior combo guard Noah Barela and 6-5 senior wing/forward Ethan Oetzel.
"We have a chance to get pretty far," Barela said. "If things go the way we anticipate them going, it can be a pretty deep run."
La Cueva graduated only one senior, and the Bears have also added a keen defensive mind on the bench in Travis Julian, who most recently was Los Lunas' head coach. Bears coach Eric Orell once worked for Julian when the two were at Manzano.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"I'm really excited about this group," Orell said.
Players to watch closely on this roster include 6-5 senior forward/post Hunter Butler, 6-1 senior combo guard Tony Trujillo and talented 6-3 junior point guard Drew Bramlett.
La Cueva went out in the quarterfinals to Volcano Vista.
Cleveland was a quarterfinalist last March (beaten by Hobbs), and the Storm returns one of 5A's most dynamic players, and possibly its most electrifying scorer, in 5-10 senior guard Remy Albrecht. Albrecht is in his fifth varsity season, and he had to appeal to the NMAA to gain this fifth season. (He turned 19 several days before the Sept. 1 cutoff to be NMAA eligible, hence the appeal, which was successful). He averaged over 29 points a game as a junior.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut this team will have other guards who'll be a problem, coach Zack Cole said, several of whom, perhaps including 5-11 junior Brycen Bowie, that could be poised for a breakout season. Cleveland graduated only three players.
Heredia had steady success coaching Atrisco Heritage, but he jumped to the Rams in the offseason, and Rio Rancho is a team with extremely loud buzz.
"People are talking high on Rio Rancho, as they should," Cleveland coach Cole said. "To me, it's Volcano's district until proven otherwise."
Said Greg Brown, "Rio Rancho's gonna be a top-three team."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Rams are going to be big and athletic and experienced and dangerous from the perimeter.
They bring back virtually everyone from last year's group that lost in the first round. Transitioning to a new coach and a new system is the thing Rio Rancho has been spending months fine-tuning.
"It's a long process," Heredia said. "Number one, it's establishing the culture you want to establish. Establishing the norms, the expectations, the accountabilities. Creating a sense of excitement and trust was a lot of our focus."
Top returners for the Rams include 6-5 senior Kayden Decker, 6-5 senior forward Cayden Richardson (perhaps the most versatile Ram) and 6-foot senior shooting guard Jordan McNeely.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCibola is also going to be a factor in 1-5A, led by 5-10 junior combo guard Elijah Martinez, who averaged 22.5 points as a sophomore and is capable of scoring in bunches. Junior Noah Crichlow, like Martinez, is a combo guard and those two will switch off in those two positions, head coach Gabe Martinez said.
The Cougars return four starters (but graduated some size) from a team that won 18 games and was a 9 seed at state.
"Rio Rancho, ourselves, Cleveland, Volcano ... all four can legitimately have a run at a state championship this year," coach Martinez said.
District 2-5A may develop into a battle between Sandia and La Cueva; Eldorado is, coach Roy Sanchez said, a feisty and energetic team that hopes to make some inroads, led by 5-10 junior point guard Charlie Wills (who started every game as a sophomore), 6-4 senior forward Sullivan Wilson and 6-0 senior guard Tim Kamphius. The Eagles, with a good starting five, have also added former Rio Rancho head coach Wally Salata as a consultant.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDistrict 5-5A could be unpredictable after Albuquerque High. Atrisco Heritage, which hired a new coach in Reyes Hernandez, and West Mesa were the other state qualifiers from 5-5A last season.
West Mesa has a nice stable of young guards in 5-10 point guard Mikho Huynh, 6-2 sophomore Daylen Holt and 6-2 sophomore Sheldon Harris who all have experience.
Although Atrisco graduated skilled scorer Latavious Morris, the Jaguars look to bring some balance to the 5-5A picture, including 6-2 junior forward Deon Session and 5-10 junior point guard Rashaud Morris, the younger brother of Latavious. Hernandez said his team can stretch the floor with its backcourt speed.
Class 4A
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThere will be extensive competition in both of the metro-based districts, and all of the schools in both leagues are going to be chasing defending state champion Artesia, a team that returns completely intact after defeating Highland in the final in March.
"They are the clear-cut No. 1 team in 4A," Highland coach Justin Woody said.
In District 5-4A, the Hornets have several excellent players returning: 6-0 all-district senior combo guard Juan Limas, 6-8 junior forward Jerry Moody and 6-foot senior guard Nico Sanchez. Plus, the Hornets went 20-0 on their JV and a couple of transfers should bolster their chances.
"I think we're really hungry," Woody said. "Coming up short served as motivation to try to get better." And, he added, this team has as many as five players who could lead Highland in scoring on a given night.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSt. Pius, which lost in the state quarterfinals to Highland, was hit pretty hard by graduation, losing nine players. And the Sartans are likely to start slow with a couple of their mainstays, like 6-5 junior forward/post Isaiah Carpenter (a player coach Ryan Myers said is among the top five in 4A) and 5-9 junior guard Hershul Olloway Jr., still playing football.
"A lot of guys who will be playing varsity minutes this year (are doing that) for the first time in their career," Myers said. Also returning is 6-foot senior wing Marcos Chavez.
Grants and Belen qualified for state as double-digit seeds and hope to mount another playoff charge. Valencia won only nine games and just one game in district, but the Jaguars return their three leading scorers and should be more of a factor.
In District 6, Albuquerque Academy, Hope Christian and Del Norte all could make a deep run in March.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Chargers were in the state semis last March, and if there's one team that brings the size in any division, it's this one, with 6-10 senior Hunter Aime returning, plus 6-6 senior wing Andrew Skarsgard and 6-3 senior forward Brian Nnanna leading the way. Zac Borrego, a 6-1 junior guard and the son of current New Orleans Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego, is going to give Academy an extra weapon although coach Alvin Broussard said his backcourt is still young and inexperienced.
The state's dean of coaches, Hope's Jim Murphy, is just four victories away from 900 with the boys program. (He's over 900 already for his career, factoring in some time coaching the Hope girls.)
The Huskies — a young squad with just two seniors — bring back 6-6 senior forward/post Brayden Giron, 5-10 junior point guard Jayce Miera and 6-3 junior guard/forward Ben Koenigsberg on a team that is going to face a grueling schedule but one that many expect will challenge for a blue trophy come the spring.
Del Norte coach Jeron McIntosh has taken the Knights to a state final before, but he says "this is probably the best team we've ever had."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Knights, he said, are long and athletic and can shoot. Top returners include 6-1 senior shooting guard Francois Satchivi, 6-4 senior forward Mumin Omar and 5-6 junior point guard Pedro Padron.
Both Valley and Bernalillo are likely to do some chasing. The Vikings, led by 6-foot junior guard Will Bradford and 6-foot senior guard Xavier Brito, graduated seven seniors and will be super young and rebuilding. Bernalillo struggled with just eight victories a season ago, and they graduated quite a few seniors. Key players include combo guard Kenneth Saiz and freshman Elias Rodriguez, who started for the Spartans as an eighth-grader.
Class 3A
Bosque School reached the state semis in March, losing to St. Michael's (which might be this season's overall 3A favorite), and won 22 games. From that team, players to watch this winter are 6-1 junior point guard Josiah Wilson (who averaged 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists and was the district player of the year, plus first-team all state), plus 6-5 junior post Wesley Harrigan and 5-10 shooting guard Luca Kalishman.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"My expectations are high for them," Bobcats coach Clifton Davidson said. "We have one of the best teams coming back in the state."
Sandia Prep and East Mountain both qualified for state and were ousted in the first round. The Timberwolves in particular, Davidson said, are going to be a real threat in 3A over the next few months and have four returning starters.
East Mountain, which returns just about all its scoring, is led by 6-1 senior forward Aiden Erickson (a top wide receiver for Manzano football), 5-10 senior wing Quinn Gwyther and 5-10 senior guard Damion Reyes.
For Sandia Prep, 6-foot junior guard Logan Lemons, who is a University of New Mexico baseball commit, averaged 16 points a game last season for the Sundevils. Senior Maddox Rios Bruner, a 6-1 senior, can provide quality minutes at multiple positions for coach Damian Segura, whose team will be smaller after graduating multiple taller athletes but does have three starters returning.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementClass 2A
Legacy Academy won 24 games last season and was a 6 seed in the playoffs. The Silverbacks return 6-3 senior Bryant Scales, who led the team in scoring (15.6 ppg) as a junior. But Legacy graduated most of its leading scorers.
Oak Grove was a 13 seed at state and the runner-up to Legacy in that district, but the Owls graduated their top two scorers, and filling in that gap will have to be a focal point.
Menaul almost had the biggest upset of last year's first round, coming within a basket of taking down 3 seed Mesa Vista in the first round. And this Panthers team figures to be better and more experienced, with three returning starters, led by top rebounder, senior Carlos Cummins, and junior point guard Luke Boatman.
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