Published Nov 1, 2010
New Mexico High School Basketball Rankings
Kyle Henderson
NMPreps.com Publisher
 
Advertisement
5A Overview: You have place the La Cueva Bears back at the top spot. Although they will not return 5A State Tourney MVP Ronnie Daniels due to his early graduation, the team returns brothers Bryce and Kory Alford and 6-foot-8 Lucas Griego as well as a ton of other big time talent. Next in line is their rival Eldorado. With players like Cullen Neal and Christian Strong returning, expect Eldorado to lose very few games this season.
Clovis lost some talent and most importantly lost the off the court drama, so expect the Wildcats to be much more focused on the season this year. Lathan Leib should provide some muscle and John Dawson has a great upside for an underclassmen. Sam Houston State commit Michael Holyfield along with Austin Roark are going to be the dark horses in the power district. If they can get some guard play, Manzano could be a sleeper to win it all. While Hobbs lost some big time players, they return a solid amount of talent.
Watch for Shay Reimers and Daniel Franco to turn into impact players through midseason. Highland is the heavy district 5-5A favorite, but they need a big man. Darrell Lampkin and Larry Rhoades are two of the best guards in the state. The two young guns, Volcano Vista and Cleveland, could be scary good. Volcano Vista returns dynamic duo Mario Molina and Sam Haywood. Cleveland returns 6-foot-9 Citadel commit P.J. Hogan. Onate - Don't look past Onate with Tim Jacobs returning and though Valley loses Michael Maya, they return Mario Flores.
NMP Pre-Season Hoops Rankings
Class 5A
1. La Cueva
2. Eldorado
3. Clovis
4. Manzano
5. Hobbs
6. Highland
7. Volcano Vista
8. Cleveland
9. Onate
10. Valley
Class 4A
1. Roswell
2. Espanola Valley
3. St. Pius X
4. Gallup
5. Academy
6. Santa Teresa
7. Valencia
8. Belen
8. Kirtland Central
9. Capital
10. Grants
Class 3A
1. Hope Christian
2. Sandia Prep
3. Lovington
4. St. Michael's
5. Socorro
6. SF Indian
7. Pojoaque
8. Silver
9. Robertson
10. Portales
Class 2A/Class 1A/Class B
Class 2A
1. Mesilla Valley
2. Tularosa
3. Bosque Prep
4. Santa Rosa
5. Mesa Vista
Class 1A
1. Cliff
2. Hagerman
3. Ft. Sumner
4. Springer
5. Tatum
Class B
1. Clovis Christian
2. Roy
3. Reserve
4A Overview It's going to be tough for Roswell to defend their title losing their two twin towers, however Roswell is a program that reloads. They lost nine seniors, but return Deton De La Cerda their guard who has started since his sophomore season. Espanola Valley is right behind them and with impact player Rodney Coles returning, the Sun Devils are once again expected to make a serious run.
Richie Mondragon and Fabian Valdez will also play key roles. Placing St. Pius X at three is a bit of stretch, but what's not to like about the Sartan's style of play and with Coach Segura at the helm, this team is always going to be tough to beat for 4A comp. Gallup moving from 5A to 4A is going to make them an immediate contender. Nick August and Eldon Owens return and watch for Curtis Naswood to be an impact player during the midseason. Academy is always going to be in the mix, but how will their program deal with losing Head Coach Mike Brown? People wrote this group off for the football scene, but just look at what hard work does in the off-season.
Expect Brandon Branch to really turn into a premier player this season. Santa Teresa returns a ton of experienced depth. Multi sport athlete Josh Ramirez is their impact player. The Desert Warriors are going to be dangerous. Valencia and Belen are next in line. Both return some key players and whichever team can make the faster transition from football to basketball will succeed first. Watch for Valencia post player Noah Brown.
Kirtland Central, Capital, and Grants round out the final 10 teams. Coach John Zecca returns some very good talent. Quentin Benioh and D.J. Frank are going to surprise some people. Capital returns Mikey Lopez, who might be one of the best overall players in the state when he is eligible.
3A Overview: Hope Christian is coming off two state title wins in a row. Though they lose some big name players (nine seniors) they should still fair very well in the 3A super district. Their JV only lost one game last season, so watch for Mark Escajeda, Arren Wells, and Kyle Speilbusch. Rival to Hope Christian, Sandia Prep is at the two spot.
With Koby Salcido returning, the Sun Devils are going to be tough to deal with for any 3A team that lacks a big man. Lovington returns a ton of talent and returns all five starters from last season. Robert Hargrove, Jacob Jameson, and Robert Perez will lead the way. Very dangerous group. Coach Ron Geyer has turned the Horsemen into a basketball power once again and over the last few years since his arrival, the Horsemen have been stellar. Justin Smith and Colin Friedman return, which is great news for the Blue and White.
Socorro is a team that always fairs well during the season, but continues to crash in the play-offs. Standout guard Jared Marquez will lead the way in hopes to help Socorro win the district. Santa Fe Indian is a bit of a question mark. They lost a ton of talent and it's going to be interesting to see how they adjust to the power district and playing teams like Sandia Prep, Hope Christian, and St. Michael's in the later half of the season. You cannot really write Pojoaque off until it's over. They bleed basketball and Coach Joey Trujillo does a great job keeping his bunch in the conversation.
Watch for guard Luke Salazar to lead the way. Expect them to be right around .500 with a few upsets. Silver at nine? Well with their drop to 3A, they can now make some noise. Coach Brandon Siqieiros returns Adam Kesler, Alex Lopez, and big time player Ishea Conklin. Robertson and Portales round out the last two teams returns some very good young talent. Dalan Abreu, Clint Brayfield, and Justin Bustos make the Cards one team to really keep an eye on.
2A Overview: The Son Blazers are one of the top small school basketball programs and though they lose a lot of talent from last season, they return enough depth to once again make a run at the title. Sean Harris and Conner Wagner are two retuning players to keep an eye on. Trey Correa will play the lead guard role and is considered one of the best overall players in the Southwest part of New Mexico.
Tularosa returns some very good talent and it starts with the Coleman brothers. Emery can do it all and has a great frame for scoring inside. Jim Coleman is more of a finesse player that can make a lot of plays from outside of 15 feet. Expect Tularosa to lose very few games this year. Bosque Prep is right next in line. They return super duo Jesse Chavez and Jordan Tate. They play a very tough schedule which should have them ready to make a real run at either Mesilla Valley or Tularosa. There are a handful of teams that could be next after this premier trio, but watch for Santa Rosa and Mesa Vista to be in that four or five spot.
1A/Class B Overview: In Class 1A, watch for the Cliff Cowboys to defend their title. They lost Ethan Shelly, but return some very good players. Watch the Mayberry brothers or the Neil brothers to make noise and keep the Cowboys rolling along. Hagerman is going to be dangerous at the 1A level. All-State Guard Isaac Bejarano returns along with center Michael Garcia. Ft. Sumner is not a high paced team, but they are always in the mix down the stretch. Watch for Caleb West to be their impact player.
Springer returns some good talent, but it's going to be tough to replace some senior graduation positions that they lost. This team loves the three ball and if they get hot, they can put up 80 points easy. Tatum returns one of the best players you have not heard of yet, his name is Lionel Nunez. The NMAA added Class B to the mix this year. Look for Clovis Christian and senior guard Mike Urioste to lead the way after he leads the Eagles to a football blue trophy at the 6-man level. Roy is going through one of their time periods where athletes just seem to come out of no where. Reserve will get better just from playing their regional opponents.
 
recruiting
2025Team Rankings
recruiting Team Rankings