Season Preview: Class of 2022 Prospects Poised For A Big Year!

<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/Isaiah-Carr.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1316277 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/Isaiah-Carr-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a>     [player_tooltip player_id="1076667" first="Isaiah" last="Carr"]- 6’11 Center "Las Cruces" Class of 2022 Las Cruces big man [player_tooltip player_id="1076667" first="Isaiah" last="Carr"] is coming off of a great junior year campaign leading the Bulldawgs back to the 5A State Championship game for the second straight year. After defeating Capital in the 2020 5A State Championship, Las Cruses went 12-0 in a shortened regular season and was rewarded the #2 seed in the state tournament this past year. Despite losing to Cleveland (Rio Rancho) 55-49, [player_tooltip player_id="1076667" first="Isaiah" last="Carr"] had a strong championship game performance posting a triple double of 17 points, shooting 7/11 from the field, contributing with 14 rebounds and blocking 10 shots around the rim. Over the course of the season, Isaiah averaged 14.4 points per game, 9.7 rebounds per game (7th in NM) and averaged 2.9 blocks per game (3rd in NM). He was also selected to 1st Team All-District and State. Playing alongside teammate William Benjamin makes Las Cruses the early favorites to raise that trophy again in 2022. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/William-Benjamin-2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1316349 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/William-Benjamin-2-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>   William Benjamin Jr.- 6’0 Guard "Las Cruces" Class of 2022" Similar to teammate [player_tooltip player_id="1076667" first="Isaiah" last="Carr"], William Benjamin Jr. had an explosive junior year for the Bulldawgs and was selected as the 2021 District Player of The Year, MaxPreps Player of The Year, Gatorade Player of The Year and was selected to 1st Team All-District and State. He averaged a ridiculous 27.1 points per game (3rd in NM), 5.7 rebounds per game (8th in 5A Class), 5.5 assists per game (1st in NM), and 3.0 steals per game (12th in NM). His play helped guide Las Cruses to an undefeated regular season at 12-0, and lead them back to the 5A State Championship game for the second straight season. Despite losing to Cleveland (Rio Rancho) 55-49, in that game, William had 21 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals while playing all 32 minutes that night. During this past summer, he has continued working on his game and attended a West Coast Elite Camp that came here to Albuquerque, New Mexico back in September and showcased he has been in the gym nonstop since the end of the season and is hungry to get one last State Championship for Las Cruses this season. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/Sean-Johnson.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1316307 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/Sean-Johnson-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a>       [player_tooltip player_id="1076668" first="Sean" last="Johnson"]- 6’6 Forward "Sandia" Class of 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1076668" first="Sean" last="Johnson"] of the Sandia Matadors was the best player on one of the best teams in the 5A Class from last year. The Sandia Matadors went 9-1 in a shortened regular season and won District 2 in the 5A Class. This rewarded the Matadors the 5th seed on the road vs Atrisco Heritage. Despite losing in the 1st round, [player_tooltip player_id="1076668" first="Sean" last="Johnson"] had a breakout season averaging 23.1 points per game (7th in NM) and 7.4 rebounds per game (6th in 5A Class). I attended [player_tooltip player_id="1076668" first="Sean" last="Johnson"]’s game on the road April 14th @ West Mesa High School where he scored 33 points shooting 13/20 from the field and had 9 rebounds. This game was a season high in points for Sean and was a game where Sandia trailed, [player_tooltip player_id="1076668" first="Sean" last="Johnson"] took the game over the way the best players would. He was also selected to 1st Team All State and was selected as the District Player of The Year. After a solid campaign in 2020, [player_tooltip player_id="1076668" first="Sean" last="Johnson"] and the Sandia Matadors are a school to keep your eyes on this season. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/Jakwon-Hill-1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1316344 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/Jakwon-Hill-1-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1076675" first="Jakwon" last="Hill"]- 6’0 Guard "Volcano Vista" Class of 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1076675" first="Jakwon" last="Hill"] is one of the most crafty and skilled players in New Mexico. He arguably has the best footwork and the best finishing ability of any gaurd in the state and can drive to the basket whenever he wants. Those are some of the reasons why he was in the top 10 in scoring last season at 20 points per game. An underrated part of his game is his passing, when he drives to the basket he can create for his teammates who are great shooters and for his teammates who cut to the rim. Another underrated part of his game is his 3 point shooting, when he consistently drives to the rim over and over, that’s when his outside shooting opens up when your expecting him to attack to the rim. When he starts hitting outside shots from the perimeter and is constantly attacking the rim, he is unarguable. He is among the best in the state at drawing fouls around the basket and converting his and ones at the free throw line. He was selected to the All District and All Sate Team with his play this past season. With [player_tooltip player_id="1076675" first="Jakwon" last="Hill"] leading one of the best basketball programs in New Mexico, the Volcano Vista Hawks have to be in the conversation as one of the teams that can win the 5A State Championship in 2022. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/Joren-Mirabal.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1316330 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/Joren-Mirabal-199x300.jpg" alt="" width="199" height="300" /></a>       [player_tooltip player_id="1076693" first="Joren" last="Mirabal"]- 6’2 Guard "Magdalena" Class of 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1076693" first="Joren" last="Mirabal"] is one of the best scorers and players in New Mexico. He helped lead Magdalena High School to an undefeated regular season at 12-0 in the 1A Class. This past season he averaged 28.4 points per game (2nd in NM) and 5.0 assists per game (5th in NM). His play rewarded him with being selected as the District Player of The Year, 1st Team All-District, 1st Team All State, State Champion, and MVP of the State Tournament last season. Those honors and achievements is why he helped Magdalena defeat Melrose in the State Championship last season 56-43. In the championship game, he scored 22 points and shot 8/14 from the field in the biggest game of the year. Magdalena High School is consistently good every year and with [player_tooltip player_id="1076693" first="Joren" last="Mirabal"] leading the way, this should make Magdalena the favorites to repeat as champions in the 1A Class in 2022. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/Javi-2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1317937 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/Javi-2-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a>     [player_tooltip player_id="1128606" first="Javier" last="Mendoza"]- 6’2 Forward "Atrisco Heritage" Class of 2022 Atrisco Heritage senior [player_tooltip player_id="1128606" first="Javier" last="Mendoza"] is poised to have a great senior year campaign for the Jaguars this season with his stellar play from last year. This past season he averaged 10.3 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game, and 1.0 steals per game. His play goes way beyond his numbers with his defensive play being able to guard multiple positions and his ability to space the floor with his three-point shooting. He has one of the best mid-range games and pull-up jumpers like anyone else in New Mexico. On a team that featured other great offensive players last year like [player_tooltip player_id="1076626" first="Isaiah" last="Brooks"], [player_tooltip player_id="1076691" first="Colby" last="Wade"], [player_tooltip player_id="1076708" first="Tony" last="Pacheco"] and Chris Parra Jr., its easy to see why Atrisco Heritage has had great success playing team-oriented basketball. This is one of the reasons [player_tooltip player_id="1128606" first="Javier" last="Mendoza"] should be on this list, because of his unselfishness and his desire to win at all costs. After watching the Atrsico Heritage Jaguars last year, it was clear how deep this team was and they showed it could be anyone’s night offensively. Atrisco went 8-2 in the regular season and finished as the 4th seed in the 5A Class. After defeating Sandia in round one, Atrisco Heritage lost a close semi-finals matchup on the road versus the 1st seeded Cleveland (Rio Rancho). With senior [player_tooltip player_id="1076626" first="Isaiah" last="Brooks"] (Class of 2021) sidelined, that’s when [player_tooltip player_id="1128606" first="Javier" last="Mendoza"] rose to the occasion with 20 points in the 1st half and finished with 26 points making 5 threes. The final game of last season was a clear indication that [player_tooltip player_id="1128606" first="Javier" last="Mendoza"] is on the brink of breaking out this year.