Players On The Verge Of A Breakout Year, Part One!

With another season upon us, now is a good time check in which players are on the verge of breaking out this season. From younger underclassmen who made a name for themselves last year, some of them are ready to take the next step this year. Even some juniors or seniors that are ready to make the leap in their games from last year. This is part one of two of players on the verge of breaking out this season at the high school level.    After watching [player_tooltip player_id='1176300' first='Kenyon' last='Aguino'] play last year as a freshman, it's easy to say that he has a bright future ahead of him. Before helping Volcano Vista win the 5A State Championship as a freshman playing a key role, he was producing throughout the year from start to finish. Kenyon was able to hold his own against other big men in the state that had varsity experience over him, but Kenyon won his share of battles vs other big's in New Mexico. He was dangerous on the block and often only needed one dribble to score when in the post area. Kenyon was a solid finisher and has a nice touch around the rim which opens up his mid-range game. Despite being a good "back to the basket" player, Kenyon can extend his range outside the three-point arc as well. He doesn't mind playing physical inside and can finish through the contact with ease. Kenyon is a good rebounder and turned into a dependable defender. With six seniors from last season graduated, expect Kenyon's production to go up for the Hawks this season as they defend the 5A State Title.    [player_tooltip player_id='1176301' first='Latavious' last='Morris'] is coming off a fantastic freshman year for Atrisco Heritage which makes me excited to cover him this year as a sophomore. As a freshman, he helped the Jaguars reach the 5A State Semifinals for the second season in a row. Atrisco has a nice young core of talented prospects coming up the next few years and Latavious will be one of the building blocks. He is a scoring first point guard that doesn't stop attacking. Latavious can create his own shot from anywhere on the floor as well as making plays for others. He is a multi-sport athlete that plays with a lot of speed and athleticism. Latavious is a fearless driving guard around the basket who plays with a lot of confidence. The Jaguars will be in good hands the next few years with Latavious leading the way.    [player_tooltip player_id='1485758' first='Alexis' last='Dominguez'] from Highland High School has steadily improved every season for the Hornets. Every year on the Hornets program, his production has increased while playing winning basketball. He is one of the reasons why it's still too early to write off the Highland Hornets this year following their 4A State Championship from a season ago. Every knows they lost their star "Jose Muriilo" who committed to Eastern New Mexico University, but after watching Alexis and the Hornets in the summer without him, I get the feeling they have a huge chip on their shoulders this year. Throughout the off-season, Alexis showed he can be the primary scoring option by scoring with efficiency and while not hurting the team. You heard it here first, [player_tooltip player_id='1485758' first='Alexis' last='Dominguez'] will prove a lot of people wrong this year.    [player_tooltip player_id='1076705' first='Cedarius' last='Yates'] took over his share of games last season and I expect to see way more of that during his senior season this year. The La Cueva Bears will look a bit different this season than last year, they lost their best player "Exodus Ayers" who transferred to New Hampshire, they'll have a new head coach and new players apart of there key rotation. The good news for them, they will still have [player_tooltip player_id='1076705' first='Cedarius' last='Yates'] who will give them a chance too compete with just about anyone this year. The Bears still have a good supporting cast and I expect [player_tooltip player_id='1076705' first='Cedarius' last='Yates'] to be the teams top scorer this year. One of the best things about his game is he hits more than half of his shots and shoots a high percentage for a guy that has the ball in his hands a lot. Cedarius isn't a bad shot taker, which is a huge positive for any star player to have. He is one of the best slashers around the community and has developed a consistent mid-range jumper. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see [player_tooltip player_id='1076705' first='Cedarius' last='Yates'] and the new look La Cueva Bears still compete for the 5A State Championship.    There is a player from Cibola High School that I'm very high on this year and that is junior [player_tooltip player_id='1124236' first='Elijah' last='Foster']. Every time I watched him play this off-season I was blown away. The more I watched him played throughout this summer, I came to the conclusion that he's one of the most talented prospects in New Mexico in my opinion. From the eye-test, it just looked like there wasn't anything this man couldn't do on the floor. Almost every game I saw from him he looked like the best player on the court. Elijah is a true-wing players that embodies the game today, he can play multiple positions on the floor on both ends and is versatile enough to do so. He's developed a nice outside shot from the first time I watched him play from years ago, which is scary to think about considering he can get in the paint whenever he wants. From a defensive perspective, it's a pick your poison because he does both at a high level and isn't a one-dimensional player. One of my bold predictions for this season is that [player_tooltip player_id='1124236' first='Elijah' last='Foster'] will lead the Cibola Cougars back to the 5A State Playoffs this year.    I think it's widely known around New Mexico that Chris Parra is one of the states best Point Guard's, but I still think he is due to have a breakout year during the 2022-23 campaign for the Jaguars. Coming into this basketball program as a freshman in 2019-2020, he saw a program win back to back state championships and has come close the last two years as a sophomore and junior getting to the 5A State Semifinals. His leadership and floor general skillset has helped the Jaguars remain one of the powerhouse basketball programs in 5A during his career. His scoring, deep long-range shooting and play-making separates him from others at his position. With two key seniors, "Javier Mendoza and Colby Wade" graduated from this roster last season, it's Parra's turn to carry the torch as a senior. I wouldn't be surprised if Chris Parra can win his first state championship in his career and lead Atrisco heritage to their third championship in six years.

With another season upon us, now is a good time check in which players are on the verge of breaking out this season. From younger underclassmen who made a name for themselves last year, some of them are ready to take the next step this year. Even some juniors or seniors that are ready to make the leap in their games from last year. This is part one of two of players on the verge of breaking out this season at the high school level.