2024-25 Team Preview: Sandia Matadors

2024-25 TEAM PREVIEW: SANDIA MATADORS   OVERVIEW   Optimism is high at Sandia with all five starters and several key contributors off the bench returning en masse in 2024-25. Last season the Matadors finished 16-13 and reached the quarterfinals of the Class 5A playoffs as a No. 14 seed after upsetting No. 3 seed Cleveland in the first round.   Two years ago, Sandia advanced to the Class 5A state championship game against eventual winner Volcano Vista. Unquestionably, that's the benchmark for the upcoming campaign.   “Without being arrogant, we're going to be a very good team,” Sandia head coach Danny Brown told Prep Hoops New Mexico. “We should be a top two or three team (in Class 5A), for sure. Our top three scorers are back. We have all the pieces. It will be fun. We're going to be more experienced. We were pretty young last season when we had only one starter back. It was a coup for that group getting to the Pit.”               PLAYERS TO WATCH   [player_tooltip player_id='1687823' first='Thomas' last='Adams'] (G, Sr., 6-3): Adams was Sandia's leading scorer last season with 15.9 points per game. This will his third season starting for the Matadors. He had an exceptional summer on the AAU circuit. Division II Adams State in Colorado has offered and he took a visit there recently. “He epitomizes what a gym rat is,” Brown said. “He's a big, strong, powerful guard. He can do a little bit of everything. Great shooter. Very good mid-range game. He can score at all three levels. Good defender, too. And he's a good leader. He does the right things on and off the court. That's why he's going to have opportunities at the next level.”   [player_tooltip player_id='2714567' first='Isaiah' last='Brown'] (G, Fr., 5-10): Sandia's second leading scorer last season at 12.4 ppg as an 8th-grader. Loves to shoot the three. Last season he attempted a staggering 239 3-pointers (average of 8.24 per game), and connected on about 36 percent of those shots. He led Class 5A with a school record 86 3-pointers. Also led Sandia in steals. Son of the head coach. “He grew up in this gym,” Brown said. “Like Thomas, he's a gym rat. Shooting-wise, he's one of the best in the state, definitely top two or three. He has deep range. But last season he was new, young and small. People didn't know about him. He's added a little more to his game and he's grown a bit and gotten stronger. He's still maturing.” New Mexico Highlands and Oklahoma Christian have offered.     [player_tooltip player_id='2714580' first='Gad' last='Harris'] (G, Fr., 5-10): The second 8th-grader that started for the Matadors last season. Averaged 6.7 points and 4.3 assists per game as the point guard. Also an outstanding football player as the starting running back for the Matadors. “He's the consummate point guard,” Brown said. “He led us in assists and he's our best on-ball defender. He controls the pace of the game. Our guys love playing with him because he's a pass-first guy. He shot it decently last year but he didn't shoot much. He shot the ball well from three this summer. He's improved in that area dramatically.”   [player_tooltip player_id='1276352' first='Mason' last='Howell'] (F, Sr., 6-9): Howell focused on rebounding and shot blocking last season as he led the Matadors with 6.0 rpg and 2.9 bpg. Significant inside presence. “He's the perfect complement for this team because he's our best rebounder and best shot blocker and he's one of our best passers,” Brown said. “For a player his size, he's a great passer. The way we play, his blocked shots, rebounding and protecting the rim gets us out on the break. He runs well. He knows his role. He's going to take on a larger role this season in terms of scoring, but he knows what he does for this team.”            [player_tooltip player_id='2292960' first='Zaire' last='Ndyabagye'] (F, Sr., 6-6): Brings good size to the Matadors frontline. Sandia's third leading scorer last season at 11.2 ppg in his first season playing varsity hoops. Also averaged 5.5 rebounds per contest. Battled consistency issues last season. Improved significantly over the summer as he attended numerous camps and summer circuit events. “From the end of last season to now, he's probably improved the most on our team,” Brown said. “He shoots it well. He's starting to go downhill and finishing at the rim. He's a very good shot blocker. He definitely has a chance to play in college.”   NAMES TO KNOW   Junior Hogues (G, Jr., 6-1): He comes off the bench shooting the basketball. Averaged 4.8 points as a sophomore in 2023-24. His role is to bring energy and quick scoring off the bench. Southpaw.   Sean Baker (G, Sr., 5-10): Ability to stretch the floor. Does the little things well. Another player who want to score when he comes off the bench.   Josh McDonald (G, Sr., 5-10): Potential to be one of the best shooters on the team. Made 36 percent of his 3-point shots last season (14-39). Quick trigger.   [player_tooltip player_id='2300009' first='Jacob' last='Dawes'] (G, Jr., 5-9): He'll be the backup point guard behind [player_tooltip player_id='2714580' first='Gad' last='Harris']. Loves to play physical. Floated between JV and varsity last season.            KEY NEWCOMERS   [player_tooltip player_id='2216279' first='Dion' last='Cumber'] (G, So., 5-11): Enjoyed a solid campaign with the JV team in 2023-24. Promoted to varsity towards the end of the season and gained valuable experience. Sister plays for New Mexico. Bright future. Ability to crack the rotation.   Jaleel ‘JJ' Minnifield (G., Jr. 5-9): Speed and quickness is his game. Very good defender. Ability to shoot well.         FINAL THOUGHTS   Sandia plays a high tempo style centered on three-point shooting on offense and full court pressure on defense. And they've been largely successful with it. Last season the Matadors averaged 30.7 3-point attempts per game. They'll start firing away as soon as the ball is tipped off.   The goal this season for the Matadors: 40 3-point attempts per game.      “Our style of play bothers people because we're playing fast and shooting a ton of 3-pointers,” Brown said. “It's a fun style of playing the game. The kids love it. All our players have the green light to shoot. Some are greener than others, but everybody has the green light. We want to put up 40 3-pointers per game. I don't know if that'll happen, but we should be more efficient shooting the three ball.”   Sandia opens the 2024-25 schedule on Nov. 26 with an intriguing matchup against defending Class 4A champion Highland. Circle this date on your hoops calendar: Dec. 13. That's when the Matadors make the short trip to Volcano Vista High School to face the three-time defending champion Hawks. Early season championship game preview? Possibly. But, as they says, there's a lot of basketball left to be played.   “Volcano is at a different level but our group is very comfortable playing them,” Brown said. “We're probably going  to be one of the few teams in the state that has a chance to compete with them. It's going to be a tough task. Both teams are every familiar with each other. It will be fun.”        Sandia will compete in District 5A-2 with Capital, Eldorado, Manzano and Santa Fe.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/zay32brown/status/1837328911320899723 </div></figure>

2024-25 TEAM PREVIEW: SANDIA MATADORS