Look Ahead: Five Standout Class 5A Players Flying Under the Radar

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2026-27 New Mexico high school basketball season is still seven months away, but it's never too early to start looking ahead. Here are 5 players in&nbsp; Class 5A who flew under the radar last season and could have breakout seasons:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2980447' first='Malachi' last='Knox'], Sandia</strong>: Knox is one of those do-everything kind of players for the fast-paced Matadors. He doesn't get the attention of some of his other teammates, but he's a valuable player. Scores, rebounds and plays defense. New Mexico Highlands has offered.    </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3573739' first='Nathaniel' last='Peete'], Organ Mountain</strong>: The 6-foot-3 Peete helped the Knights earn a berth in the 5A state tournament by averaging 13.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He increased his scoring averaged six-fold from 2024-25 when he averaged just over 2 points pe rgame as a sophomore. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2919518' first='Jordan' last='Rivera'], Cleveland</strong>: Just a sophomore, the 6-foot-4 Rivera has star potential. Outstanding role player for the Storm in 2025-26. Stepped up big in some key situations. Averaged about 6 points and 3 rebounds per game. He could double both those numbers next season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Deon Session, Atrisco Heritage</strong>: Also an outstanding football player, Session probably didn't get the recognition he deserved this past season as Atrisco Heritage was quickly eliminated in the first round of the state tournament. The Pit would have been a great stage for his impressive skills. His stats reflect his all-around game: 13.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.5 steals per game. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3573710' first='Homer' last='Walsh'], Mayfield</strong>: Walsh was overshadowed by a couple of teammates as he helped lead Mayfield to the state tournament for the first time in years. The No. 2 scoring junior in the state in Class 5A. Averaged 16.7 points and nearly 6 rebounds per game. Good shooter (47 percent) and feisty defender.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">After a good talk with <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachSettembre?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ZachSettembre</a> I am really blessed to receive my first offer from New Mexico Highlands University <a href="https://twitter.com/NMHU_Basketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NMHU_Basketball</a> <a href="https://t.co/pwVLf1CnvH">pic.twitter.com/pwVLf1CnvH</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='2980447' first='Malachi' last='Knox'] (@knmalachii) <a href="https://twitter.com/knmalachii/status/1961557376060080466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html -->