Look Ahead: Five Standout Class 4A Players Flying Under the Radar

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The start of the 2026-27 New Mexico high school basketball season is still six months away, but it's never too early to take a look at some of the key players. Here are five under the radar players in Class 4A:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2283972' first='Carin' last='Bustillos'], Valencia</strong>: Bustillos has actually been flying under the radar for a couple of seasons. As a sophomore in 2024-25, he averaged 12.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. This past season, he averaged 13.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He has already scored over 830 career points and should eclipse 1,000 career points by the midway point of the 2026-27 campaign. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2832949' first='Pierce' last='Culpepper'], Portales</strong>: The 6-foot-7, 200 pounder was a double-double machine for the Rams this past season as he averaged 16.2 points (he was the top junior scorer in the state) and 10.7 rebounds per game. In fact, he recorded 21 double-doubles in Portales' 29 games. He'll be one of the top players in the state next season and should attract plenty of next level interest with his size and skills. He's presently playing for ABC Spotlight on the AAU summer circuit. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3573796' first='Isaiah' last='Dan'], Kirtland Central</strong>: Emerged this past season as one of the top players in the Four Corners. You didn't hear much about him because Kirtland Central struggled to win games. But Dan was solid, averaging 12 points and over 5 rebounds per game. Kirtland returns seven of its top nine scorers in 2026-27, so the Broncos hope to win more games. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>JoJo Perez, Lovington</strong>: Lovington endured a challenging season from a win-loss perspective, which is why Perez's solid season went largely unnoticed. Perez led the Wildcats in scoring and added about three assists and 3 steals per game. With Perez leading the way, Lovington hopes better days are ahead. Three of the Wildcats' top four scorers return in 2026-27.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2624844' first='Izayah' last='Sanchez'], Valley</strong>: Sanchez was one of the leaders of an extremely young Valley team that took its lumps in 2025-26. Sanchez averaged about 10 points and 3 rebounds per game as a sophomore. The Vikings return virtually their entire roster in 2026-27. Will more wins follow?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->