Recruiting: 2026 La Cueva Standout Signs With NM Highlands

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Former La Cueva standout <strong>Hunter Butler</strong> is staying put in the Land of Enchantment.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>New Mexico Highlands and new head coach Scott Waterman released their 2026-27 signing class on Wednesday and the 6-foot-7 Butler was on the list. In fact, out of the 11 players signed by NMHU, Butler is the lone high school recruit signed by the Cowboys.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Each of these student-athletes will fit our style of play and make immediate contributions to the program,” Waterman said in a press release issued by the school.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The same press release said Butler ‘will add some youth for this NMHU team.'</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Butler impressed this summer on the AAU circuit. He was described as “dynamic athlete” capable of shooting the 3 and playing solid defense, a player with ‘college ready strength', an ‘aggressive downhill driver and finisher' and a player who excels in a ‘space and pace' offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Butler averaged 16.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game this past season for La Cueva, which reached the semifinals of the Class 5A state tournament before the Bears fell to eventual champion Volcano Vista.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>La Cueva will look different in 2026-27 without Butler and third leading scorer Tony Trujillo, both of whom have graduated. In addition, standout 2028 CG <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3581634' first='Drew' last='Bramlett']</strong> will attend ABC Prep in Albuquerque during the upcoming academic year. The Bears' top returning scorer is senior [player_tooltip player_id='2822061' first='Payton' last='Fuller'].            </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🏀 Head Coach Scott Waterman Announces First Signing Class <br><br>📰 <a href="https://t.co/jocE0ZYaKR">https://t.co/jocE0ZYaKR</a><a href="https://x.com/hashtag/ThisIsHighlands?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThisIsHighlands</a> <a href="https://t.co/2r6iGTo21n">pic.twitter.com/2r6iGTo21n</a></p>&mdash; New Mexico Highlands Athletics (@NMHU_Athletics) <a href="https://x.com/NMHU_Athletics/status/2084707833681945081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">2026 | Hunter Butler | <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/RLHoops?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RLHoops</a><br><br>📈 6'7, Dynamic Athlete w/3&amp;D Skillset<br>📈 College Ready Strength <br>📈 Aggressive Downhill Driver/Finisher<br>📈 Excels in Pace &amp; Space Offense<br>📈20pts &amp; 11reb (+45% FG's) Vs. Star Premier <a href="https://t.co/b8y4UCF5eK">pic.twitter.com/b8y4UCF5eK</a></p>&mdash; RecruitLook Hoops (@RL_Hoops) <a href="https://x.com/RL_Hoops/status/2075375308761407889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Good summer on the <a href="https://x.com/RL_Hoops?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RL_Hoops</a> circuit. Back to work and getting ready to compete on <a href="https://x.com/thegrindsession?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thegrindsession</a> with <a href="https://x.com/AlbuquerquePrep?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AlbuquerquePrep</a>. <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/staytuned?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#staytuned</a> <a href="https://x.com/coach_bmase?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coach_bmase</a> <a href="https://x.com/AJBRAMLETT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AJBRAMLETT</a> <a href="https://x.com/PrepHoops_NM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepHoops_NM</a> <a href="https://x.com/Coach_JNunez?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Coach_JNunez</a> <a href="https://x.com/CoachTreal2?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachTreal2</a> <a href="https://t.co/XY3MPUtL82">pic.twitter.com/XY3MPUtL82</a></p>&mdash; [player_tooltip player_id='3581634' first='Drew' last='Bramlett'] (@DrewBramlett) <a href="https://x.com/DrewBramlett/status/2085121034588696709?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2026</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html -->