2026-27 Team Preview: Sandia Matadors

2026-27 SANDIA MATADORS PREVIEW   OVERVIEW   The last time we saw the Sandia Matadors on the hardwood, District 5A-2 Player of the Year and star guard Isiah Brown was being carried off the floor because of a severe ankle injury at halftime of their state tournament semifinals loss to Cleveland at The Pit.   After a lengthy rehabilitation, though, Brown is healthy again. And with the Matadors top four scorers - and nearly every major contributor – returning along with the transfer addition of one of the top players in the Albuquerque Metro Region, optimism is high this could be the year Sandia finally lifts the blue trophy.   “We had a very good summer,” Sandia head coach Danny Brown told Prep Hoops New Mexico. “Our kids know we're going to be good. For the most part, we're humble and hungry. As I told our team, there are going to be some very good teams out there, but we have a chance to make some noise again and get to the final day (5A state championship game). The team that can get in our way more than anybody is ourselves. The key is how do we serve each other, celebrate each other and understand and accept our roles?”   Brown plans to utilize a 10-man rotation this coming season, an indication of Sandia's impressive depth.   “We're really talented and really deep,” Brown said. “We'll be 10 guys deep. They can all do good things. And we have some guys who can do some special things. Our culture is good. We'll see.”                    PLAYERS TO WATCH   [player_tooltip player_id='2714567' first='Isaiah' last='Brown'] (Jr., 5-11, G): Dynamic all-around player. Led Sandia in scoring (14.8 ppg), assists (6.5 apg) and steals (5.9 spg) last season and was second in rebounding (5.9 rpg). First Team All-State and District 5A-2 Player of the Year. Been a varsity player for Sandia since he was an eighth-grader. Most decorated of Sandia's so-called ‘Big Three,' all of whom are juniors. It all starts with Isaiah,” Brown said. “He's grown a bit and gotten stronger. He's hungry. He's a gym rat. He's always in the gym working on his stuff and his craft. As a Dad, I'm super proud. He brings a lot, obviously. He doesn't need to touch the ball to impact the game. He's always been about his teammates and trying to get everybody involved. He's a winner. We expect big things out of him.” Holds several offers: Eastern New Mexico, Oklahoma Christian, Langston University and Northern New Mexico.   [player_tooltip player_id='2714580' first='Gad' last='Harris'] (Jr., 5-10, G): Missed most of last season with a football-related injury. Only appeared in six games. When healthy, he can fill up the score sheet. Scored 29 points and made six 3-pointers in the semifinals loss to Cleveland. Sandia's best on-ball defender. Excellent passer. Also been a varsity player since he was an eighth-grader. “Gad and Isaiah are really connected on the court,” Brown said. ”That set the tone for the rest of the guys. It makes everybody better and our team better.. Gad basically played late last season on one leg. Three days after we lost, he got all the metal and screws out of his leg.”   [player_tooltip player_id='2714561' first='George' last='Smith'] (Jr., 6-0, G): Super elite athleticism. Being recruited by FBS programs in football. Averaged 12.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in 2025-26. “George is arguably the most athletic player in the state,” Brown said. “He's a super fantastic athlete. On top of that, he has super fantastic basketball skills. When George plays hard consistently, he dominates and takes over games in different ways.”      [player_tooltip player_id='2980447' first='Malachi' last='Knox'] (Sr., 6-1, G): Underrated player due to the attention the aforementioned ‘Big Three' receives. Averaged 11.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game last season. Shot 62 percent from the field, including 67 percent on 2-point FG attempts. Limited to 15 games last season because of injuries. “Malachi has improved dramatically,” Brown said. “He can shoot the ball. He's very athletic. Defensively, he's very good.”      NAMES TO KNOW   [player_tooltip player_id='2215933' first='Mateo' last='Hogan'] (Sr., 6-4, F): Will likely be Sandia's fifth starter. Also a football player. Battled injuries last season as well. Began to contribute when district play started. Nickname is ‘Baby Jokic' after the Denver Nuggets superstar. Averaged 5.1 points and team-high 6.3 rebounds per game last season. “Mateo can pass and his basketball IQ is off the charts,” Brown said. “Our guys love playing with him. He screens, he moves, he passes, he rebounds. He understands the game well. He's a super human being, too.”      [player_tooltip player_id='2216279' first='Dion' last='Cumber'] (Sr., 6-0, G): One of four Sandia players to appear in all 32 games last season. Started some games due to injuries to other players. Averaged 5.0 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. “Dion can come in and hit shots for us and run the team,” Brown said. “He's been on varsity for three years. He could be our first guy off the bench. We don't lose much when he comes into the game.”   Wally Vandyke (Sr., 6-5, F/G): Brings good height to the floor when he comes into the game. Southpaw. Makes the most of his opportunities when he shoots the basketball, connecting on 50 percent of his shots. “When he's confident, Wally is as good as anybody,” Brown said. “He can shoot and put it on the floor.”   Kaden Ingersoll (Sr., 5-8, G): Also plays football. One of Sandia's most improved players, Brown said. Very athletic. Good defender. “He one of our best defenders,” Brown said. “People don't understand how good he is.”   Jude Maldanado (Sr., 5-10, G): Played mostly JV last season. Played in 11 varsity games. Good finisher and nice scorer.               KEY NEWCOMERS   Deon Session (Sr., 6-3, F): Transferred from Atrisco Heritage this summer.  Currently playing on the Sandia football team. Elite two-sport athlete. Atrisco's second-leading scorer (13.5 ppg) and top rebounder (9.3 rpg). Shot nearly 50 percent from the floor. “Deon will be in our 10-man rotation, obviously,” Brown said. “He's a big asset to our team because he can do a lot of stuff. We explained to him that guys are already established here. Deon doesn't have to do everything. At Atrisco, he had to do a lot. He knows our guys and our guys know him very well from summer ball. Here, his role is going to be a little different. His job is to fit in and do what he does well, which is play hard, rebound and defend. Right now, he'll come off our bench.”              FINAL THOUGHTS   Sandia has one of the most entertaining styles of play in the state and they have no plans to change anything.   “We're going to do what we do, which is run and gun and press and all things like that,” Brown said. “We like to play a lot of guys. It's nice to have that choice. Come the fourth quarter, I know the guys we have to go with because they're fresh. We have a lot of depth. It's exciting.”   Perhaps the key to Sandia's dreams of lifting the blue trophy in March is staying healthy. Several major players struggled with injuries in 2025-26. Brown believes Sandia will be there at the end if they stay largely injury-free.   “Hopefully, we have some luck and things go our way this year,” Brown said. “It can't be any worse than it was last year with all the injuries we had.”      Sandia opens the season with a November matchup against Hobbs. Then comes a colossal collision with Volcano Vista two days before Thanksgiving. Most of December and early January will be filled with tournaments in Farmington, Clovis and the Albuquerque Metro Tourney.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/zay32brown/status/2038094997132611622 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/gad0209/status/1938697847198945763 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/knmalachii/status/1947635415684682223 </div></figure>

2026-27 SANDIA MATADORS PREVIEW