Four Summer Standouts Ready For The Winter Spotlight

Scott Hood August 1, 2024 @ 09:24 PM

<p>With the 2024-25 academic year ready to begin, the summer hoops circuit is winding down. Here are 4 New Mexico prospects flying under the radar that have impressed scouts and coaches over the past couple of months.</p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2714567' first='Isaiah' last='Brown'], Sandia</strong>: The Matadors are going to be LOADED in 2024-25 with Brown being just one of several outstanding players returning. As an 8<sup>th</sup>-grader last season, Brown averaged 12.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.1 steals per game for the Sandia varsity. Most of his baskets (86 of 111) came from 3-point range. Definitely one of the top 2028 prospects in the state. Great speed and quickness. </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1687829' first='Estevan' last='Espinoza'], West Mesa</strong>: Espinoza, a senior, looks ready for a breakout season for the Mustangs, which finished 18-11 and lost in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs last campaign. In a game against Atrisco Heritage last season, he scored 30 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and dished out 3 assists. He knows how to score. Espinoza is one of several notable returnees for the Mustangs, including <strong>Julian Ramos Hernandez</strong>.  </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1524943' first='Parker' last='Henderson'], Hobbs</strong>: At 7-feet tall, Henderson is one of the tallest players in the Southwest. He's also a very good player as seen by his recent invitation to the College Basketball Academy in Rock Hill, SC, a few miles south of Charlotte. Henderson should be a major force for the Hobbs Eagles this season.  </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2026077' first='Elijah' last='Martinez'], Cibola</strong>: Martinez averaged 8.0 points per game for Cibola as a freshman last season. He showed this summer he's ready to become a major contributor for the Cougars. At a recent tournament in Chicago, he averaged 15 points, 5 assists and 2 steals per game for ABC Spotlight. Excellent shooter with good instincts and feel for the game.        </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/ElijahMtz2027/status/1818767344103309402 </div></figure>   <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/1818384860643573815 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/PJespinoza0407/status/1818368441650495721 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/EJ3033/status/1817967554725363992 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/pksome77/status/1816613189242474898 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/EJ3033/status/1816629680218464354 </div></figure>

With the 2024-25 academic year ready to begin, the summer hoops circuit is winding down. Here are 4 New Mexico prospects flying under the radar that have impressed scouts and coaches over the past couple of months.