Grine: Revisit Time for District 3-6A
Joshua J. Grine
With roughly one week left of non-district basketball games before we start the district slate we take a look at each district. We look at where we were wrong, right and were we pushed.
Preseason Rankings
1. Onate (No. 4 Preseason Top-25)
2. Las Cruces (No. 13 Preseason Ranking)
3. Gadsden (No. 17 Preseason Ranking)
4. Mayfield (No. 32 Preseason Ranking)
5. Deming (No. 53 Preseason Ranking)
Week 10 Rankings
1. Onate (Ranked No. 2 in Week 10)
2. Gadsden (Ranked No. 12)
3. Las Cruces (Ranked No. 24)
Grine Talks the District
The district pretty much looks as predicted. The Trojans, have a new head coach and a young roster. I like that roster too. Las Cruces had a slow, 4-8 start, but lately on a 6-game win streak and back in the Top-25 for the first time since week 2. Gadsden has a huge question mark with "Do they have a head coach"? Too much of a good thing at Gadsden for their own good? Onate, well coach Perez doing what he does best - creates a great program environment/chemistry. This team reminds me of my first year at NMPreps.com and they won the title.
Predictions Heading Into the District Season
1. Onate (16-3, 1-0): They have likely the only division one basketball player on the market in Johnny McCants. They also have shooting specialist Hunter Thomas. This team is deeper than highlighted each week.
2. Las Cruces (10-8, 1-0): Yes, Gadsden is ranked higher in the Top-25 right now and might be the favorite here at 2nd in district. However, the Bulldawgs are playing well lately and like them here. Markus Collins the point guard for the Dawgs along with Uribe are a very unappreciated duo in the backcourt.
3. Gadsden (11-7, 0-1): The Panthers have some internal question marks with their head coach right now. They got beat solid by Onate and they might be on the down trend.
4. Mayfield (7-11, 0-0): My favorite team..... next season, they have a good roster. They are just young age wise, and young into the program of head coach Billy Keys. This program has a bright future.
5. Deming (9-10, 0-1): I like the young man in Ochoa but Villa is playing well. Could play spoiler on any given night.
State Tournament Team Predictions
Onate (1-2 Seed)
Las Cruces (More IN this season, 10-14 seed area)
Gadsden (IN but could be 10-14 as well)
District Player of the Year Race
Johnny McCants, Onate: Will also be up for the NMPreps.com Mr. basketball.
Markus Collins, Las Cruces: Sophomore is playing extremely well. A 29 point night last week and other 23, 20 point nights.
Tomas Cano, Gadsden: Status took a dip with no information on games. Might affect post season awards also if Gadsden doesn't get out of the first round.
----------------------------------------------------------
Grine: Revisit Time for District 2-6A
Joshua J. Grine
With roughly one week left of non-district basketball games before we start the district slate we take a look at each district. We look at where we were wrong, right and were we pushed.
Preseason Rankings
1. Sandia (Preseason Ranking No. 8)
2. Highland (Preseason Ranking No. 23)
3. Eldorado (Preseason Ranking No. 25)
4. La Cueva (Preseason Ranking No. 35)
5. Manzano (Preseason Ranking No. 43)
Week 10 Rankings
No team is ranked in the Top-25
Grine Talks the District
No other district has been more of a let down. To see this district, the once power it was, not have a single team in the Top-25 is crazy. However, not one team is above .500 and should be a one bid league minus a really good week 9 with Eldorado beating then No. 9 Hobbs and Manzano upset then No. 8 Rio Grande.
Predictions Heading Into the District Season
1. Sandia (6-7, 1-0): Sandia was not only a favorite for the district title but a Final Four team at the seasons start. I could still see them as the DC, call me crazy maybe, but the roster make up is too good not to.
2. Manzano (5-11, 0-0): It was hard not to place the Monarchs at 2nd place in the district with their recent play. They have a win over Sandia, 54-53, two weeks ago. They also recently beat a Top-10 ranked Rio Grande as mentioned above. Good, young roster that I like more in 2015-2016.
3. La Cueva (5-10, 1-0): The Bears had a dominating performance on Wednesday night smashing Highland. The Bears have a win over Valley. They have the potential to be very good. I like point guard Triston McCarty being that JJ Barera type of guy that can knock down, lead in transition or dish.
4. Eldorado (4-12, 0-1): The Eagles were the prom king last week with the shot heard around the land of enchantment. They have a solid JV roster, so the future will be bright but this year I just can't see them to far into March or at all.
5. Highland (4-10, 0-1): Maybe my biggest flop in the NMPreps.com preseason rankings as I bought high on the roster. Not much else to write to this story as the pages are blurred with struggles.
State Tournament Team Predictions
Sandia, Manzano and maybe, just maybe, La Cueva.
District Player of the Year Race
Braxton Bouyer, Sr, Manzano HS: Bouyer has played well through the season and had good numbers at 12.8 points per game and 3.3 assists per game.
Caleb Wroten, Sr, Sandia HS: Put in 18 points and 18 rebounds in the first district game of the season.
Devonte Smith-Vines, SR, Highland: Has good numbers but likely won't see much more of him.
If we had some numbers from La Cueva they could have one on the board as well with Simeon Moya and Alejandro Ruiz playing well lately.
----------------------------------------------------------
Grine: Revisit Time for District 1-6A
Joshua J. Grine
With roughly one week left of non-district basketball games before we start the district slate we take a look at each district. We look at where we were wrong, right and were we pushed.
Preseason Rankings
1. Rio Rancho (Preseason No. 2 in the Top-25)
2. Cleveland (Preseason No. 9 in the Top-25)
3. Volcano Vista (Preseason No. 11 in the Top-25)
4. Cibola (Preseason No. 16 in the Top-25)
5. Santa Fe (Preseason No. 39)
Week 10 Rankings
1. Cleveland (Ranked No. 1 in the Top-25)
2. Cibola (Ranked No. 3 in the Top-25)
3. Rio Rancho (Ranked No. 13 in the Top-25)
4. Volcano Vista (Ranked No. 22 in the Top-25)
5. Santa Fe
Predictions Heading Into the District Season
1. Cleveland (13-4): The Storm are the predicted team to win the district with the amount of talent they have on the roster. They have one of the best players in the state in Marcus Williams but a wealth of depth is only maturing into a tough team. Predicted record: 7-1 (Loss to RR)
2. Cibola (12-2): The Cougars are one of those teams you fully believe in or you don't. We didn't for many weeks. Now, we have been made believers with a runner up finish at the APS Metro and 12-2 start to the season. Predicted record: 5-3 (Beat RR, SF, SF, VV, VV)
3. Rio Rancho (12-6): We took them as the team to beat in this district this preseason. However, we might of been a bit unfair to the Rams. They start 3 juniors and 2 sophomores this season and only returned 3 players with varsity experience. Still a good team with maybe too much pressure too early. I still really like this team and predict the one loss above to Cleveland is from Rio Rancho: Predicted record: 5-3 (Beat Cleveland, Cibola, SF, SF, VV)
4. Volcano Vista (7-7): The Hawks might be in the conversation for the debate on underachieving teams so far this season. They have some talented players but at (7-7) we expected them to produce more if you see our preseason No. 11 ranking in the entire state. The Hobbs win last week (week 9) helps however. Predicted record: 2-6 (beat SF, RR)
5. Santa Fe (7-9): The Demons are better. However, this district will be tough and will be among the hardest opponents that they have faced all season. They won't go winless this year though and they could end the losing streak in district play. Predicted record: 1-7 (beat VV)
State Tournament Teams
Cleveland (1-2 Seed)
Cibola (3-6 Seed)
Rio Rancho (7-10 Seed)
Volcano Vista (11-13 Seed)
Santa Fe (15/16 - OUT)
District Player of the Year Race
Marcus Williams, Cleveland: Will be ranked in the Top-5 players in the NMPreps.com Top 100 players but has been consistent along with the talent. Fun player to watch.
Clay Patterson, Rio Rancho: The junior is one of the best players regardless of graduation year. HE is super quick, has a solid pull up jumper and can see the floor.
Desmond Carpenter, Cibola: Underrated talent that has gone for 20 points a few times this season. Look for him to continue to rise on the charts.
Joshua J. Grine
With roughly one week left of non-district basketball games before we start the district slate we take a look at each district. We look at where we were wrong, right and were we pushed.
Preseason Rankings
1. Onate (No. 4 Preseason Top-25)
2. Las Cruces (No. 13 Preseason Ranking)
3. Gadsden (No. 17 Preseason Ranking)
4. Mayfield (No. 32 Preseason Ranking)
5. Deming (No. 53 Preseason Ranking)
Week 10 Rankings
1. Onate (Ranked No. 2 in Week 10)
2. Gadsden (Ranked No. 12)
3. Las Cruces (Ranked No. 24)
Grine Talks the District
The district pretty much looks as predicted. The Trojans, have a new head coach and a young roster. I like that roster too. Las Cruces had a slow, 4-8 start, but lately on a 6-game win streak and back in the Top-25 for the first time since week 2. Gadsden has a huge question mark with "Do they have a head coach"? Too much of a good thing at Gadsden for their own good? Onate, well coach Perez doing what he does best - creates a great program environment/chemistry. This team reminds me of my first year at NMPreps.com and they won the title.
Predictions Heading Into the District Season
1. Onate (16-3, 1-0): They have likely the only division one basketball player on the market in Johnny McCants. They also have shooting specialist Hunter Thomas. This team is deeper than highlighted each week.
2. Las Cruces (10-8, 1-0): Yes, Gadsden is ranked higher in the Top-25 right now and might be the favorite here at 2nd in district. However, the Bulldawgs are playing well lately and like them here. Markus Collins the point guard for the Dawgs along with Uribe are a very unappreciated duo in the backcourt.
3. Gadsden (11-7, 0-1): The Panthers have some internal question marks with their head coach right now. They got beat solid by Onate and they might be on the down trend.
4. Mayfield (7-11, 0-0): My favorite team..... next season, they have a good roster. They are just young age wise, and young into the program of head coach Billy Keys. This program has a bright future.
5. Deming (9-10, 0-1): I like the young man in Ochoa but Villa is playing well. Could play spoiler on any given night.
State Tournament Team Predictions
Onate (1-2 Seed)
Las Cruces (More IN this season, 10-14 seed area)
Gadsden (IN but could be 10-14 as well)
District Player of the Year Race
Johnny McCants, Onate: Will also be up for the NMPreps.com Mr. basketball.
Markus Collins, Las Cruces: Sophomore is playing extremely well. A 29 point night last week and other 23, 20 point nights.
Tomas Cano, Gadsden: Status took a dip with no information on games. Might affect post season awards also if Gadsden doesn't get out of the first round.
----------------------------------------------------------
Grine: Revisit Time for District 2-6A
Joshua J. Grine
With roughly one week left of non-district basketball games before we start the district slate we take a look at each district. We look at where we were wrong, right and were we pushed.
Preseason Rankings
1. Sandia (Preseason Ranking No. 8)
2. Highland (Preseason Ranking No. 23)
3. Eldorado (Preseason Ranking No. 25)
4. La Cueva (Preseason Ranking No. 35)
5. Manzano (Preseason Ranking No. 43)
Week 10 Rankings
No team is ranked in the Top-25
Grine Talks the District
No other district has been more of a let down. To see this district, the once power it was, not have a single team in the Top-25 is crazy. However, not one team is above .500 and should be a one bid league minus a really good week 9 with Eldorado beating then No. 9 Hobbs and Manzano upset then No. 8 Rio Grande.
Predictions Heading Into the District Season
1. Sandia (6-7, 1-0): Sandia was not only a favorite for the district title but a Final Four team at the seasons start. I could still see them as the DC, call me crazy maybe, but the roster make up is too good not to.
2. Manzano (5-11, 0-0): It was hard not to place the Monarchs at 2nd place in the district with their recent play. They have a win over Sandia, 54-53, two weeks ago. They also recently beat a Top-10 ranked Rio Grande as mentioned above. Good, young roster that I like more in 2015-2016.
3. La Cueva (5-10, 1-0): The Bears had a dominating performance on Wednesday night smashing Highland. The Bears have a win over Valley. They have the potential to be very good. I like point guard Triston McCarty being that JJ Barera type of guy that can knock down, lead in transition or dish.
4. Eldorado (4-12, 0-1): The Eagles were the prom king last week with the shot heard around the land of enchantment. They have a solid JV roster, so the future will be bright but this year I just can't see them to far into March or at all.
5. Highland (4-10, 0-1): Maybe my biggest flop in the NMPreps.com preseason rankings as I bought high on the roster. Not much else to write to this story as the pages are blurred with struggles.
State Tournament Team Predictions
Sandia, Manzano and maybe, just maybe, La Cueva.
District Player of the Year Race
Braxton Bouyer, Sr, Manzano HS: Bouyer has played well through the season and had good numbers at 12.8 points per game and 3.3 assists per game.
Caleb Wroten, Sr, Sandia HS: Put in 18 points and 18 rebounds in the first district game of the season.
Devonte Smith-Vines, SR, Highland: Has good numbers but likely won't see much more of him.
If we had some numbers from La Cueva they could have one on the board as well with Simeon Moya and Alejandro Ruiz playing well lately.
----------------------------------------------------------
Grine: Revisit Time for District 1-6A
Joshua J. Grine
With roughly one week left of non-district basketball games before we start the district slate we take a look at each district. We look at where we were wrong, right and were we pushed.
Preseason Rankings
1. Rio Rancho (Preseason No. 2 in the Top-25)
2. Cleveland (Preseason No. 9 in the Top-25)
3. Volcano Vista (Preseason No. 11 in the Top-25)
4. Cibola (Preseason No. 16 in the Top-25)
5. Santa Fe (Preseason No. 39)
Week 10 Rankings
1. Cleveland (Ranked No. 1 in the Top-25)
2. Cibola (Ranked No. 3 in the Top-25)
3. Rio Rancho (Ranked No. 13 in the Top-25)
4. Volcano Vista (Ranked No. 22 in the Top-25)
5. Santa Fe
Predictions Heading Into the District Season
1. Cleveland (13-4): The Storm are the predicted team to win the district with the amount of talent they have on the roster. They have one of the best players in the state in Marcus Williams but a wealth of depth is only maturing into a tough team. Predicted record: 7-1 (Loss to RR)
2. Cibola (12-2): The Cougars are one of those teams you fully believe in or you don't. We didn't for many weeks. Now, we have been made believers with a runner up finish at the APS Metro and 12-2 start to the season. Predicted record: 5-3 (Beat RR, SF, SF, VV, VV)
3. Rio Rancho (12-6): We took them as the team to beat in this district this preseason. However, we might of been a bit unfair to the Rams. They start 3 juniors and 2 sophomores this season and only returned 3 players with varsity experience. Still a good team with maybe too much pressure too early. I still really like this team and predict the one loss above to Cleveland is from Rio Rancho: Predicted record: 5-3 (Beat Cleveland, Cibola, SF, SF, VV)
4. Volcano Vista (7-7): The Hawks might be in the conversation for the debate on underachieving teams so far this season. They have some talented players but at (7-7) we expected them to produce more if you see our preseason No. 11 ranking in the entire state. The Hobbs win last week (week 9) helps however. Predicted record: 2-6 (beat SF, RR)
5. Santa Fe (7-9): The Demons are better. However, this district will be tough and will be among the hardest opponents that they have faced all season. They won't go winless this year though and they could end the losing streak in district play. Predicted record: 1-7 (beat VV)
State Tournament Teams
Cleveland (1-2 Seed)
Cibola (3-6 Seed)
Rio Rancho (7-10 Seed)
Volcano Vista (11-13 Seed)
Santa Fe (15/16 - OUT)
District Player of the Year Race
Marcus Williams, Cleveland: Will be ranked in the Top-5 players in the NMPreps.com Top 100 players but has been consistent along with the talent. Fun player to watch.
Clay Patterson, Rio Rancho: The junior is one of the best players regardless of graduation year. HE is super quick, has a solid pull up jumper and can see the floor.
Desmond Carpenter, Cibola: Underrated talent that has gone for 20 points a few times this season. Look for him to continue to rise on the charts.
Last edited:
