Prep Hoops New Mexico Team Preview: Belen
Last Season: The Belen Eagles had a memorable 2021-22 campaign. They went 18-12 last season and secured the 7th seed in the 4A Boys State Tournament. Belen defeated #10 Gallup at home in the First Round. In the Quarterfinals, they…
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Continue ReadingLast Season: The Belen Eagles had a memorable 2021-22 campaign. They went 18-12 last season and secured the 7th seed in the 4A Boys State Tournament. Belen defeated #10 Gallup at home in the First Round. In the Quarterfinals, they traveled on the road to Taos High School and pulled off the biggest upset in the 4A Tournament against the #2 seeded Tigers. That victory rewarded the Eagles a trip to “The Pit” in the 4A State Semifinals against the defending 4A State Champions at the time; #11 Del Norte. The Eagles had the Knights on the brink of elimination but fell short in the Semifinals in overtime. All in all, it was a great season for Belen High School after proving the entire State wrong all season.
4A Class
District 5: Belen, Grants, Highland, St.Pius X and Valencia.
Key Losses: Dalton Bland, Brody Jacquez, Daniel Corrales and Jose Luis-Garcia.
Key Additions: Hunter Garcia, Phillip Baca, Allen Guerro, Jasode Harris, Lars Bachner and Carlos Trujillo.
Returning Varsity Players: Jordi Rojo, Elijah Romero, Garin Cervantes, Damian Avila and Cutter Houston.
Analysis: The Belen Eagles were last year’s Cinderella story in the 4A Boys State Tournament to many people, but if you paid close attention to them all season, it wasn’t a shocker to see them go as far as they did. They were an overtime period away from facing the Highland Hornets in the 4A State Championship instead of Del Norte. This team is excited about the return of team captain Jordi Rojo; who is a three-year varsity starter. He is the engine for the Eagles who can do it all. He is the team’s playmaker and scorer who is inching closer to Top 5 status in the 4A Class. A breakout season is coming, trust me. Elijah Romero is another returning starter from last season who was a huge piece in the team’s trip to the 4A State Semifinals. Elijah was the player who forced the game in overtime vs Del Norte with a layup at the end of regulation. He joins Jordi Rojo as the other team captain this season which was earned and deserved. Elijah Romero is a good perimeter defender, playmaker and will surprise many around the community with his improved offensive game. Garin Cervantes is a talented post player who can be versatile. He learned a lot from watching Belen’s talented big men last season. He has been varsity ready and looks to shine this year. Cutter Houston is another post player that is solid fundamentally. He is athletic and good on the boards. Cutter could’ve started last year; Belen just had a lot of big men depth last season. Phillip Baca is a guard with raw talent that is a nice shooter who will get better as the season progresses. Sophomore Damian Avila is a returning varsity player from last season. He will miss the start of the season due to an injury from football season but when he returns, will bring lights out shooting. Belen is excited to get him back in rhythm. The Eagles are excited about Jasode Harris who has three years left with this program. He is a solid shooter who will be a nice addition to their program. Carlos Trujillo is a guard that will turn some heads this season with his playmaking. He will get better as the year goes by. Hunter Garcia was described as the teams “Swiss Army Knife”. He plays bigger than what he is and doesn’t back down from anyone. Hunter was given a lot of praise and expectations to be one of the top defenders in the state. Allen Guerro comes in as a transfer that will make an impact right away. He can shoot, pass and doesn’t lack any skill. Allen will get better with more experience and can be one of the top players by his senior year. Lars Bachner is the junior version of Brody Jacquez; a big man for Belen last year. Lars is very physical and a strong player. This year’s Belen Eagles will be different than last year’s team. They were a big man dominant team last year and will be more guard oriented this year. They look to run more in transition this year and get scrappy on both ends of the floor. After coming off a Final Four appearance in the State Tournament last year, they don’t want to have a hangover. The goal is to compete and hit their stride around district time and make another run heading into the State Tournament. Don’t write off the Belen Eagles.
Roster: Jordi Rojo, Elijah Romero, Garin Cervantes, Cutter Houston, Hunter Garcia, Phillip Baca, Allen Guerro, Jasode Harris, Carlos Trujillo, Lars Bachner and Damian Avila.
Head Coach: Donald Marquez.
Assistant Coaches: Omar Rojo and Daniel Chavez.