BORDERLAND 2023-24 Awards
A detailed breakdown of the award winners from the 2023-24 High School Boys' Basketball season in the Borderland.
The 2023-24 high school basketball season in the Borderland is over. The top teams in El Paso and Las Cruces finished their playoff runs in early and mid-March. For those who follow my work, I most recently published my Borderland 50 rankings, which you can find on my substack. Getting those rankings out pushed back my end-of-season awards, but it’s better late than never!
I want to note that these awards are not a simple copying and pasting of my top 50 rankings, so there will be some differences in how I award and highlight certain players. The top 50 rankings accounted for a player’s skill development and long-term projection as a collegiate prospect. These awards are not that. They are based on a player’s 2023-24 season performance. Moreover, the context of these awards is centered around a player’s individual production and the teams they played on.
Yes, I might be rewarding individual players. However, team context and who they play for and with matter. Thus, this article is more than simply rewarding the top individual prospects in the Borderland.
I define the Borderland as the scope of my coverage, which includes all high schools (public and private) in El Paso and Doña Ana County, in addition to Alamogordo High School. The inclusion of Alamogordo—which I acknowledge is not part of the Borderland— is because they play in the same district as Las Cruces schools.
Lastly, I will try my best to explain the rationale and criteria behind each team/award I give out. Without further ado, let’s award some accolades!
All-Borderland Teams
The Borderland teams have five players per team, with broad positional designations. Each team has two backcourt and frontcourt players and one wing player. The backcourt designation is for guards, the frontcourt designation is for forwards and centers, and the wing designation is for players who played guard and forward throughout the season. You will find three specific positional abbreviations: BC: Backcourt; W: Wing; FC: Front Court.
I made the All-Borderland selections based on rewarding the best players from the best teams. I considered things like production and skill, but their role was just as important.
All-Borderland 1st Team
BC: Devin Falk-Ramirez (Eastwood) BC: Brandon Hymes (Chapin) W: Azaiah Thompson (Ysleta) FC: Brandon Kehres (Organ Mountain) FC: Jayden Leverett (Chapin)
All-Borderland 2nd Team
BC: Ethan Martinez (Franklin) BC: Cam Gulley (Andress) W: Yen-Nhi Wilson (Organ Mountain) FC: Aaron Vargas (Eastlake) FC: Aiden Marquez (Americas)
All-Borderland 3rd Team
BC: Hector Perez (Immanuel Christian) BC: Nicholas Sapien (Pebble Hills) W: Brody John (El Paso) FC: Johan Camacho (Bowie) FC: Ricardo Jauregui (Montwood)
All-Defensive Teams
For the All-Defensive selections, I tried to represent players from the best defensive squads and individual defenders who excel on that side of the floor. When I consider defensive attributes, there are two categories I try to assess prospects through:
Fundamentals: effort, communication, rebounding, guarding in a stance, defending with feet and not hands, and off-ball/help defense.
Playmaking: blocks, steals, deflections, winning 50/50 balls, closing speed, and recovery in transition/fastbreak sequences.
1st Team
BC: Lenny Washington (Organ Mountain) BC: Yen-Nhi Wilson (Organ Mountain) W: Brandon Hymes (Chapin) FC: Brandon Kehres (Organ Mountain) FC: Jayden Leverett (Chapin)
2nd Team
BC: Derek Mendez (Eastlake) BC: Anthony Miranda (Americas) W: Mudia Gbowa (Chapin) FC: Lareon Johnson (Americas) FC: Ricardo Jauregui (Montwood)
3rd Team
BC: Mario Holguin (Americas) BC: Bryce Prather (Chapin) W: Damiran Smith (Alamogordo) FC: Matthew Brown (Pebble Hills) FC: Brian Coyle Jr. (Mayfield)
6th Man of the Year
There is no such thing as a 6th man in high school basketball. High school starting lineups are much more fluid, and very few teams have one distinguished bench player who is their pseudo-fifth starter, as we see in the NBA. So, the 6th Man of the Year award is for what I deem the best player primarily coming off the bench, even if they don’t always function into a squad’s five-man rotation at the end of the game.
The Nominees
Julien Falk-Ramirez (Eastwood)
Julien Falk-Ramirez was a solid role player for an Eastwood squad that heavily relied on their starting five. He provided consistent bench production and was good enough to play alongside his older brother Devin, even though their skills overlaped as point guards.
Tristan Edmond (Eastlake)
Tristan Edmond is another freshman guard who deserves recognition for his production off the bench. At 6-1, he provided a lot of length and positional versatility that gave Eastlake plenty of options. He was reliable enough to play on the ball as their backup point guard, but his length allowed him to slide down the lineup.
Carmyne Mychackavane (Andress)
Carmyne Mychackavane was not someone on my radar as I went to scout the Andress Eagles. Andress was not a team that lacked length but some injuries opened up some minutes for Mychackavane and he excelled. He provided good bench scoring and another option at the five that the Eagles played in to.
Emmitt McDaniel (Organ Mountain)
Emmitt McDaniel is a player who spent some time in a starting role but provided good depth behind Organ Mountain’s star guards. He was the best 3-point shooter on a team that struggled to score on the perimeter and is one of the best players from the class of 2026 in the Borderland.
The Winner: Jacob Garcia (Chapin)
This was an easy choice. Not because the other nominees were undeserving of consideration; rather, Garcia excelled in his role better than any other player primarily coming off the bench. Moreover, his production and importance to a loaded Chapin squad cannot be understated. He played his way onto the floor as a sophomore and consistently provided playmaking and perimeter scoring.
He was third on the team in scoring and second in assists and steals. He had nine double-digit scoring efforts, two of which came in the playoffs. Numbers aside, he stayed on the floor in crunch time. Moreover, his performance against Tacosa High School in the area round solidified this selection and bumped him up to the top 25 of my Borderland Rankings.
Defensive Player of the Year
A good defensive player is more than the flashy highlight reel plays they can make. A good defensive player is a good team defender who talks, helps, recovers, and, most importantly, plays with effort. As stated for the all-defensive teams, I’m assessing a player’s fundamentals and playmaking for this award.
The Nominees
Ricardo Jauregui (Montwood)
Ricardo Jauregui is a tenacious defender who played with a high level of intensity for Montwood. He was a good rim protecting big who could step out on the perimeter and guard in space if needed. Moreover, he possessed elite foot speed and could cover ground as well as any center in the Borderland.
Derek Mendez (Eastlake)
If you need someone who can guard 84-feet, end-to-end, Derek Mendez is your guy. He plays with a high-motor and is one of the better man-to-man defenders in the area. Mendez is elite in two areas: he doesn’t foul at a high rate considering how tightly he defends and he doesn’t gamble, he sticks to his man at all times. He might not rack up blocks, steals, and deflections like other nominees but he gets it done in his own way.
Jayden Leverett (Chapin)
Jayden Leverett making this list should be no surprise. As I stated in my top 50 rankings, his height and length changes the geometry of the floor for opposing offenses. Moreover, he can guard out in space fairly well. You don’t have to just stick him in the paint. If you don’t believe me, watch this game saving block in the playoffs back in late February.
Yeh-Nhi Wilson (Organ Mountain)
It makes me sick to my stomach that I am not giving this award to Yen-Nhi Wilson but I do not believe in sharing awards. However, Wilson deserves his flowers as the most disruptive defender in the Borderland. He’s the best athlete I have scouted and he is the best zone/pressing defender as well. His defensive play is akin to a great free saftey who has incredible range and ball skills. He plays along side two other great defenders in Lenny Washington and Brandon Kehres, but I’ve also seen him do it single handedly. His defensive presence is truly something to marvel.
The Winner: Brandon Hymes (Chapin)
As much as I loved Yeh-Nhi Wilson for this award, Brandon Hymes matched all the criteria I laid out for Defensive Player of the Year. Wilson is certainly a better playmaker and an overall better athlete. However, I give Hymes the edge because he can do everything Wilson can do at a high level. Additionally, Hymes is a better man-to-man defender and is more versatile.
Hymes played some small ball four this past season, and outside of a few elite bigs, he can guard just about any big man in the Borderland. He is quick enough to defend guards and strong enough to defend bigger players in the frontcourt. And that is why he receives this award. You can’t pass up on a player with that much defensive versatility who does the fundamental things at a near-equal high level.
Most Valuable Player
There are so many valuable players who deserve recognition, and I could argue for multiple players winning this award. However, this award is not about rewarding the best prospect in the area. That is why I painstakingly produced my Top 50 rankings for the past five months. For this award, context matters, and who a player plays for and plays with matters. Moreover, their role and how they impacted winning cannot be understated.
The Nominees
Ethan Martinez (Franklin)
Ethan Martinez might not have the elite athletic traits or statistical produciton like other nominees but his value is underrated. He was one of those players you had to see in person to understand how important he was to one of the best programs in El Paso. Specifically, his pace of play and ball handling served great importance for Franklin. The Cougars really didn’t have a reliable secondary ball handler and it showed when they got pressed by other teams. Moreover, he was their best scorer, playmaker, and most consistent defender. His upside might be limited and to my knowledge he is not pursuing college basketball, but he deserves to be recognized. He was the best player on arguably the best team in 6A that won 24 games.
Brandon Kehres (Organ Mountain)
Brandon Kehres is the first of a handful of players that I could comfortably make an argument for winning this award. He was the best player on the second best team in the state of New Mexico and he produced at a high level, game in, game out. Moreover, he did it on both ends. He averaged 16.6 ppg and 8.7 rpg on efficient shooting. He shot 56 percent from the floor and 60 percent on two point field goals. Additionally, he got to the line about five times a game, and shot 74 percent. Kehres was the most polished interior scorer in the Borderland. Again, I appreciated how he did it on both ends. He was a great defensive playmaker who was hard nosed and effort filled. It’s by the slimmest of margins but I do believe other nominees have slightly more impressive resumes and more substantial roles, and that is saying somthing considering how much Organ Mountain relied on him.
Azaiah Thompson (Ysleta)
Azaiah Thompson meets all the criteria I have to win this award. He’s an elite talent with high level production, and he is the best player on his team. His role and impact on winning was second to one by my estimation. Ysleta goes as far as Thompson takes them. He led the team in scoring, rebounding, steals, blocks, and got to the line six times a game. Moreover, he could dominate a game on both ends. He is most known for his scoring, he averaged 18.6 ppg on 50 percent shooting from the floor and shot 60 percent on two-point field goals. However, he could make his presensce known on the defensive end too. I saw him play a game where he had four blocks as a weakside help defender. He can change games by himself and that is why he deserves recognition and strong consideration for this award.
Brandon Hymes (Chapin)
I almost left Brandon Hymes off the list. Why? He plays on the deepest team in the Borderland by the most substantial margin. Chapin is the only team I have seen that can platoon swap lineups and not only keep a lead, but increase it. Going further, he plays with the best players in the area. You can break it down by position or classification, Chapin has the best. I had eight players, including Hymes, ranked in my top 50. Simply put, he doesn’t have to do as much as the other nominees.
All that said, Hymes cannot go unrecognized. He’s the best player in the Borderland, a consensus pick by just about anyone you ask in the city, and he is the most complete player at the age of 17. He also got it done from a production standpoint even though he shared the ball, shots, and minutes, with a roster full of talent. Chapin doesn’t make the Elite 8 without Hymes and that is why he deserves consideration. Could Chapin be a playoff team without him? Absolutely, but their ceiling is much lower without him. His 17-point performance against Colleyville Heritgage in the 5A Regional Semifinal (Sweet 16) is proof of that. They don’t contend for state without Brandon Hymes and no other prospect can say that.
The Winner: Devin Falk-Ramirez (Eastwood)
The most important criteria for winning this award are role and impact on winning. No player had a bigger role on their team and had as much impact on winning as Devin Falk-Ramirez. He might not be the best player in the Borderland, I have four prospects ranked higher, but this award is not about recognizing the best player. Falk-Ramirez’s value cannot be understated, and here is the evidence:
He led Eastwood in points, assists, and steals per game, field goals, 3-pointers, and free throws made.
He averaged 16.2 ppg and shot 60.4 percent on two-point field goals as a guard.
He had two game-winners this past season: Jan. 30 vs Montwood and Feb. 6 vs. Eastlake, where he scored 33 of Eastwood’s 54 points.
He scored 15 or more points in 21 games, nearly a third of the team’s scoring—Eastwood averaged 49 points per game.
Numbers aside, the tape does not lie. His impact on the offensive end is unmatched. Players like Kehres, Thompson, and Hymes could just as easily give you 20 a night if needed, but Falk-Ramirez did that as Eastwood’s exclusive playmaker. Nearly every time down the floor-especially in crunch time—he was responsible for creating shots for his teammates or scoring himself.
Kehres and Hymes played on better teams with more talented teammates. Thompson's argument was similar, but the differentiator was playmaking and shot creation. Falk-Ramirez is his team’s best ball-handler, playmaker, scorer, and defender. Lastly, Eastwood lost six seniors after the 2022-23 season, specifically their second and third leading scorers and top three rebounders, but they still won 24 games and a bi-district playoff game at the 6A level. They did that because they have Devin Falk-Ramirez.
Coach of the Year
This is a hard award to give because coaching is hard to assess. I’m not watching these teams practice, I can’t hear what is said in timeouts, and I don’t have the full context around subbing patterns and the minutiae that come with coaches' various decisions. Coaching is easy to criticize but hard to truly understand from the outside. With that, I’m sticking to what I can assess: roster depth/talent, improvement/consistency from the previous season, and overall team success.
The Nominees
Rocky Gonzales (Organ Mountain)
The coach of the best team in Las Cruces cannot go unrecognized. He took over in 2021 and each year has improved an Organ Mountain team that has been a powerhouse in Las Cruces these past two seasons. He has a trio of three great prospects and he rode them all the way to the state final.
Adam Castillo (Franklin)
Coach Castillo has built one of the most consistent programs in El Paso with a guard heavy squad that can beat you with pace and space. Franklin lost their leading scorer and top big man to graduation, in addition to their best player transfering coming into the 2023-24 season. And yet, they won 24 games and a share of the 6A district title. Credit has to go to Castillo for delierving another top tier squad despite the talent loss.
Mike Brooks (Americas)
For about 80 percent of the season, I was deadset on giving this award to Coach Brooks. As of late January, Americas was dominating district play in 6A with a 24-2 record and a unrelenting team defense. I thought there were more talent rich squads in 6A and yet, Coach Brooks scheme could not be beat. I ultimately changed my mind due to losses to Franklin and Eastwood. Americas was easily the most consistent program at the 6A level but I’m not confident saying they were outright better than Franklin or Eastwood.
Rodney Lewis (Chapin)
I can’t make an argument for Coach Lewis not winning this award, so I won’t. He coached a historically great Chapin squad—more on that below—that just fell short of making it to state. I’ll save my thoughts for Coach Lewis and this team for Team of the Year.
The Winner: Arturo Escobar III (Bowie)
Arturo “Tury” Escobar did an incredible job in his first year as Bowie's Head Coach. The Bears won 21 games, the 4A District Title, and a Bi-District playoff game while posting a winning record for the first time since the 2016-17 season. Granted, Bowie doesn’t play in a highly competitive district—4A athletics in El Paso is not what it used to be—but Escobar’s squad deserves further examination, which I will expand upon in Team of the Year (more on that below).
Team of the Year
It’s pretty simple: this award recognizes the best teams from the 2023-24 season. I consider the depth of talent, coaching, winning, and post-season success.
The Nominees
Bowie Bears (21-10): 4A District Champions
As stated, I awarded head coach Arturo Escobar with Coach of the Year. Not only because he led Bowie to a 4A district title and 21 wins but because of the adversity this team faced and overcame. They started the beginning of the season with some football holdouts and player injuries. Bowie was 4-8 as of Dec. 2 with some brutal losses, seven of their first eight losses came by 13 or more points. To where this team started and finished was remarkable. After that rough start, they finished 17-2 and went undefeated in district play.
Borderland 50 Player(s): No. 20 Johan Camacho
Franklin Cougars (24-8): 6A Co-District Champions
Franklin had an excellent 2023-24 season that improved off a phenomal 2022-23 season, despite some major talent loss. They relied on their guard depth and beat teams with excellent spacing and outside shooting. They played neck-and-neck with Americas all season long, beating them twice—once in a tournament final and again in district play. When they needed to play their best they did, that’s how they won their annual holiday season tournament and a share of the 6A district title.
Borderland 50 Player(s): No. 34 Noah Hall, No. 33 Jazhiel Herrera, No. 13 Ethan Martinez
Americas Trail Blazers (29-5): 6A Co-District Champions
Not only was Americas one of the premier teams in the Borderland for the 2023-24 season, they were also one of the most dominant. They held opponents to 33.7 points per game and boasted one of the best team defenses in the city. Their three loses to El Paso competition was by a combined 13 points. They had a legimate chance at going undefeated in district play and by no means had the most talented group of players in the district.
Borderland 50 Player(s): No. 43 Vinnie Vicencio, No. 41 Lareon Johnson, No. 19 Aiden Marquez
Organ Mountain (29-2): 3-5A District Champions
Organ Mountain was the best team in Las Cruces by a substantial margin and the second best team in the state of New Mexico. Their only losses came against the eventual state champs—Volcano Vista out of Albuquerque. They have three of the most dynamic prospects in the Borderland and hands down are one of the most entertaining teams to watch. If they played in El Paso, they would have near equal success. They would be the best team in 2-5A, a top three team in 6A, and the second best team in 1-5A.
Borderland 50 Player(s): No. 45 Ray Venegas, No. 14 Lenny Washington, No. 8 Yeh-Nhi Wilson, No. 4 Brandon Kehres
The Winner: Chapin High School
Chapin Huskies (34-5): 5A District Champions
This selection should come as no surprise. Chapin is the best team in the Borderland by a significant margin. No team in their district could compete with them and if they played the elite squads at the 6A level, they would have blown those teams out as well. They were and are historically dominant, not having lost a game against El Paso competition since Jan. 30, 2021. That was four seasons ago, and I don’t see this team losing to another El Paso school anytime soon. Their current win streak against EP schools is at 73.
In terms of talent and depth, this team is unparralled; their bench unit could be a playoff team depending on the district. Moreover, they have more lineup optionality than any team. They can play big, small, guard heavy, etc. I had eight of their players ranked in my Borderland Top 50 and quite frankly I could have added two more but felt their production did no warrent a top 50 spot. When it came down to chosing these award winners, Chapin could have won every award, and it was difficult not giving every award to them.
Additionally, they have Head Coach Rodney Lewis. There is plenty of debate about who is the best coach in terms of X’s and O’s, adjustments, roations, player development, etc. But there is no better program builder than Coach Lewis and he is leaving a Jim Forbes-Esque legacy at Chapin. He leaves no stone unturned. What really differentiates Chapin is that they are a program with a clearly defined culture, whereas other teams in the area are just that, teams. Chapin has it all, from their coaching staff, strength and conditioning program, players, and even the small things like making their roster and statistics available and accessible. Moreover, no coaching staff does a better job of promoting their players than Chapin.
Lastly, their team culture is unmatched. Players one through 12 play hard and their star players only care about the main thing: winning. Everyone on that team sacrifices individual numbers and accolades, which is why they are doing historic and unprecedented things in the city of El Paso. They win more than anyother program, produce more college talent than anyother program, and consistently re-up and do it all over again.
Borderland 50 Player(s): No. 48 Bryce Prather, No. 47 Peyton Parker, No. 30 Julian Pacheco, No. 25 Jacob Garcia, No. 21 Mudia Gbowa, No. 9 Savion Jordan, No. 2 Jayden Leverett, No. 1 Brandon Hymes