BORDERLAND 50: Part III
Breaking down the top Borderland Prospects numbers 30 to 21.
My criteria for ranking players:
Overall Skillset: What skills has the player developed, and how well do they deploy them? Ex: ball handling, shooting, playmaking, rebounding, etc.
Impact on Winning: What role does said player have on their team, and how good is the team/coaching around them? Ex: For example, players look better than others because they star in their role, as opposed to others who have to carry the load of being the best player on their team.
Long-Term Projection: How much more room for growth and development does the player have in relation to their classification? Ex: players of younger age/classification with higher upside were graded on a curve compared to upperclassmen with less remaining eligibility.
My evaluation process:
As stated, I watched the games— primarily in person—and on replay. I heavily relied on EP Sports Network’s online catalog via their YouTube channel for game replays. Additionally, I contacted players and coaches for game tape on an as-needed basis.
I spoke to coaches, trainers, players, and media members about players. I came into this job/project with little knowledge of the prep boy’s basketball scene. However, I was born and raised in El Paso and have a decade of experience as a local sports journalist, so the environment was not foreign. Moreover, my lack of knowledge led me to more unbiased conclusions. I did not go into games with preconceived notions about who should receive my focus or who is worth writing about. I let the proverbial eye test do the work and reaffirmed and widened my perspective after the fact by speaking to those with a longer history with the players in these rankings.
It should be noted that I am evaluating and ranking these players through the lens of their high school careers. I am not devaluing the AAU scene, nor am I not considering who these players are as prospects in the various circuits they compete in. However, my initial evaluations are based on their high school performances. This is why I made the time to speak to respective AAU coaches to get more clarity on who players were outside of their high school system.
Here is Part III of the Borderland 50: Nos. 30-21!
Julian Pacheco is another excellent Chapin High School guard who seamlessly fits on the best varsity roster in the Borderland area. The junior guard is a dynamic offensive player who can do just about everything as a backcourt player.
Positionally, Pacheco is a great combo guard who can play on and off the ball with similar impact. Chapin has him do both at a high level. In an ideal situation, Pacheco is a point guard who can set teammates up and make defenders pay if they sag off and go under screens.
Offensively, to be an impactful combo guard, a player has to be a competent facilitator and a reliable scorer, all of which sums up Pacheco as an offensive player. He's good at running Chapin's offense and is just as good when you need a timely bucket, especially from range. He's arguably the best three-point shooter on the team.
Pacheco's three-point shooting makes him an important cog in the Chapin offense. Moreover, he has an extended range of about 22 feet, well beyond the high school three-point line.
Defensively, the junior guard might stand out more as an offensive prospect, but he can defend. Frankly, anyone getting serious minutes for head coach Rodney Lewis has to be a competent defender. He's a good trap defender in Chapin's full-court press, hustles for 50-50 balls, and can stay on the floor as a strong on-ball defender.
With Chapin set to lose some pivotal senior starters after this season, Pacheco's role will only increase. He will still share the backcourt with other talented returning Chapin guards, but he will be among the top returners. He will undoubtedly be among the top guards in the Borderland area for the 2024-25 season.
Ranking Range: Making the top 30 is no easy feat, especially when you play on a team of great depth like Chapin. Pacheco ranking range is within 25 to 30, considering his role and production. He would make for an excellent starting point guard on any squad in the Borderland but he certainly benefits from playing with the best players in the city.
Damiran Smith is the second Alamogordo player to make this list, and he does it as their best player. Coming off a stellar junior season, he has tremendous upside. The Tigers relied on his positional versatility and scoring all season.
Smith can truly play anywhere at the forward position. Although he’s listed as a small forward, he can match up with bigger power forwards and hold his own. Additionally, he can defend guards on the perimeter.
Offensively, he is most effective from 14 feet and in. An area of growth for him is perimeter scoring, but he puts strain on defenses when he is attacking downhill. He has a good second jump and racks up offensive rebounds, and because of that, he trips the foul line at a high rate. His mid-range jumper is a bit streaky, but he’s not afraid to pull it.
Defensively, he has even more value as a prospect. At 6-3, he has a solid frame and strength for the position. He’s one of the best-rebounding threes in the Borderland, and he doesn’t shy away from the physicality of banging in the paint. As stated, he is a versatile defender who can guard up and down the lineup. He can guard positions one through five on most nights.
With another year of eligibility left, Smith has the opportunity to build on what was already a stellar junior season. His offensive game can stand to improve in terms of outside shooting and playmaking, but I have few doubts he won’t put together an even better senior season campaign. Alamogordo is losing some senior depth, so there will be more assumed responsibility on his shoulders.
Ranking Range: In terms of production and role, Smith has to be somewhere inside the top 40 to begin with. His defensive traits, push him further up this list. However, what halts me from putting him in the top 25 are his shortcomings on the offensive end. If he continues to grow on that side, he will shoot up this list by this time next year.
In full transparency, Ethan Becerra was one of my favorite players to evaluate. I appreciate his tenacity and fearlessness. He doesn’t back down from his opponents and has a winning mentality any coach would want.
Becerra is an excellent point guard who is just outside the top five. His height and finishing are somewhat of a limiting factor compared to the point guards ranked ahead of him, but he excels in other ways.
Offensively, he is not afraid to take the big shot and can fill it up from range. He’s a confident three-point shooter who you can’t sag off of. He’ll make you pay if you go under screens or if you rotate over too late. He’s not a prolific finisher, but he does get good dribble-drive penetration and opens up scoring opportunities for his teammates because of this.
Defensively, he’s a really good point-of-attack defender who racks up steals and rarely gets exploited for his lack of height by other point guards. He can defend in multiple schemes at near equal measure, and his effort is never in question.
As of early March, Becerra committed to the University of the Southwest in Hobbs, New Mexico. His toughness, grit, outside shooting, and point-of-attack defense will be valuable additions to the NAIA program.
Ranking Range: Becerra is among a cluster of point guards, ranked five through 12 that you can interchably switch around. His 3-point shooting and defense puts him among the top 35 players and just outside of the top 25.
Cason Golding is another prospect coming off injury who I am going out on a limb for. His junior season was cut to just three games due to injury, and it mightily hurt a Coronado team that went 9-21 and won just a mere three district games.
Positionally, Golding is a shooting guard if there ever was one. Anytime I watch tape on him, I’m impressed by how infrequently he puts the ball down on the floor to get his shot off and score. He is the best catch-and-shoot prospect I have scouted by a significant margin in that specific area.
Offensively, a lot of his game is predicated on shooting the ball. Yes, he can take the ball off the dribble and score in a multitude of ways, but his skillset revolves around what he can do coming off screens and from beyond the arch. Moreover, his high ranking on this list is predicated on his high degree of difficulty skillset.
There might be better overall prospects and more efficient scorers, but very few players can execute, let alone take and make the type of shots Golding puts up. I haven’t seen many prospects who can diversify their shot timing as well as him, let alone do it with such fluency.
He’s a dual-sport athlete who defends with great length and reads the passing lanes quite well. He’s a wide receiver and defensive back for Coronado High, and some of those ball-tracking skills transfer to the basketball court.
Ranking Range: Golding has a wider ranking range than most prospects ranked this high. I put him in the top 30 because not only does he has a skillset that is rare to find in this area but his ability to execute that skillset. That said, there is very little from his junior season to evaluate. Thus, I debated putting him in the backhalf of this list, let alone putting him on the list altogether.
Isaac Chairez was the second-best player on an underrated Andress squad that won 20 games and an Area playoff game. On any given night, he could be the Eagles’ leading scorer, which is saying something if you know anything about the team’s best player.
Positionally, Chairez is a wing who lined up at the three for Andress, but I have him listed as a two-guard. He has a perimeter-oriented game, and he possesses a lot of attributes that make him an off-ball guard.
Offensively, he does the bulk of his scoring from the perimeter in the halfcourt. He is one of the best shooters in the Borderland, with good shot selection and discretion. Like any shooter, he is prone to streakiness, but I rarely questioned the type of shots he took. At 6-2, he’s a capable finisher who can absorb and score through contact. He’s dynamic out in transition because he can space the floor or run through the lane, making defenses account for him at all times.
Defensively, he’s a good team defender who uses his length well in pressing situations. He’s a good trap defender as well as an off-ball defender who can close space and rack up steals and deflections. Lastly, he has good hands and solid timing in the passing lanes. I’ve seen him do a lot of damage as an off-ball strong-side defender who has a knack for being in the right place at the right time.
Ranking Range: Chairez was in an ideal situation last season that maximized a lot of his strengths as a scorer and defender. I believe he maxed out his potential as a high school prospect and fits well within the range of 25 to 35.
No player continually rose up the rankings as much as Jacob Garcia. The sophomore guard plays with a level of poise beyond his age, and he is a long-term prospect who has a chance to be Chapin’s next great guard come 2026.
With two years left and an increased role ahead of him, there is less I want to say about his game from an offensive and defensive perspective. Garcia is best understood as a prospect when considering certain key attributes and his long-term projection.
For starters, you have to consider that he was getting serious minutes as a sophomore on a Chapin squad with legitimate upperclassman guard depth. Moreover, he showed up in big games. Specifically in the area round game against Tascosa, where he scored 16 points and came up with big-time plays in crunch time. Again, it’s the poise and confidence with Garcia that sets him apart.
He has a quiet demeanor, but his looks are deceiving. In terms of technical skills, he has great playmaking instincts. He is at his best playing out in the open in transition/fastbreak sequences. Moreover, he is a dual threat when he is playing downhill because he can pull up from mid-range or drive and kick the ball to open shooters.
He may not be an elite athlete with great measurables, but I think he will be the best point guard in El Paso by his senior year.
Ranking Range: I have Garcia ranked fairly high for a sophomore role player because he projects out so well over the next couple of years. Moreover, role player or not his production in his sixth man type role for the Huskies cannot be overlooked. His current ranking is as high as I could go with him but I also wouldn’t put him outside of the top 30.
If you want toughness and physicality at the center position, look no further than Montwood’s Ricardo Jauregui. The big man is one of the best centers in the Borderland, and his brand of basketball is uniquely recognizable.
As stated, Jauregui is a center. At 6-4, despite his toughness and fluency within inside play, I would assume he slides down the lineup at the collegiate level.
Offensively, he was never a real focal point in the Montwood offense. He took scoring opportunities when they were there, but the Rams relied on their backcourt to create and make shots. That said, he was a solid finisher within six feet and could clean up at a reliable rate from the charity stripe.
On the defensive end, Jauregui proved himself to be one of the premier defensive players in the Borderland, regardless of position. He’s an excellent shot blocker who routinely stepped out on the perimeter and held his own. I’ve seen him block shots all over the floor. Moreover, he has great foot speed and is a long strider. There wasn’t a position on the floor he couldn’t guard. I believe that short-area quickness is going to get him on the floor in college. Lastly, he’s a great rebounder who uses his strength, timing, and court awareness to maneuver well down low.
Additionally, he plays with great intangibles. He brings a physicality and toughness to the game that often visibly intimidates opponents, but he rarely crosses any lines. He has a controlled aggression and intensity that any team would love to have.
Ranking Range: Montwood had some tough breaks that left them out of the playoffs in district 6A, but Jauregui had a stellar and productive senior year. His defensive attributes and physical traits make him a surefire top 30 prospect with borderline top 20 upside.
Ryu Nunez is a dual-sport athlete who I happen to be really high on, maybe more than most people. He’s a solid athlete with a high upside and a fairly well-rounded offensive game.
Positionally, Nunez is a wing that I have listed as a small forward. I think he is deployed right where he needs to be. He can play at the two or three, but considering Del Valle’s roster makeup, he makes more sense in the frontcourt.
You seldom see a player at the high school level so adept at getting to their “spots,” but that is what makes Nunez a top-30 prospect. The junior wing possesses one of the most reliable mid-range jumpers of any player ranked in the Borderland 50. Anytime Del Valle needs a bucket, Nunez gets his number called. From 12 to 14 feet, just inside the free throw line, is where Nunez operates at a high level. Moreover, he can get to that area off the dribble or when defenses zone up.
Defensively, he has a lot of physical/athletic attributes to make him a plus defender. He has good height for the position, decent verticality, and good closing speed. In terms of effort and intensity, there is room to grow, but he’s one of the better man defenders Del Valle has.
With dual sport athletes who share time on the football field, there is always a possibility of coming into the basketball season somewhat hampered. That was not the case when I scouted Nunez around the midway point of the season, but it is always a gamble with a sport like football. He can stand to improve as a finisher but does show some left-hand fluency from time to time. Additionally, his on-ball skills can stand to improve.
Ranking Range: Nunez showed flashes his junior year of elite production and play at the wing position. Those flashes put him in the top 25 but there was some struggle in terms of game to game consistency that leaves him just outside the top 20.
The archetype, known as a 3-and-D wing, is often coveted and more often overused to describe prospects. But with Derek Mendez, it’s a well-suited description of the Eastlake junior.
Positionally, I have him listed as a shooting guard, but he can play as a three if needed. His perimeter defense makes him deployable all over the perimeter/wing, as he can guard positions one through three at a high level.
Offensively, he, the kid, likes to shoot. More specifically, he is a prolific 3-point shooter who is never lacking in confidence. He let it rip off the dribble, spot up, or on the move. Averages don’t dictate whether he shoots or not, which leads to some streakiness. There are some positives and negatives to this. The positives are that he can go on huge scoring runs in a matter of a few possessions. The negative is that the dry spells do happen. I believe Mendez is a capable offensive player in more ways than one. However, shot selection is an area of improvement where he can stand to make substantial gains. His challenge next year will be toeing the line between an aggressive off-ball scorer and an adept playmaker who chooses his spots.
Defensively, he is on the shortlist of elite perimeter defenders. Moreover, he plays with a high motor. His effort and intensity cannot be questioned. He’s a sticky on-ball defender who can invade space without fouling. He’s hard to run off screens, can switch all across the floor, and, depending on the matchup, he’s a nightmare for opposing point guards. If you can’t handle the ball, Mendez will exploit that deficiency.
As stated, Mendez's trajectory will depend on the gains he makes as an offensive player. Next season, he will have plenty of opportunity to do so. Eastlake is losing three key starters who gave great balance and measure on offense. I assume he will have more on-ball responsibilities in addition to being the Falcons’ primary scoring threat.
Ranking Range: You can’t deny the upside that Mendez possess as a prospect. He has the makings of an elite two-way prospect that puts him in the top 25. That said, there are areas of growth needed to put him among the top 20 players. I assume those improvements will take place and by this time next year he could debately be a top 10 Borderland prospect.
Osamudiamen “Mudia” Gbowa is the physical embodiment of a Swiss army knife. He was a willing role player on a stacked Chapin Huskies squad and excelled in just about everything head coach Rodney Lewis asked of him.
Positionally, Gbowa played up and down the lineup with great defensive versatility. I have him listed as a small forward and viewed him in the same vein as a 3-and-D type of player.
Offensively, he wasn’t tasked with being the main focal point of the Chapin offense. The Huskies played a brand of offensive basketball that relied on its depth. That doesn’t mean they didn’t have primary options, but on any given night, five or six players could lead the team in scoring. It was seldom, but Gbowa was among that list of five or six players.
Defensively, Gbowa was a standout prospect for the Huskies. You could argue some nights he was Chapin’s best defender and certainly one of their most important. His ability to defend guards and bigs was invaluable, and he could fit into a myriad of defensive schemes. Anytime I watched Gbowa, I keyed in on his feet and short-area quickness. His height and lateral movement allow him to defend in multiple schemes, whether that be man-to-man or zone. Moreover, he can switch a pick-n-roll or fight over screens and run shooters off the three-point line.
It should be noted that Gbowa is a transfer from Burges High School where he was recognized as the most improved player in 5A his junior year. He was a double-digit scorer who sacrificed scoring opportunities to play a more defensive-oriented role.
All of that speaks to his character as a team player, which is always an A-plus attribute for any prospect, role player or not. He still has room to grow as an on-ball scorer, but his defensive traits will get him on the floor at the collegiate level.
Ranking Range: Although Gbowa did not have the statistical production of a fringe top 20 prospect, that only comes at the acknowledgement of the team he played on and what he sacrificed. If he played on anyother team or stayed at Burges, there would be no question about his ranking.