Girls' BORDERLAND 50: Part II—Tier 4 Prospects (No. 39–26)
The second wave of ranked prospects features polished scorers, system fixtures, and rising players beginning to separate from the pack.
After laying the foundation in Part I with Tier 5 prospects, we now move into Tier 4—where roles are more defined, ceilings are higher, and consistency begins to separate the field.
This project is built on months of live game coverage, film study, and conversations with coaches, players, and parents. Since the 2023–24 season tipped off, I’ve watched over 200 games—each ranked player has been seen at least four times, many far more.
The Borderland includes all public and private high school programs in El Paso County, Doña Ana County, and Alamogordo—whose teams compete in the same district as Las Cruces schools.
This list evaluates players through the lens of their high school careers—not just projection or AAU buzz. Varsity production, role, and development remain the foundation.
Ranking Criteria
Overall Skillset – What tools do they have, and how well are they applied?
Impact on Winning – What’s their role, and how does it influence team success?
Long-Term Projection – How much room is left to grow, especially by class?
Across 45 varsity programs and a pool of over 600 players, these 50 prospects fall in the top 8th percentile. Whether you believe a player is too high, too low, or misjudged—just being ranked is a meaningful recognition of impact.
As we move closer to the top of the list, the evaluations naturally become more in-depth—and the critiques, more direct. My goal is to provide honest, well-rounded assessments grounded in research, data, and lived observation, often shaped by conversations with those closest to the game. These critiques matter because they fill a gap in our basketball community—where we often avoid saying what needs to be said about a player’s deficits, gaps, and overall talent. The goal isn’t to undercut. It’s to give real, constructive feedback that helps these players grow.
Enjoy Part II.
2024-25 SNAPSHOT
The first of three freshmen to crack the Top 50 also breaks into Tier 4. Carli Nunez was a preseason standout prospect for me after a strong showing at the Jamboree Showcase. Flirting with a 5’10” frame, she’s more coordinated than most players her age and size and already has a solid foundation as a ball handler. She primarily came off the bench for Centennial, but still finished second on the team in rebounds, assists, and stocks—while also being their most efficient scorer (albeit on low volume).
PROJECTING FORWARD
It’s early, but Nunez has a real shot to be the best Las Cruces prospect in the 2028 class. She’ll take on more responsibility next season as Centennial graduates key seniors and returns a young, developing core—four freshmen and three sophomores played varsity minutes. Centennial may struggle with that youth in 2025–26, but long term, they’re trending upward—and Nunez will be at the center of that rise.
GROWTH AREAS
I’d like to see Nunez play on the ball more. Her combination of size and agility is rare in this region. Too often, players with her build get slotted into frontcourt roles out of necessity, rather than being developed in modern four- or five-out systems. That’s less of an issue in Las Cruces—varsity rosters there tend to be taller than El Paso’s—but even so, the key for Nunez is to sharpen her handle and expand her playmaking. If she does, she won’t just be a top player in her city—she’ll be one of the Borderland’s elite prospects, full stop.
RANKING RANGE
Nunez’s long-term potential could easily justify a higher placement, but given her current role, modest box score impact, and limited tape, Tier 4 is the right landing spot—for now. For a 2028 prospect, that’s still a strong position.
2024-25 SNAPSHOT
In her two varsity seasons at Coronado, Zuleykha Chavarria didn’t experience much winning. Her efficiency and box score production dipped as a senior—but that drop wasn’t entirely on her. Coronado won the same number of games, but this time Chavarria was the lone senior with real usage. To be transparent, the T-Birds looked disjointed, despite having individual players with flashes of talent. More concerning, some didn’t compete with the motor or seriousness expected at this level. Chavarria was the exception.
PROJECTING FORWARD
To my knowledge, Chavarria hasn’t committed or secured a college offer—but she has the tools to play at the next level with the right program. She’s a long, fluid athlete—nearly six feet tall—and runs the floor well. She’s still raw in areas, but she competes and clearly wants another shot. Put her in a program with like-minded teammates who care and want to win, and her game will grow.
GROWTH AREAS
Her mechanics are clean, but she rarely got her shot off the dribble in-game. That may be due to role—not being an on-ball player—but with her height and athleticism, she’d be tough to contest if she learned to create for herself. Adding self-creation to her toolkit would unlock another level.
RANKING RANGE
Tier 4 is as high as I could reasonably go with Chavarria. Her game tape and box score production didn’t scream Top 50—but her athleticism does. On a better team, she would’ve likely stood out even more. The top 6A programs don’t make life easy for players on struggling squads. Still, she was a standout at the Jamboree Showcase in the preseason, and I trust what I saw. The upside is real.
2024-25 SNAPSHOT
Talk about leveling up—no one in the region made a bigger jump in 2024–25 than Ineysiah Johnson. Here's how I justified her winning Most Improved Player in my Girls’ Borderland Basketball Awards: her shot attempts more than doubled, and her 2-point conversion rate rose by 17%. She became one of the most reliable finishers around the basket for her position after a junior year with limited opportunity. At times, she was Eastwood’s best player—and by far their most productive rebounder.
PROJECTING FORWARD
Johnson will continue her career at the University of the Southwest, which feels like a strong fit and the right level for her development. The positional transition will be worth watching. Like Eastwood, USW doesn't carry much size—Johnson would be the tallest player on their 2024–25 roster. But unlike high school, the NAIA level regularly features bigs 6’0” and up, something Johnson hasn’t consistently faced. So, the question becomes: does she stay in the post, or begin transitioning into a face-up four with wing responsibilities?
GROWTH AREAS
No matter where she lines up, Johnson needs to become a better operator from eight feet and in. That means sharper footwork, improved short-area dribbling, and a reliable touch shot—whether a push shot, hook, or short jumper. Right now, most of her scoring comes from clean-up finishes or assisted baskets at the rim. If she can expand her range just to the outer paint, her scoring ceiling rises—and she shortens the adjustment period entering the college game.
RANKING RANGE
Tier 4 is the perfect spot for Johnson. Her production matched or exceeded most bigs in the Borderland—very few shot over 50% from the field—and she impacted winning on one of the area’s top programs. What keeps her from climbing higher is the still-undeveloped parts of her game: she’s a deep-paint finisher for now. The next step is stretching out and diversifying.
2024-25 SNAPSHOT
Danae Pacheco was a fun prospect to evaluate because her statistical production commanded serious game tape auditing. She’s one of those players where you have to measure the numbers against the context of how she’s getting them. In 2024–25, she produced one of the best perimeter shooting profiles in the Borderland—shooting 38.6% from three on real volume (145 attempts, 5.2 per game). Most guards in this area hover in the low 30s at best. She was a legitimate catch-and-shoot threat for Las Cruces, consistently converting from the wings and corners.
PROJECTING FORWARD
Pacheco can absolutely play college basketball. Her catch-and-shoot prowess cannot go unnoticed. In an era where spacing and perimeter shooting are paramount, finding players with that tool in their bag has real value. I haven’t seen her reliably create off the dribble, but her shooting and defensive effort are enough to earn her a next-level opportunity.
GROWTH AREAS
For as much as I praise Pacheco’s shooting, it comes with a caveat. Her overall shooting efficiency—measured by a 50.2 True Shooting Percentage—is respectable, but not elite, and begins to flatten when viewed through a broader lens. Over two seasons, she shot just 32% from three and 62% from the free throw line on low volume. That gap between her three-point accuracy and free throw percentage raises red flags about mechanical consistency and transferability. What it suggests is that her shooting is rhythm- and context-dependent—effective when she’s set, in space, and within system flow, but less reliable in isolated situations. Her two-point percentage also hovered around 41%, with limited foul-drawing, pointing to a narrow scoring profile. This kind of disparity is often seen in players who generate range through rhythm and timing rather than refined touch. Perimeter shooting allows for the use of lower-body sequencing, momentum, and full-body rhythm. Free throws, on the other hand, isolate the shooting motion and place greater demand on touch precision and repeatability. That contrast exposes whether a shooter can sustain efficiency outside of rhythm-based situations. For Pacheco to level up, she’ll need to extend her skill set beyond the catch-and-shoot, improve her ability to self-create, and develop scoring tools that translate when space and rhythm aren’t guaranteed.
RANKING RANGE
Her deep shooting efficiency and impact on Las Cruces’ strong season land her firmly in Tier 4. But while her skill set is rare and valuable, there are more well-rounded guards ahead of her—players with greater versatility, scoring diversity, or two-way polish.
2024-25 SNAPSHOT
The second of four Riverside Rangers in the rankings, Hazel Veloz enters Tier 4 as one of the winningest players in the region and a true four-year contributor to her program. She capped off her senior year with a third straight double-digit scoring season while averaging 3.8 steals per game. Over her career, she averaged 3.7 steals per game and totaled 462 steals in 124 games—an elite mark that speaks to her anticipation and motor.
PROJECTING FORWARD
Veloz has signed with Richard Bland College in Virginia, a DII JUCO that reached the NJCAA national championship game in 2022–23. It’s a strong fit at the right level. Their most recent season (7–18) was a down year, which may open a pathway for Veloz to earn minutes early, even with several underclass guards already on the roster.
GROWTH AREAS
Playing 4A ball at a program that routinely outclassed its district opponents meant Veloz rarely faced adversity. Riverside’s frequent blowouts—wins by 20, 30, even 40+ points—created inflated stat lines but few meaningful reps in tight games. That lack of structure may have contributed to her senior-year efficiency drop—she shot nearly 10% worse from the field than the year prior. While she was a high-volume shooter from three, she never topped 31.2% in any season. My advice is consistent for guards in that range: shift some of that volume to the mid-range. Take the shots you can make—not just the ones with the highest theoretical value.
RANKING RANGE
Tier 4 is the right fit. Veloz produced and won in bunches—yes, against lower-level competition—but that’s what high-level players are supposed to do. What keeps her from climbing higher is the efficiency decline in her senior year despite being surrounded by arguably the best 4A supporting cast in the city. Nevertheless, Veloz belongs among the top Borderland prospects.
2024-25 SNAPSHOT
One of the most unique prospects in the Top 50 shows up here in the middle of Tier 4. Anette Hernandez is listed as a guard, plays more like a wing, and rebounds like a big. She’s one of the few players in the region to average double-digit boards in back-to-back seasons—most coming on the offensive glass, a rare trait at any position. She also finished second on her team in scoring and averaged 1.8 blocks per game—an unusual mark for a non-post and higher than most bigs in the area.
PROJECTING FORWARD
To my knowledge, Hernandez isn’t currently pursuing college basketball. If that changes, she could be a niche asset for a program looking for toughness, rebounding, and effort from the guard spot. Her offensive rebounding alone gives her utility in the right system.
GROWTH AREAS
While she’s listed as a guard, her offensive skill set is far more interior-bound. She attempted a few threes per game but made just six all year. Her free throw and 2-point shooting splits suggest she needs to improve her touch and shot development. Expanding her range and refining her perimeter skills would make her more translatable to the next level.
RANKING RANGE
Hernandez lands in Tier 4 because of how rare her profile is—she defies positional norms. But that same unorthodoxy, paired with limited offensive polish, keeps her from climbing any higher.
2024-25 SNAPSHOT
Jessica Roberts was one of the hardest players to evaluate in the 2024–25 cycle. She opened the season on fire—showing flashes of elite scoring ability—before going down with an injury that, while not severe (major ligament or tendon tears), sidelined her for the remainder of the year. Roberts had already made an impression at the Jamboree Showcase, but her shortened season left more questions than answers by year's end.
PROJECTING FORWARD
Roberts will continue her career at Western New Mexico, an NCAA Division II program in the Lone Star Conference. The Mustangs struggled to a 4-win season in 2024–25, which creates immediate opportunity for incoming talent to contribute. Roberts fits that need and could play an important role in the team’s rebuild if she can round out her game.
GROWTH AREAS
Roberts can score. That becomes obvious within minutes of watching her—she wastes no time getting into her bag and filling it up at all three levels. But that same trait underscores her biggest developmental need. Nearly every time I watched her, I wrote some version of the same note: not a point guard. Not because she can't become one, but because the baseline skills aren't fully developed. Her ball handling struggles under pressure, and her court awareness—especially reading defenders and moving the ball early in possessions—needs to improve. If she can clean up those areas, her scoring efficiency and overall impact will grow substantially.
RANKING RANGE
Had Roberts played a full season, she could have just as easily risen or slid down the rankings—for all the reasons mentioned above. She can score with the best of them, but sometimes to her own detriment. Score-first players who lean too heavily on that part of their game while overlooking equally essential components are often the most volatile. Tier 4 fits her profile.
2024-25 SNAPSHOT
Kyla Winfield is one of the most polarizing prospects in the Borderland—an elite raw athlete with tremendous upside. Her junior year at Franklin was inconsistent, but she still led the team in blocks (1.5 BPG) despite often being pulled away from the paint. Her physical tools alone made her a disruptive force.
PROJECTING FORWARD
Winfield enters her senior season as one of Franklin’s most important returners and one of the biggest X-factors in 6A. Why? She’s the best shot contester I’ve scouted on the girls’ side. Her ability to swat shots at the rim is unmatched, and her closing speed and verticality in space are exceptional. What separates her is how she elevates—while most bigs block shots standing upright.
GROWTH AREAS
Because of her athletic ceiling, the range of outcomes is wide. Defensively, she must improve her rebounding fundamentals—sealing, boxing out, and high-pointing the ball. If she adds technique to her tools, she could dominate the glass region-wide. On offense, there are several areas to sharpen—ball handling, shooting, passing—but the most immediate and scalable upgrade is touch around the rim. She shot just 45% on twos, but with her length and bounce, there’s no reason that number shouldn’t be over 50%.
RANKING RANGE
If rankings were based purely on athletic tools and potential, Winfield would be a Top 25 lock—maybe even Tier 2. But her production and skill development haven’t fully caught up. What complicates her trajectory is Franklin’s free-flowing, often unstructured style of play. A raw talent like Winfield needs structure, accountability, and a clearly defined role to thrive. If she gets that—along with tough coaching that demands more than just highlight plays—her game will level up fast, and so will her recruiting profile.
2024-25 SNAPSHOT
Hannah Hicks is a sneaky-good prospect whose value reveals itself the more closely you watch. She’s one of the best rebounders in the Borderland, using leverage, angles, and timing to seal off space. But her most underrated skill might be her passing—she consistently finds cutters and delivers sharp pocket passes in tight windows. Hicks led El Dorado in rebounds, assists, and steals per game as a junior, while finishing second in scoring. She does a bit of everything for the Aztecs.
PROJECTING FORWARD
With most of El Dorado’s senior core graduating, Hicks enters her final season in a tough position. One scenario says the incoming group might gel quickly, giving her better support. The more likely scenario? She’ll have to carry a heavy load for a team that’s finished below .500 the past two years. That may limit her ability to play within herself—but it also creates room for growth in leadership, resilience, and adaptability. Even if wins are scarce, the reps will be valuable.
GROWTH AREAS
Free-throw shooting is the glaring issue. Hicks has shot just 36.1% over 233 career attempts, including 34.4% last season. That’s a liability—especially in late-game situations where opposing teams could exploit her. With her skill set, there’s no reason she can’t get to 55% with focused mechanical work and confidence-building reps. It’s not just about efficiency—it’s about being trusted with the ball in crunch time.
RANKING RANGE
Hicks sits just outside the top 30 but is firmly in that Tier 4 mix. What’s holding her back is scoring volume and efficiency—every prospect ranked ahead of her produced more offensively. But if she can pair her elite rebounding with consistent double-digit scoring, she’ll force her way into the higher-tier conversation. She’s already doing everything else.
2024-25 SNAPSHOT
Mia Delgado is the first member of what I call the 2027 Big Four. She may not be ranked as high—yet—as her peers in that group, but she’s firmly in the conversation. As a sophomore, she was one of Pebble Hills’ most productive players, leading the team in blocks per game (1.2) and flashing glimpses of perimeter skill and scoring versatility.
PROJECTING FORWARD
Delgado enters her junior year with significant upside—and a very different team context. Pebble Hills loses its top three players, all of whom anchored the team’s structure and identity. That void will shift more responsibility onto Delgado, who can no longer rely on raw tools alone. The next step is learning how to shape games, not just contribute within them. It’s a big leap, but it comes with growth potential.
GROWTH AREAS
Delgado needs to slow down and play with more intent. In practical terms, that means better shot selection. She shot just 30% from the field last season and didn’t post efficient numbers elsewhere. That doesn’t mean she’s a poor shooter—just that her decisions need refinement. At nearly 5'10" with a strong frame, she would benefit from flipping her approach: play inside-out instead of outside-in—nearly a third of her attempts came behind the arc. The closer she operates to the rim, the more efficient she’ll become. The perimeter game won’t disappear—it will adapt.
RANKING RANGE
Despite inefficiency, Delgado’s productivity and long-term ceiling place her inside the Top 30. The bigger question is where she’ll stack up against the other three standouts in the 2027 class as they all develop. My bet? The one who works the hardest and seeks out constructive critiques will eventually pull ahead. And Delgado has the traits to make that leap—if she sharpens her approach.
2024-25 SNAPSHOT
Cameryn Morales was one of the more entertaining prospects to watch in 2024–25. She made high-difficulty plays look routine—sometimes unnecessarily so—but still delivered consistently. Morales was Burges’ second-leading scorer at 12.7 PPG, while also averaging 6.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 3.0 steals per game. She maintained a positive assist-to-turnover ratio and got to the free-throw line frequently. Burges doesn’t win back-to-back bi-district titles without her.
PROJECTING FORWARD
A standout dual-sport athlete, Morales also earned 2nd Team All-District honors in volleyball. Whether she’s more inclined toward the hardwood or the court, the reality is she has college-level basketball ability—if she chooses that path. To my knowledge, she hasn’t received or accepted any offers, but the tools are there.
GROWTH AREAS
Morales is a tough shot-maker, but sometimes she relies too heavily on it. Improving her shot selection and utilizing her mid-range game—which she has shown flashes of—would unlock easier scoring opportunities. An outsized 43.6% of her field-goal attempts came from three, where she shot just 22%. The scoring touch is real; the next step is aligning shot profile with efficiency.
RANKING RANGE
Morales sits firmly in Tier 4, just inside the Top 30. At her best, she looked like Burges’ most dynamic option and second-best player overall. But compared to similarly ranked peers, her overall box score impact is slightly lower—and unlike some prospects ahead of her, basketball isn’t her singular focus. Still, her skill set and competitiveness give her a compelling case as one of the top two-way guards in the class.
2024-25 SNAPSHOT
Now entering Top Tier Big territory, Jazlynn Hernandez checks in as the No. 4-ranked post in the Borderland. She anchored Montwood’s frontcourt in 2024–25, leading the Rams in rebounds and blocks while providing consistent interior scoring. Hernandez flirted with double-doubles nightly and shot 47% on 2-point attempts—making her Montwood’s most reliable paint presence in another productive year for the program.
PROJECTING FORWARD
Hernandez returns for her senior season with one of the most complete cores in the region. Montwood brings back its entire top-six rotation, making them early favorites in both non-district and district play. That team continuity bodes well—but individually, Hernandez has a major opportunity. She’s one of the few returning bigs in the Top 50 and is in position to assert herself not just as the top player at her position, but as one of the best overall prospects in the class.
GROWTH AREAS
Even as Montwood’s most dependable finisher around the rim, Hernandez still has untapped efficiency. At 6'1", she holds a clear size advantage over most matchups, meaning she should face less resistance than undersized posts. If she can raise her 2-point percentage to the 55% range, she has a legitimate shot at becoming Montwood’s leading scorer. Free-throw shooting is also a key area—currently a “make one, miss one” type from the stripe, she leaves too many easy points on the table. Whether the issue is touch, mechanics, or mentality, cleaning it up would elevate her offensive ceiling significantly.
RANKING RANGE
Hernandez moved around Tier 4 in earlier drafts due to minor regressions in categories like free-throw shooting and shot blocking. But credit where it's due—she noticeably cut down her foul rate, a strong indicator of growth. With improved efficiency, she has the trajectory of a late riser, and her Tier 3 candidacy will come into sharper focus as the season progresses.
2024-25 SNAPSHOT
If Jordan Sapien was the engine of Pebble Hills, Krystal Talavera was the ignition—sparking the Spartans’ offense with pace and reliable secondary scoring. She averaged 11.9 points and 2.8 steals per game, showing her value on both ends of the floor. While Sapien worked her way back from injury, Talavera kept the Spartans afloat. She was an irreplaceable piece on the 6A champions’ chessboard.
PROJECTING FORWARD
To my knowledge, Talavera has not yet signed with a college program. That’s surprising—her skill set and production are on par with guards who have committed. If the opportunity presents itself, she’ll be a valuable piece at the next level in the right system and role.
GROWTH AREAS
Talavera took nearly half her shots from beyond the arc (48.7%) but converted just 30.7% of them. Meanwhile, she shot 48% on twos—strong efficiency for an undersized guard. There’s room to refine her shot profile. Rather than cutting out the three, she’d benefit from seeking it selectively and leveraging her mid-range game more. It’s about optimizing—not limiting—her offensive reads.
RANKING RANGE
Talavera is a deserved Tier 4 prospect inside the Top 30. Her production and impact on a championship roster solidified that status. She doesn’t rise higher mainly due to shot selection and the presence of more efficient self-creators in her class—but her overall résumé speaks for itself.
2024-25 SNAPSHOT
Isabella Lee played most of the season in fifth gear. She blew by defenders—but sometimes created chaos in the process. Still, she was one of the most pleasant surprises in Borderland girls basketball. While much attention rightfully goes to fellow freshman Allison De La O (often from me), Lee proved she's a legit long-term prospect in her own right. Scrappy and relentless, she averaged 7.9 rebounds per game—including nearly 3.5 offensive boards—and showed real promise as a driver and finisher.
PROJECTING FORWARD
There’s a lot to be excited about with Lee. At nearly 5’9”, she has excellent positional size and plays with a motor that just doesn’t quit. She’s constantly in motion when given the green light, and that energy is infectious. Paired with De La O, she forms one half of a backcourt that will make Franklin dangerous for years to come. There’s legitimate Division I potential here—but a lot of growth is required to reach it.
GROWTH AREAS
Lee’s biggest challenge is learning to control her speed. It’s where her freshman status was most evident. Her tempo gave Franklin a jolt but also led to turnovers and rushed shots. The good news? That speed becomes a weapon once she learns how to harness it. Developing short-area quickness and control will make her unguardable off the bounce. Shot selection is another key area. She needs to improve her decision-making and mechanics, especially from three, where she struggled. While she had the freedom to play instinctually—evidence of trust from the coaching staff—it led to unchecked habits. Internal self-auditing will be crucial. The tools are there, but refinement is non-negotiable.
RANKING RANGE
Lee wasn’t a top-30 player or top-15 guard this season—but that’s not the point. This project values long-term projection, and Lee made a real varsity impact through effort and raw athleticism alone. If she commits to development and absorbs the control and pacing of her more polished teammate, she has the upside to become a nightmare matchup in the Borderland. That’s why she ranks where she does—and why her trajectory is worth watching closely.