Aguino and four guards highlight fantastic five

No doubt Benally, Hines make girls first team

It’s time to put the final bow on the 2023-24 prep basketball season, and unveil the Journal’s choices for our All-Metro teams.

Our ultra exclusive list follows the same guidelines as always: Five players on the first team. Five players on the second team. The pool includes athletes from all classifications.

BOYS: This is an incredibly potent five we have chosen from the recently completed season, as skilled a group as we’ve ever had.

The group is led by the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year, 6-foot-7 junior power forward Kenyon Aguino of Class 5A champion Volcano Vista.

Aguino was frequently unstoppable on the low post, averaging 22.7 points, 11 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Hawks. His ability to single-handedly take over a big game was perhaps second to none among any player in the state. He shot 64% on 2-point attempts last season.

Aguino is surrounded by guards on our first team.

Los Lunas 6-4 junior Jalin Holland is here; he shot 61% from inside the arc as the state’s most recruited player averaged 25.4 points and 8 rebounds for the Tigers.

The quickest and, arguably the most explosive of the starting five, is Atrisco Heritage’s marvelous 5-8 junior point guard, Latavious Morris, who averaged 25 points and 5 assists for the Jaguars.

The remaining two members of the first team are seniors.

That includes West Mesa 6-3 guard Elijah Brody. He averaged 20.3 points, 7 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Mustangs, and remember, basketball is his second sport behind football.

Cleveland’s Daniel Steverson rounds out our gifted first team. The 6-4 Steverson was as smooth as they come in the metro area, averaging 25 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists a game for the Storm.

Our second team is chock full of dazzling guards: Highland’s fearless 6-0 junior 3-point bomber Jesus Licon; Albuquerque Academy’s versatile and dependable 6-3 senior guard Joe Jack; Valley’s multi-talented 6-1 senior guard Julian Chavez; Volcano Vista’s ferocious 6-4 freshman forward David Lunn; and La Cueva’s persistent and effective 6-4 junior forward Daniel Lovato.

GIRLS: New Mexico’s two most dynamic players were, naturally, slam dunk selections for the Journal’s first team.

Gatorade Player of the Year, 5-9 junior guard Sydney Benally of Sandia, and Eldorado 5-9 junior Bella Hines were both spectacular last season.

Benally led the Matadors to the Class 5A state title earlier this month. She averaged 21.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists, and her ability to consistently show up large in the Matadors’ most important games never failed to impress.

Hines was New Mexico’s leading scorer for the second straight season. She averaged 32.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists. During the season, she became the all-time leading scorer in Albuquerque Public Schools history, and she hit several other scoring milestones as well including 2,000 career points.

The size on our first team comes from Volcano Vista senior forward Taejhuan “TT” Hill. The 6-footer helped the Hawks into the 5A championship game in each of her four seasons at the school. Last season, she averaged 16.8 points and 11.3 rebounds for Volcano Vista, and frequently was a threat with her developed mid-range game.

La Cueva 5-8 senior guard Eva Love will next be seen playing for the Air Force Academy, and she was terrific last season, averaging 16.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3.6 steals for the Bears.

The first five is rounded out by St. Pius’ rock steady guard, senior Alyssa Maes. Maes averaged 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3 assists and was always a reliable veteran presence on the court for the Sartans, who played in the Class 4A final.

Our second team shakes out this way: 5-9 junior guards Hope Giddings and Audri Wright from Sandia, the other two members (along with Benally) of that tremendous junior trio for Sandia; 5-8 speedy sophomore guard Jordyn Dyer of La Cueva; Valencia’s underrated 5-5 junior point guard Jadyn Montoya; and 5-4 junior point guard Mila Espinoza of Volcano Vista, one of the key assets for the Hawks in their march to the 5A title game.