By Don Eskins
Carlsbad prep basketball fans who have been waiting to watch their Cavemen tip off the 2024-25 season won’t have to wait much longer.
On Tuesday, November 26, CHS’s Blueclads will take the floor for the first time this season in Carlsbad against the El Paso Eldorado Aztecs. The Aztecs will enter the game coming off a 6-23 season during 2023-24.
For Cavemen head coach John Zumbrun and his charges, the new season offers a fresh start. Last year, CHS logged a very uncharacteristic 13-14 record.
Although their tipoff with Eldorado will serve as CHS’s inaugural, that is not so for the Aztecs.
“Having already played nine games is definitely an advantage for Eldorado. But it is what it is,” said Zumbrun. “Our kids are ready to play, though, and looking forward to getting the new season underway regardless of how many games the Aztecs have played. On Tuesday night, the waiting will be over.”
The JVs will get Tuesday night’s action underway at 4 p.m., followed by the varsity at 5:30 p.m.
Cavemen 2024-25 Prospects
Although 13-14 last year, the Cavemen will start the 2024-25 season with lots of optimism, and with good reason.
“This year’s team brings with it a little more depth than we had last year. Our lack of depth in 2023-24 proved to be a problem for us, especially down the stretch. This year, we’re expecting our depth to be one of our strengths,” said coach Zumbrun. “We also have some shooters this year, kids who can score from outside.
“For us to be competitive, we’re going to have to be proficient from outside the arc,” added the CHS coach. “From the efforts our coaches have been seeing during practice, our summer, and off-season program, we should be able to play three ball.”
The Cavemen will begin their season inaugural against Eldorado with five returning lettermen on the floor. They are 6’1” guard Kyran Orgain, 5’10” guard Jacob Chavarria, 6’2” post Brandon Sullivan, 6’4” forward Shane Sullivan, and 5’7” guard Zenas Huerta.
“Kyran, Jacob, and Shane all started for us last year. They’ll bring experience and leadership to our lineup,” said Zumbrun. “We also expect to see some big things from Zenas and Brandon. They also saw playing time last year and will round out our starting five.
“Coming in off the bench will be junior guards Tanner Cornum and Miliq Mills and senior Jorge Herrera. They bring a lot of energy with them onto the floor and will help us pick up the pace of the game,” he said. “In the post area, we expect to get some help from sophomores Mario De Leon, Jonah Moyers, and Dryden Preece.
“When we won the District 4/5A title in 2022-23, we were able to play multiple kids throughout a game without much of a drop in our level of competitiveness,” commented coach Zumbrun. “This year, with the depth we have, we’re hopeful we can do it again.”
Cavemen 2024-25 Roster: 6’1” senior guard Kyran Orgain, 5’10” senior guard Jacob Chavarria, 6’4” junior forward Shane Sullivan, 5’7” junior guard Zenas Huerta, 6’2” senior forward Brandon Sullivan, 6’2” junior forward Jonah Moyers, 5’11” junior forward Dryden Preece, 5’7” junior Maliq Mills, 5’8” senior guard Jorge Herrera, 5’11” junior center Tanner Cornum, and 6’2” sophomore center Mario De Leon.
Coaching Staff: Head Coach John Zumbrun; Assistants: Micah Calderon, Joseph Munoz, Eladio Saldano, and Todd Florez.
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