PHS squads set to begin new seasons

While Portales High’s girls have a veteran leader in Wade Fraze, the boys enter the 2024-25 basketball season with a new coach in Ty Thatcher.

Both teams kick off their campaigns this week. The Rams welcome Los Alamos to the RAC for a 5:30 p.m. tip on Monday, while the Lady Rams start play on Thursday in a tournament at New Home, Texas.

Girls – Fraze begins his 12th season at the helm with a squad that returns four starters from last season’s 20-9 (4-2 District 4-4A) contingent.

“Hopefully, that experience will help us this year,” said Fraze, who has posted seven 20-win campaigns and led the Lady Rams to four Class 4A state championship game appearances, including titles in 2014 and 2018.

Senior guard Myleigh Banda averaged 12 ½ points and 5.2 rebounds last season, while senior forward Evannie Fulfer (10.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg) and senior point guard Angel Ornelas (8.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.2 apg) were also major factors. Other key players back including senior guard Tya Rippee, senior center Erin Van Leuven and junior center Skyler Massey.

“We don’t have a ‘go-to’ player, but we have multiple kids who can score,” Fraze said. “We don’t have a player who’s going to give us 25 points a night.”

Massey has played regularly since her freshman year and should be ready to take another major step this season.

“This summer, she really came on,” Fraze said. “I’m glad to have her.”

Senior guard Aylin Serna is up from the junior varsity and could also play a significant role, Fraze said.

“The kids know their roles, and they know what we’re trying to do,” he said. “I think we’re versatile at a lot of positions.”

The Lady Rams will play an all-Texas schedule in December. Their first games against New Mexico competition will come in the Portales Shootout in early January.

“I like playing a lot of these Texas schools early,” Fraze said. “I don’t know what our record will be (after that), but I know it’ll make us better.”

The district is up for grabs, he said.

“I think it’s going to be really competitive,” Fraze said. “I don’t think there’s a clear favorite. Every team has a lot of kids back.”

Boys – Thatcher, the former coach at Dora and Texico, steps in for the Rams after Randy McBroom took the head coaching position at Organ Mountain in Las Cruces. PHS finished 16-13 a year ago (2-4 district).

“We’ve got some new faces out that are going to help us,” Thatcher said. “I think we’ll have some depth, which is what I think they were missing last year.”

The Rams will be without one of their top players, senior forward Paxton Culpepper, who suffered a significant knee injury during the second game of the football season. His younger brother, Pierce, is a 6-foot-7 sophomore who could provide some depth on the interior.

“He’s coming along,” Thatcher said of the younger sibling.

Senior guard/forward Elijah Tellez and senior forward Alex Luscombe, neither of whom played last season, are back out and should give the team some depth. Returning starters include 6-foot-5 junior forward Carson Pfaffenberger and senior guards Jase Hightower and Joel Lujan, while Thatcher said senior forward Xavier Tarpeh is perhaps the best athlete on the squad.

“It’s too early for me to really know,” Thatcher said of the team’s depth. “I see us playing a big lineup at times and at times going small and fast.”

He’s trying to familiarize himself with the district.

“I’ve watched a lot of film and I kind of know where we stack up,” he said. “I know Artesia is always near the top, and (Roswell) Goddard has a new coach.”