Gatorade New Mexico Player of the Year only 5-foot-7, but has much bigger game
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (BVM) — There’s one game that stands out for head coach Adrian Ortega when thinking about what a fierce competitor Joziah Ramos was for the Atrisco Heritage Academy boys basketball team over the course of his decorated high school career.
The two-time defending state champion Jaguars were trailing district rival Cleveland by 28 points at halftime of a Jan. 29 home game, but the 2019-20 Gatorade New Mexico Boys Basketball Player of the Year willed his team back.
“It was just an incredible, refuse-to-lose type of performance,” Ortega said.
Even while being guarded by 6-foot-6 Tre Watson — one of the top Division I prospects in the state — the 5-foot-7 Ramos scored 46 points to lead the Jaguars to a remarkable come-from-behind victory.
“It was a game that was very lopsided in the first half and fans were out of it after a while,” Ramos said, “and at halftime coach just told us that we need to give the fans some hope and that’s what we did; we all fought back.”
Ramos has had that fight for quite some time, and he’s needed it because he doesn’t have the size to go with his talent on the court.
“I’ve always played taller and older guys playing up whenever I was younger, so I’ve always had to face that,” Ramos said. “I know that wherever I go I have to prove myself.”
Ramos has been proving himself since he started contributing for the Jaguars as a freshman, but he began making a much bigger impact his sophomore season when he averaged 17.9 points and helped lead Heritage to its first state title. He was named the USA Today New Mexico Player of the Year as a junior in 2018-19 after averaging 23.7 points and leading the Jaguars to a second straight 5A state championship. As a senior, the District 1-5A Player of the Year averaged 19.9 points while leading Heritage to the Sweet 16.
It’s all been thanks to a work ethic and toughness that Ortega said he hasn’t seen from a player in his 20 years of coaching.
“He’s in the gym before school, he’s in the gym in the offseason and he’s a kid who plays through injuries … His toughness is just unreal. He’s just tough and he plays bigger than his stature.”
He’s also developed a game that helps make up for his lack of height and makes him tough for opponents to defend.
“He kind of has an NBA game,” Ortega said. “He knows how to control his body. Most kids have a jump stop; he has a side stop, a euro step, he just knows how to score. … He’s faced double teams, face guards, all kinds of defenses and he’s still able to put up his points. His speed and his awareness to create space, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Ramos maintains a 4.42 weighted GPA as he’s excelled in the classroom just as he has on the court. Ramos credits his mom, Anabel Cadena — the Heritage head dance coach — for keeping him focused.
“In elementary school my mom would always tell me for games or school if I had good grades or if I scored this many points I would be able to get something,” Ramos said, “so I’ve always strived for good grades ever since I was younger and I still do today.”
Ramos’ accomplishments on and off the court will both benefit him at the college level. He didn’t see any interest from Division I schools, which he believes is because of his size, but that doesn’t bother him.
Ramos picked Division II Western New Mexico University where he’ll have a chance to continue to prove himself on the court.
“Bottom line is I just want to play,” Ramos said.
