NMAA attempts to slap down recruiting ... Gets slapped back

It's an interesting tale that is emerging from the Clovis High School boys basketball program.
Yesterday, Wildcats head coach J.D. Isler was suspended for the rest of the school year by the New Mexico Activities Association for what it claimed was "undue influence" on players ... Or what Clovis Schools superintendent Rhonda Seidenwurm called "recruiting."
The school district made a pre-emptive measure by suspending Isler from his coaching duties and informing he would be terminated by Jan. 12.
Twenty-four hours later, Isler responded by filing an injuction against the NMAA to prevent his suspension, which he just received.
The hubbub stems from the transfer on one Lathan Leib, a transfer from Dora who has yet to play a game for the Clovis varsity because of his uncertain eligibility status.

If you want to read more, here is a link of a Web story posted by the Clovis News-Journal earlier today:
Isler files for injuction

As for the result of his injunction, click this:
Isler can continue coaching ... for now

Oh, just for reference, the last time the NMAA tried to stamp out recruiting, it became embroiled in a mess with Albuquerque High head boys basketball coach Ron Garcia in 2006. The NMAA ended up putting the program on probation and hit it with sanctions plus fines, and it led to the firing of Garcia that summer. Garcia filed suit against the NMAA and APS, and by 2007, he was back at Albuquerque High, where he has been since.

Don't discount those might Elkettes just yet.

As I perused the first regular-season prep basketball polls, I was struck by the fact that Pojoaque Valley is ranked fifth in the Class AAA girls poll.
To be blunt, why?
Yes, the Elkettes have played close games in EVERY single game this year.
Yes, they lost to Española Valley in the championship of the Grants Invitational.
But ...
Pojoaque has yet to lose to a AAA team in 22 months. Not since Santa Fe Indian School beat them in the 2AAA semifinals in Feb. of 2008 have the Elkettes tasted defeat at the AAA level.
In fact, the Elkettes have played five AAAA schools so far this season, and they beat a 2AAA foe already in St. Michael's. What this tells me is that Pojoaque might not be as strong as last year's 31-0 gang, but no one at the AAA level has beat it yet.
Not that there aren't teams that can do it.
Lovington, the top-ranked team, is one of them.
So is 2AAA foe West Las Vegas, the No. 2 team in the state right now. The Lady Dons also have the confidence in knowing they took the Elkettes to the wire twice during last year's historic run.
No. 3 SFIS is deep enough in the post and has perhaps the state's best point guard in Jenine Coriz.
But those are all possibilities. It isn't until one of those teams - or any AAA team - beats Pojoaque before I'll consider putting any other team before the Elkettes.
They are the team to beat, until then.
Good luck, AAA.