When the final buzzer sounds for Sahuaro High School senior Cisco Llamas’ last basketball game, his legacy will be cemented in Cougars' history forever.
He will walk away as the school’s career scoring leader with over 1,700 points (1,752 as of publication) — a record he just established earlier this month.
He’s also next in line to break the school’s record for career assists and steals. He’s currently nearing 500 in each category.
And while the numbers and records are impressive, the achievements aren’t a surprise to those around him.
That’s just Cisco doing Cisco things.
“He's the hardest worker at the gym every day as our best player,” said Sahuaro head coach Jim Henry. “He's a great teammate. He's a humble individual. So even though he's one of the best players in town, he never lets people know it.”
Cisco Llamas (0) drives to the net during the Aztec Holiday Classic at Pima Community College.
At a recent late afternoon basketball practice in Sahuaro’s auxiliary gym, Llamas, a point guard, is doing what he does best … calling shots, running the ball up the court and making buckets.
Every basket is accompanied by “oooh’s” from his teammates.
But the excitement doesn’t faze Llamas. He’s locked in, treating the drills as if they’re more than just part of a daily practice.
Basketball has always been a part of Llamas’ life, starting at just 5 years old. Although he didn’t love the sport when he first began playing, and even took a break to play baseball for a couple of years, he didn’t stray from basketball for too long.
By the time he was 10, the high energy of the game had sold him, and he never thought twice about quitting basketball again.
“I love basketball because I feel like it's the only sport where it's just back and forth, back and forth. There's no breaks,” Llamas said. “You get breaks during timeouts, sometimes during free throws, but it's just non-stop running back and forth.”
Cisco Llamas (0) listens to his head coach during the Aztec Holiday Classic.
Llamas made the varsity squad of the storied basketball program during his freshman year, which was a no-brainer decision for Henry.
“When he came in as a freshman his first summer, it took about three days of camp to realize that he was going to be a varsity player right away, and by our first weekend, he had already become a starter and was already offered an opportunity to go play at Pima (Community) College a week out of eighth grade,” said Henry, who’s led the Cougars for the past 16 years.
During his first three seasons with the Cougars, Llamas led the team to a 66-17 record, the Arizona Daily Star previously reported.
“He is one of the hardest workers I've ever met when it comes to a basketball player,” Henry said. “And he is. He's steady. So emotionally, he never gets too high, he never gets too low. He just plays, and for a point guard, that's an invaluable thing to have.”
Cisco Llamas (0) earns two points for Sahuaro during the Aztec Holiday Classic at Pima Community College, Dec. 18.
This season, Llamas has already secured more than 200 points, 60 assists, 50 rebounds and 50 steals. He’s currently No. 3 in the state for assists (6.3 per game) and steals (5.9 per game), No. 5 for 3-points made (37) and No. 8 for points per game (24.4).
With 12 games left in the regular season, Llamas’ numbers are sure to continue rising.
His goal is to reach 2,000 points total by the end of his final season, preferably on his team's Senior Night.
Before breaking the school’s all-time career scoring record a few weeks ago, the record was held by Matt Lohmeier, a starter on Sahuaro’s 2000 state title team, with around 1,550 points, the Star previously reported.
“I'm looking forward to hopefully making a state run and just keep winning games and keep getting better personally,” Llamas said. “So, by this time next year, I'm twice as better and ready for the Pima season.”
Cisco Llamas (0) earns two points for Sahuaro during the Aztec Holiday Classic on Dec. 18.
The Cougars made it to the final round of the state basketball championships in the 2023-24 season, when Llamas was a sophomore, but were ultimately edged by Deer Valley, 63-61. Sahuaro went 17-1 that season.
State tournament or not, finishing up his high school basketball career is a little hard for Llamas, but even harder for his mom, who is constantly telling her firstborn son to stop growing up so fast.
“It's not gonna be my last time on a basketball court, but it is sad. It's tough to see how fast time can fly,” Llamas said.
Llamas committed to Pima Community College earlier this year and plans to sign his letter of intent soon, he says.
After the 18-year-old spends two years at Pima, he hopes to transfer to a university to continue playing basketball and begin studying counseling. One of his dream schools to play for is the University of Arizona with head coach Tommy Lloyd.
Cisco Llamas, Sahuaro High School varsity basketball player poses for a photo during the Aztec Holiday Classic at Pima Community College, Dec. 18.
As for pursuing a career in counseling, Llamas was inspired by his deep, meaningful talks with his mom, which is something he enjoys doing in his free time. Aside from hanging with friends and grabbing Texas Roadhouse for dinner or running the scoreboard for local basketball tournaments.
Although the end of Llamas’ chapter with the Cougars is near, his story is just getting started.
“I'm super proud of him,” Henry said. “I mean, we're gonna miss him. You don't replace a guy like that on the court. You don't replace a guy like that off the court. He's kind of like my coach on the court. And it's definitely gonna affect us, not just basketball-wise, he’s a kid we're gonna miss a lot.”
Fast Five with Cisco
Who’s your basketball inspiration?
Growing up has always been Stephen Curry. But as I get older, I really admire the way Kyrie (Irving) plays and even Damian Lillard, Chris Paul. I went with shorter guards. I really admire how they play and they play with their heart, even though they're still little.
Who’s on your basketball dream team?
At point guard, it’s (Stephen) Curry. Curry will be my point guard. I’d make a small lineup because shooting guard would be Kobe (Bryant), small forward would be (Michael) Jordan, and then for my power forward, it would be LeBron (James), and my center, I gotta give it to Shaquille O’Neal, the most dominant player in the league back in his day. That's my starting five right there.
What’s your favorite basketball shoe?
I've always been a Kyrie dude. I've had Kyrie fives, Kyrie fours. This season, I'm hooping in the Kyrie one low, the floral lows. But my favorite shoe of all time is the Kyrie two lows.
What’s your go-to Texas Roadhouse order?
I get an eight-ounce sirloin steak with either green beans or mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. But I got to get my steak.
What’s your current favorite class?
I'm gonna have to give it to either culinary or badminton. We play badminton all day throughout the whole year. And this year, I have not lost a tournament game.
