Registration opens for Hilltopper girls summer basketball camps, grades K-8

Families looking for a structured summer option for girls in grades K-8 now have one more local choice through the Hilltopper girls basketball program. Registration is open for the camps, adding a school-linked activity that fits the way many Los Alamos households build summer schedules around sports, childcare and low-hassle activities close to home.

The timing matters because the Hilltopper program has real traction in the county. Los Alamos High School girls basketball is led by Josh Archuleta, who was named head coach after coaching at Mesa Vista from 2009 to 2015. In his first summer at the helm, Archuleta was focused on building team chemistry, and the Lady Hilltoppers opened a 34-game schedule with a Basketball Jamboree and Official’s Camp on June 2-3 at Pojoaque Valley High School. The program also has recent results to point to: the Hilltopper girls won the 2024 District Championship by beating Pojoaque 58-46, and several players earned all-district honors in March 2026, including Aaliyah Chavez as a first-team selection.

That competitive profile gives the summer camps a different appeal than a routine youth activity. For younger players, the camps offer a direct introduction to the drills, habits and expectations that shape Los Alamos High School basketball. For parents, the camps connect children to a visible local program that has already produced a district title and continues to place players on all-district lists. In a town where school sports carry strong community identity, that kind of continuity matters.

The Hilltopper camps also enter a summer market that already includes basketball options from The Family YMCA in Los Alamos. The YMCA’s 2026 camps are listed for grades K-6 and 7-8, with registration opening March 15 and fees set at $120 or $85 for Y members. That means families weighing summer plans now have multiple structured basketball paths, but the Hilltopper version offers something different: a direct tie to Los Alamos High School and the program that children may one day watch from the stands, wear on a jersey or join themselves.

For Los Alamos County families, the bigger value is not just another camp slot. It is a chance to keep girls active, connected and close to home while reinforcing a local athletics pipeline that already has championship history and visible momentum.