2025 and 2026 – standout guards – The youth movement
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We are in week three of the season and there are plenty of players who have had some exciting starts to the season. Union freshman Brooklynn Haywood Brooklynn Haywood 5'8" | PG Union | 2026 State WA is the best…
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Continue ReadingWe are in week three of the season and there are plenty of players who have had some exciting starts to the season. Union freshman Brooklynn Haywood Brooklynn Haywood 5'8" | PG Union | 2026 State WA is the best prospect in the state and a legitimate player of the year candidate. She should be one of the highest ranked players in the country for the 2026 class. You can refer to “She’s got game”. An article I wrote just before the season that features the ultra talented point guard. There has been a lot of young talent showcasing their skills early on. Here’s just a few notable players. I will continue to cover players throughout the state as the season goes on. There are so many notable performances and players that deserve mentions. If you have talent, I will find it. Be patient.
Izzy Simmons Izzy Simmons 5'9" | PG Hermiston | 2025 State WA
Izzy Simmons Izzy Simmons 5'9" | PG Hermiston | 2025 State WA
Yes, it is an Oregon school but they do play in the Mid-Co 3A/4A conference. She is a player to watch that will be one of the top players in the conference. The Sophomore point guard is off to a strong start. She had 24 points and 13 rebounds vs Sunnyside. She had 22 points and 8 rebounds vs Lincoln (Tacoma) . She is solid across the board. She handles the ball well from the point and plays with a great understanding of the game. Her best strength could be her shooting. Although tough to zero in on one aspect, she is a knock down shooter with a beautiful shot. She hit 5 threes in the loss to Lincoln, who has a few players worthy of future write ups themselves. A good team with size and athletes.
I believe she was already mentioned in a recent article but her 32 points for the defending champion Lyncs in a win over 4A defending champion Woodinville was impressive. She was great at getting into the lane and creating, for herself and her teammates. She has one of the most legit pull up jumpers I have seen so far in girls basketball this season. She has a bag of tricks to go with it and uses some outstanding footwork to get herself free for buckets. She is only a sophomore but she was clearly the best player on the floor. There’s another team in Nooksack Valley, led by Devin Coppinger Devin Coppinger 5’10” | CG Nooksack Valley | 2024 State WA When these two teams meet, it will be a battle of some elite teams in the Northwest Conference. That one could be a match-up that is repeated in March with a lot at stake. Both teams are 1A title contenders.
Shooter. Another one of the talented freshman across the state, she has come out firing. She has 22 threes in 5 games. She had 6 in 3 of those games. She is one of the best shooting guards and has a quick release and shoots it with confidence. She is getting around 18 points a game. She’s had 20 or more in 3 of the 5 games. Had she not been sick for one game, which she still managed to get 8 points, she’d likely be getting over 20 a game. As a freshman. Common theme it seems.
Highlights
Baylee Maldonado Baylee Maldonado 5'6" | PG Sunnyside | 2026 State WA
Baylee Maldonado Baylee Maldonado 5'6" | PG Sunnyside | 2026 State WA
Another one of the states freshman who is off to a strong start. She had 28 points in 63-60 win over Eisenhower with 6 treys. She is averaging 18 points and 6 rebounds in six games for Sunnyside who is off to a 4-2 start. She can shoot it, hitting 11 threes across those 4 games. She is a solid player who plays with a lot of confidence for a freshman. One of many in the state who are already making a name for themselves.
Jazlyn Wilkerson Jazlyn Wilkerson 5'10" | CG Woodinville | 2026 State WA
Jazlyn Wilkerson Jazlyn Wilkerson 5'10" | CG Woodinville | 2026 State WA
In the loss to Lynden Christian, the freshman showed that she belongs right there with the rest of the standout freshman early on in the season. She had 28 points in the game for Woodinville. A school that has been a girls basketball powerhouse in class 4A in recent years. Last year’s state champion appears to be re-loading once again. They are off to a 3-1 start with the only loss coming via last year’s 1A champion. The Lynden Christian team that you could say is in the same dominant powerhouse category.