Winter Rankings: 2026 Newcomers
In this article:
The Winter season is a time for expansion in all four currently enrolled high school classes (2023-2026). With that said, the Class of 2026 list has expanded from 60 prospects to 75 prospects this week, and below is a look…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe Winter season is a time for expansion in all four currently enrolled high school classes (2023-2026). With that said, the Class of 2026 list has expanded from 60 prospects to 75 prospects this week, and below is a look into those 15 newcomers who joined the list. The Class of 2026 will again take on new additions during the March update, as we will expand the list from 75 to 100 at that time.
.
Maddie Carnes
Maddie
Carnes
5'10" | SF
Springs Valley | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, 5-10 SF, Springs Valley H.S.
– Not many people are terribly familiar with Maddie, as she is a multisport athlete who doesn’t participate in grassroots basketball during the Spring and Summer months. In the backyard to “Larry Legend”, however, she created quite the reputation on the hardwood throughout middle school, and she will be a key piece of the Lady Blackhawks’ success moving forward. She has height, length, and nice athleticism for the Class 1A level, plus she is a skillful player who can play in the mid-post or around the perimeter. As she continues to gain strength and adjust to the speed of the Varsity game, look for her to be a real problem for opponents in the near future.
Laniah Davis
Laniah
Davis
5'8" | CG
Marquette Catholic | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, 5-7 SG, Marquette Catholic H.S.
– At such a young age, Laniah is a physical guard who simply overpowers opponents to get to the basket. She has a keen knack for finishing at odd angles around the rim, and she is an incredibly quick “second jumper” who finds offensive rebound after offensive rebound, while defenders are still landing from their initial contest. Through 11 games, Laniah is averaging 17.4 points, 4.7 rebounds (half of those offensive), and 3.5 steals per game. As she continues to develop her game, make her jump-shooting more consistent, and cut down on her turnovers, look for her to be even more productive and score in the 20s consistently each game very soon.
Indiah Hutchinson
Indiah
Hutchinson
5'10" | SF
Hammond Central | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, 5-10 SF, Hammond Central H.S.
– Indiah is an elite talent who the state has yet to familiarize themselves with. She is a wiry-strong, long, smooth, fluid, and somewhat bouncy athlete who moves almost effortlessly around the floor. She plays sort of a point forward position for the Lady Wolves, she can handle and create off the dribble well, she has nice vision, but she’s also a nice mid-range scorer, plus she can finish around the rim through contact. She’s another prospect who, once she makes her perimeter shot more consistent, could be scary good. However, she is already averaging 16.0 points and 8.7 rebounds, plus she is so talented that she made the jump to #6 overall in her first appearance on our Class of 2026 list.
Denell Jacobs
Denell
Jacobs
5'6" | CG
Warren Central | 2026
State
IN
, 2026, 5-6 SG, Warren Central H.S.
– Denell is a long, wiry-strong, quick and athletic guard prospect who has helped the #19 Lady Warriors in her rookie season. She is averaging 9.9 points per game (3rd on the team), to go along with 2.3 steals per game (2nd on the team), plus she’s shooting a crisp 40% (14-35) from beyond the arc. What’s more impressive is that she is doing this against the #16 schedule in the state, with a career high 24 points coming against Marion County Champion Ben Davis in a tilt back on 11/18/22. As Denell continues to get stronger, handle the ball more and become more of a point guard, plus understand the nuances of the game, look for her to be their go-to in future years.
Miley McClellan
Miley
McClellan
5'11" | SF
Columbus North | 2026
IN
, 2026, 5-11 SF, Columbus North H.S.
– Miley has stepped into a historically strong program and fit in immediately as the second leading scorer (7.5 ppg), while also playing the second most minutes on the team. She is a long, wiry, fluid, and somewhat smooth wing who can score the ball at all three levels. She is capable of scoring over smaller defenders around the paint, she can shoot or drive it from the mid-post, and she has some touch around the perimeter that should improve throughout her career as she continues to gain strength. In the meantime, I will be curious to see how much she’ll grow, if at all, and if she will be able to play more of a ‘3’ or a ‘2’ at the next level as she develops her game.
.
Remaining Class of 2026 Newcomers:
Ahniyah Bennett
Ahniyah
Bennett
5'6" | SG
Connersville | 2026
IN
, 5-7 SG, Connersville H.S.
Aaniyah Bonner
Aaniyah
Bonner
5'6" | PG
Elkhart | 2026
State
IN
, 5-6 PG, NorthWood H.S.
Joslyn Bricker
Joslyn
Bricker
5'8" | CG
Warsaw | 2026
State
IN
, 5-8 SF, Warsaw Community H.S.
Kelis Dansby
Kelis
Dansby
5'7" | PG
Rock Creek Academy | 2026
State
IN
, 5-7 PG, Rock Creek Academy
Gracyn Gilliard
Gracyn
Gilliard
5'10" | SG
Munster | 2026
State
IN
, 5-9 SF, Munster H.S.
Shaylyn Hawk
Shaylyn
Hawk
5'7" | SG
Washington | 2026
State
IN
, 5-6 SG, Washington H.S.
Eva Herbert
Eva
Herbert
5'11" | SF
Fairfield | 2026
State
IN
, 5-10 SF, Fairfield H.S.
D’Aaliyah Kemp
D’Aaliyah
Kemp
6'2" | PF
Park Tudor | 2026
State
IN
, 6-0 PF, North Central H.S. (Indianapolis)
Brynn Owens
Brynn
Owens
5'7" | CG
Austin | 2026
State
IN
, 5-5 PG, Austin H.S.
Anisa Tonkel
Anisa
Tonkel
5'8" | SG
Columbia City | 2026
IN
, 5-7 CG, Columbia City H.S.