2026 Rankings Update: The Top Ten

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2026 class is full of talented players. While we haven't seen every single 2026 player in Kentucky, we feel as if we got a solid glimpse into a lot of players in this class throughout the 2022-23 high school season. After seeing those players in action for their high school teams, it's time to take a look at the top ten players in our latest 2026 rankings update.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["494359"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Lowe took over the top spot in the 2026 rankings in this latest rankings update. After a phenomenal freshman season at Calloway County, she has continued to show her skills on a big stage at the AAU level. Playing up on Kentucky Premier's 16U EYBL team, Lowe's advanced skillset has been on full display. Along with her ability to score at all 3 levels, she has height and length that can't be taught. When watching her team play, she instantly stood out. She doesn't try to do too much, but she just plays her game and I can't imagine college coaches not being very impressed with what she brings to the floor as she can do a little bit of everything and is an excellent scorer. Lowe averaged a double-double, 20.3 PPG and 10.7 RPG, as a freshman while shooting 51% overall and 41.7% from deep.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["376791"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Wilkins is another 2026 player that is playing up on Kentucky Premier's 16U EYBL team and I would be shocked if she hasn't been in contact with a lot of coaches after their first live period event. She was showing off her scoring ability, handles, and defensive potential all throughout the tournament. Even when her shots aren't following, she can score by driving to the basket or getting to the free throw line. She has strong ball handling skills and it's tough for defenders to stay in front of the athletic guard. Wilkins can also defend nearly any position and uses her length to block shots. She averaged 16.5 PPG and 4.5 RPG as a freshman at CAL.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["376806"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Yeast is an athlete, plain and simple. I keep seeing that she's doing big things on the track, but she is one of the top 2026 players on the court as well. For starters, she is an excellent defender. She can stay in front of whoever she's tasked with guarding while constantly disrupting the offense with her quick hands and feet. On the other end of the floor, she is a very skilled, unselfish player. Yeast has good handles and sees the floor well. She does a great job of finding the open player when help defense collapses on her, creating good looks for her teammates. She can also put the ball in the basket herself. Yeast averaged 13 PPG and 5.7 RPG throughout her freshman season at Mercer County.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["376789"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"James is likely going to stand out to you when you watch her team play, but when you really watch everything she brings to the court, you'll be even more impressed. While she can do a little bit of everything, so much of what she contributes will not show up in the stat sheet. What will show up on the stat sheet is her scoring, passing, and defensive abilities via points, assists, and steals, but what makes James' game so impressive is the fact that she will do anything to help her team win. She can defend, she can create, and she can score in a variety of ways. She is truly a special player with a high ceiling. James averaged 8 PPG and 1.9 RPG for one of the best teams in the state (DuPont Manual) throughout her freshman year.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["376804"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Chestnut also made a jump in this rankings update. She showed a lot in her freshman season with George Rogers Clark and while some of those things didn't show up in the stats, they definitely were obvious when you watched her play. She took every defensive assignment she was given and proved that she is one of the top defenders in the 2026 class. GRC played a tough schedule and Chestnut only improved as the season went on. While she's very much so a team player who wants to make plays for others, she showed glimpses of her own scoring ability as well. There's never a question when it comes to how hard she plays as she's always giving 110% effort. Chestnut averaged 5.8 PPG and 3.7 RPG as a freshman.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["376761"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Tinelli really came into her own throughout her freshman season at Bullitt East. Her speed and skills as a floor general could always be seen when you watched her play in the past, but I saw her really grow as a scorer and all-around player as the season went on as well. She showed an ability to knock down shots and score in creative ways. She can handle the ball to the point of single-handedly breaking opposing team's presses. Tinelli is a very disruptive defender as well. She has great instincts and is fearless in going after the ball. She has carried over her impressive play to the AAU circuit, grabbing people's attention while playing for Kentucky Premier's 15U EYBL squad. She averaged 5.9 PPG and 3.6 RPG in her freshman season.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["376764"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Downey is one of the top shooters in the 2026 class, but she's honestly a solid scorer overall. On top of her scoring ability, she has the skills you would want from your point guard. Her ball handling skills are strong and she makes some great passes using her court vision. If I had to pick one thing for her to improve on, there were times when she would miss a couple of shots and it seemed as if she started questioning if she should continue putting up shots, but that's pretty typical for a young player who just wants to put their team in a position to succeed. Downey certainly has all of the necessary skills to be successful though. She averaged 13.5 PPG and 4.5 RPG in her freshman season at North Bullitt.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["493154"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"I swear I've said this more times than I can count, but it continues to ring true, so I'll say it again: Reitzel is a player that seems to have improved every single time I watch her play. And that's saying a lot considering she's a player we've continuously seen as a top ten player in the 2026 class. In her freshman season at Mercy, I watched Reitzel be an excellent role player. She would provide defensive stops and energy while knocking down open shots and making good passes offensively. The one area that I really wanted to see her improve was her ball handling in live game situations. Watching her Saturday at Hoops Mafia's BOKY event, it was clear she's done that. The sky is the limit for Reitzel, who averaged 3.5 PPG and 1.6 RPG in her freshman season.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_player":["376802"],"_player_evaluations_8_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"Young has all of the potential in the world. She's stronger and more athletic than a lot of players at her age. She also has a skillset that makes her very effective in every aspect of the game. She can get into the passing lanes and block shots defensively. She can score at all 3 levels on the offensive end. She has good handles and makes strong passes. She recognizes mismatches and can utilize post moves to score around the basket. She makes good decisions overall. To sum it up and put it simply, Young is very fundamentally sound. She averaged 15.8 PPG and 7.4 RPG while helping South Oldham finish with a 19-9 record. Young should have a big summer with her KY Premier 15U EYBL team.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_9_player":["376788"],"_player_evaluations_9_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"Courtney is the player I've seen the least on this list, but that doesn't mean I haven't heard a lot about her and her potential. It is obvious she grew up around the game as her basketball IQ and raw skills are obvious strengths in her game. The lefty catches ready to shoot and does a great job moving without the ball. She is a crafty finisher with strong shooting form. She can knock down shots off of the catch or dribble, while also showing an ability to score at the rim or through floaters. Courtney also has shown her ability to defend, staying in front and using her length to block shots. She runs the floor well and is poised to continue moving up this list. She averaged 12.7 PPG and 3.7 RPG as a freshman.","_player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":10,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-645016b790fa1"} /-->