Class of 2026 Summer Recap: Stock Risers
In this article:
Now, on our class reviews from this past summer, we’re looking at the rising sophomores. The sophomores seem to be one of the most talented groups in Wisconsin, so there are plenty of kids to talk about today. I’ll talk…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingNow, on our class reviews from this past summer, we’re looking at the rising sophomores. The sophomores seem to be one of the most talented groups in Wisconsin, so there are plenty of kids to talk about today. I’ll talk about stock risers, and then, to close out the day, we’ll talk about kids to watch over the next year.
If you ask me who’s the best scorer in this class, Kovacic is at No. 1 or 2. She can score in a manner that few other kids can in the region. Kovacic loves her short pull-up jumper, which the sophomore makes on enough regularity to be efficient. Whenever she gets to work out of pick-and-roll settings with a dynamic screener, the only way to stop her is if she gets too aggressive and takes a bad shot. Even then, she’s one of the best tough shot makers I’ve seen, up alongside kids like MaKenzie Drout. Her ability to create something out of nothing separates her from her peers.
Rachael Chilicki Rachael Chilicki 6'3" | C Mukwonago | 2026 State WI
The 6-3 post out of Mukwonago was one of the surprises of the summer. I didn’t know anything about her before she played with Wisconsin Impact , but she has tools that D1 coaches hope to teach kids in the post. Chilicki is comfortable scoring over her right shoulder and using her left hand to finish over defenders. She won’t ever be the fastest kid on the floor, but her effort allows her to beat multiple kids down the floor and get point-blank shots before two or three of the defenders get down the floor. She seems like a coachable kid with the drive to get better day by day. She was excellent last summer and began to pop up on the radars of Mid-Major programs in the region.
The name McLain may not have popped up on the radars of people in Wisconsin this past summer because she played her AAU ball down in Illinois for Midwest Elite. If you want to know how highly they think of McLain, they were comfortable playing her up an age level at the 16U EYBL level. That’s not normal. She’s a 5-11 wing that plays with a combination of speed and physicality matched by few in her class. She goes to a small school in St. Joseph Catholic Academy, so even in the high school season, she may get overlooked. However, I thought she more than held her own in EYBL basketball, and I may even underrate her currently.
Natalie Backhaus Natalie Backhaus 6'0" | PF Wisconsin Dells | 2026 State WI
The dynamic nature of Backaus’ game makes her one of the most entertaining kids in her class. Watching her play is always a crapshoot in the best way possible. She loves firing passes into small windows to cutters, finds open shooters when she gets doubled in the paint and can score at all three levels. You never know what you’re getting from her, and the defenses she faces aren’t prepared for it either. I thought she closed the AAU season well and had some bright flashes at Wisconsin Dells this past season.
Audrey Sellinger Audrey Sellinger 5'11" | SF Wauwatosa East | 2026 State WI
What makes Sellinger unique in her class is her natural IQ. No matter the situation on the floor, she seems to be in the right place, makes the correct cuts, shoots the right shot, and makes plays happen. Selliinger’s the perfect off-ball wing at the next level. She rarely needs the ball to impact the game, but she’s capable of attacking and recovering defenses off quick swing actions. Sellinger may not
Izabel Durst Izabel Durst 5'7" | PG Barneveld | 2026 State WI
I’ve talked about how impressed I was by Durst in July, but I still feel I undersold what she did. Coming from a smaller school such as Barneveld, you always take what they accomplish with a grain of salt, for better or worse. However, I never knew how quick she was, how well she used different paces, her shooting, and her overall confidence. She was playing in arguably the best youth girls’ basketball league in the world, had teammates leave early in the season, lost most the rest of her teammates to them getting pulled up an age level, and Durst kept plucking away. Durst’s ability to make plays off the bounce was better than I ever expected, and she’ll likely thrive at Barneveld this season.