2026 Player Rankings Update: Productive Players

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Being a productive player can mean a lot of different things. In the article below, I cover five players that have been producing at the varsity level this winter in a bunch of different ways. Each individual has shown promise and the ability to be a difference maker throughout their first few games this season so far. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["820510"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='820510' first='Avery' last='Nichols'] has started off her Sophomore season producing on both sides of the floor. Nichols is a shooting guard that is good at letting it go from deep and crashing the boards. Throughout her teams first 4 games this season, Nichols is averaging 14.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG, while also tallying a handful of assists, blocks, and steals along the way. If you want to break down Nichols play-style, it's fast and confident. A majority of the time, she is trying to spot up from deep and knock down a long shot but she also has the ability to handle a little bit and get closer to the hoop off of the dribble, if her defender is over-playing her on the outside. I'm interested in seeing how everyone will respond to the start of this season. They are only 1-3 so far but have some quality pieces on their roster. If they continue to get better each night at practice, while playing games competitively, they could make a run to end this season. Nichols is going to try her best to help in any way she can. At this point, she just needs to continue what she is doing and hopefully everything can fall into place from there. ","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["820511"],"_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":"An individual that has an intriguing game out of the state of Nebraska is [player_tooltip player_id='820511' first='Brair' last='Ray']. As of right now, she is averaging 16.5 PPG on 58% shooting throughout their first 6 games. Ray, a player that would be described as an overall Guard, makes a lot happen because of her hustle and smarts out on the floor. To start this season, Ray is getting easy looks at the rim in transition because of her teams tenacious defense. This defense isn't only leading to success for Ray but for the entire team as a whole. Other than shooting and scoring the ball at an efficient rate, Ray is also playing solid defense and demonstrating that she isn't afraid to get physical with her opponent. She demonstrates the quick ability to cut her opponent off, making them use a counter move or pass the ball. Currently, Ray is on a productive path for this season. If she continues to work hard and keeps it simple, it's going to continue to pay off. ","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["757570"],"_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":"To start off this article we talked about [player_tooltip player_id='820510' first='Avery' last='Nichols'] at Brownell Talbot High School. Another player that is also from the same high school, who has put up some numbers this 2023-2024 season is [player_tooltip player_id='757570' first='Abbi' last='Gibbs']. As Nichols plays the Shooting Guard role, Gibbs is her teams starting 3 or Combo Guard on the floor. Gibbs is more of a Swiss army knife type player. She has the ability to play the 1-3 positions at the high school level at the moment, making her versatile in a few different ways. Throughout her teams first four games this season, Gibbs is averaging 8.3 PPG, 8 RPG, 2 APG, and 3.7 SPG. As you can see, Gibbs does it all for her team and whenever they have some success, you can tell that she has something to do with it. Looking at the big picture, it looks like Gibbs is not only a producer on the hardwood but a competitor on the soccer pitch as well. It'll be interesting at the end of her career, which sport she will ride with into college. Either way, I'm sure she is going to have success.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["502341"],"_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":"When you hear about Omaha South High School and girls basketball, you hear the name [player_tooltip player_id='502341' first='Sierra' last='Thomas'] almost immediately. Thomas is a 5'10/11 post player, that is coordinated and balanced in everything she does on the court. As a freshman, Thomas basically averaged a double-double in points and rebounds because of her mixture of natural size, strength, and knowledge of the game. When I had the chance to see it live and in-person at our PGH Top 250 Camp, I saw why she was so dominant first-hand. To start off this winter, Thomas is continuing to do more of the same. She is grabbing rebounds at a high rate on both offense and defense, she is scoring in a plethora of different ways around the paint, and she is being an overall leader that others around her can look up too. I'm expecting this production to continue on the rest of this season and honestly, over the rest of her high school career. She has every ability and natural gift to be a very good player not only at this high school level but the collegiate level as well. ","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["757579"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='757579' first='Emerson' last='Timm'] is going to be a point guard that goes under the radar throughout her high school career but that shouldn't discourage her in any way. That just means that she is going to be a steal for some program out there at some point and everyone is going to see what they missed out on. Timm, a 5'6 PG, is a top scorer in this state for the 2026 Class at the varsity level so far this season but I think her best ability is to lead and create. It doesn't matter what team Timm is playing with, she is going to control the pace of the game in every aspect when she has the ball. She understands her own ability, the ability of her teammates, and everything in-between that to a T. When you combined that with some natural skill and the ability to create for others/score at will against most, it's impressive. Timm plays for a loaded ETG 3SSB team that is going to get her looks these next few years. If she worries about herself, she is going to end up committed to a college that she loves in the end. No doubt about it. ","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-657c7eaec9980"} /-->