’26 Class Stock Risers
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Within the ‘26 class, you have a little bit of everything. Of course you have the girls who can score the ball consistently, but I am talking about the girls who bring a little more to the table than just…
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Continue ReadingWithin the ‘26 class, you have a little bit of everything. Of course you have the girls who can score the ball consistently, but I am talking about the girls who bring a little more to the table than just that. See, when you become a sophomore, something just clicks. You pray that you take the necessary strides and become an intricate piece of your team’s plans. Or, you fall back and play a role that you hopefully star in. Either way, the sophomore year is an important year.
Within this class, you have dynamic bigs, guards who can handle it, shooters who are lights out, girls who bang on the block, and of course my favorite, sit down defenders. This is the time when you see the cream rise to the top. College coaches really take notice, and girls tend to realize that “hey, I can play ball in this league.” I must say, this class has been one of the very few classes that has been put through the fire at an early age. A lot of girls in this class have played up in travel ball, competing and honing their skills.
With that being said, I would like to point out some girls whose stock is rising based off their confidence and play. I know its early in the season, but these girls have put in the work both in practice and in the games, had a tremendous summer season, and now folks around the state are able to take in what they have been missing. These young ladies will eventually move up the charts, but most importantly, expect them to be playing somewhere at the next level. Here are a few girls whose stocks are rising from the great state of Tennessee.
Lily Morrow Lily Morrow 5'11" | SG CPA | 2026 State TN (5’11/G/ CPA) – Coming off a major knee injury, the old adage of “that’s a dog”, well she is one of them. The knee hasn’t slowed her down as she has attacked rehab. But this lady is a multi level scoring threat with a little sauce in her game. She can bang on the inside with bigs, but also play the wing and attack from the outside. Very skilled ball handler who can put it on the floor and score it as well. She was cleared last week so take notice as she picks up where she left off.
Bella Shepherd Bella Shepherd 5'6" | SG Lipscomb-Academy | 2026 State TN (5’6/G/Lipscomb Academy)– Her confidence is through the roof as she has been given the green light and is ready for take off. This 3 level scoring threat had a great summer competing in the Stars organization. However, she is back to school ball and is looking to continue on that upwards trajectory. She is a beast from 3, but won’t hesitate to get to the rim. Solid on the defensive end and competes her tail off every possession. Great prospect who is bound to do big things.
Kayte Madison Bjornstad Kayte Madison Bjornstad 6'1" | C Franklin Road Christian School | 2026 State TN (6’1/C/PCA)– Just switched from the TISAA league and is now playing DII-A ball in TSSAA. When I tell you she is taking the league by storm, buddy, she is doing more than just that. Averaging a double double nightly, she is hard to stop. With a bevy of post moves, she is a dynamic scorer who can put it in the hole. I love her knack of adjusting on miss shot attempts and being in the right spots for put backs. She owns the boards on D, and swats a few along the way. Great prospect who is going to be a big-time problem moving forward.
Curneshia Taylor Curneshia Taylor 5'10" | CG Memphis Business School | 2026 State TN (5’10/CG/ Memphis Business School)– Is another go-get em dawg who can hoop. She is a defensive juggernaut, who creates havoc every possession. She is going to guard you the full length of the floor, getting steals and deflections by the bunches. Offensively, she is going to get paint touches, but has a nice mid-range game to her arsenal as well. Look for her to continue to be a problem and lead her squad to new heights.
Lily Espelet (6’0/F/ Page)– I don’t say this just for the heck of it, but the girl has a game like Diana Taurasi. She can shoot the rock from beyond, but also work the mid-range and post game as well. She is long and lanky, and has good size on her, so creating mismatches and exploiting them is easy for her. She competes on both ends of the floor, but she just plays hard man and goes every possession to the fullest. She too is coming off an injury, but look for her to elevate Page to new heights. The girl has game, you just have to witness it for yourself. Smooth and silky.
Natavia Alber
Natavia
Alber
6'1" | PF
Northview Academy | 2026
State
TN
(6’1/F/ Northview Academy)– Transferred from LCA this fall, she’s going to be apart of the twin towers duo with
Josie Horner
Josie
Horner
6'2" | C
Northview Academy | 2024
State
TN
. This young lady competes her tail off. A defensive enforcer, she grabs boards, blocks shots, and runs the floor in transition getting easy buckets. Has a nice inside game, where she can knock shots down at a consistent clip from the corners and high post. She can play back to the basket or face up. Nice in the pick n’roll game. She is a heady ball player whose stock is going to skyrocket as she continues to get better.