2026 Player Rankings Update: Five Guards To See This Spring
In this article:
In the article below we highlight five players that are set to have some impressive Spring season’s from the Guard position. Each player put together a noteworthy high school Winter over these past few months but now it’s time to…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingIn the article below we highlight five players that are set to have some impressive Spring season’s from the Guard position. Each player put together a noteworthy high school Winter over these past few months but now it’s time to turn the page and lock in on AAU season for the foreseeable future.
Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!
Lena Evans Lena Evans 5’7″ | SG Clear Creek Amana | 2026 State IA of the CCA Clippers played a vital role in her team bringing home the 4A State Title this Winter but she isn’t going to be satisfied moving into this Spring. Evans is a quick-thinking Guard, who can do several positive things for her team. She can score the ball at an above average rate, she can fill-in and bring up the ball as her team’s PG, or she can move to the 2 spot and become her team’s shooter on offense. Defensively, she has quick feet and a high motor. She is very good at sticking with her opponents and if she ever does get beat off of the dribble, she is pretty good at recovering back to a spot. Evans is always a vital player in whatever system she is in but I want to see what she does when she has full control on a team. How good can she really be? I’m hoping we will get some answers this Spring but as for now, she had a GREAT Sophomore High School season and I know she can build on that moving forward.
Kennedy Goodheart Kennedy Goodheart 5’9″ | SG Liberty | 2026 State IA has a unique game on the hardwood. She makes a lot of things happen and is naturally gifted with the ball in her hands but this is another player where I want to see what her next level is. There is NO doubt that she is talented when it comes to Basketball but I want to know what her limits are at this point and I’m not so sure. During her High School season with Liberty these past few months, Goodheart started to really show her dominance more and more as the season progressed on. Demonstrating that she can be the main option to any fundamentally sound program. This Spring she will be with her All Iowa Attack team for another go-around. If she takes care of her own and keeps her mind-set simple, she is going to continue to find more success.
Highlights
This is going to be Adalyn Long Adalyn Long 5’9″ | SG Washington | 2026 State IA ‘s first full AAU season with Pure Prep out of Des Moines and I think that she is going to be able to thrive if she is put into the correct position. Long is a Guard that has the “it” factor. She makes things happen. Doesn’t matter what “it” is. I’ve had the opportunity to see Long compete on different floors all across the country the past two seasons and she just keeps getting better. Her offensive efficiency, she wherewithal, and her knowledge of the game are second-to-none for her age and thats always on full display. She never gets too high or too low emotionally and is usually the player to try and rally the teammates around her together when things go wrong. There is a lot to like about Long as a future recruit on a collegiate floor. She is going to listen to you and do whatever is asked of her by her coaches. I’m not sure about you but that sounds like the start to a great recipe to success in my book.
Highlights
Alyvia McCorkle Alyvia McCorkle 5’8″ | PG Bettendorf | 2026 State IA was injured for part of her Sophomore year of High School ball but that didn’t change the fact that when she played, she was unstoppable coming down the floor. McCorkle is one of the most naturally gifted players throughout the state of Iowa, regardless of Class or Age. She moves effortlessly with ball in her hands, she creates and facilitates for others in both the half and full courts, and she can defend with the best of them. She is really smart when it comes to the risk-reward part of the game and you see that almost every night with how many steals she gets per contest. This Spring McCorkle will rejoin up with her Mac Irvin Fire Godfather 17U team out of Chicago to compete against some of the toughest competition in the country. If she comes correct and stays hungry, she is certainly going to continue to show out as one of the best for this 2026 Class.
Highlights
If you want to talk about a player that has taken LEAPS over the past season on the basketball court, look no further than Samantha Becker Samantha Becker 5’8″ Cedar Rapids Washington | 2026 State IA of CR Washington. Becker is a 5’9 PG, that embodies what it means to be a leader. She is the player that everyone can trust in to run her teams offense without getting side tracked, while also having the ability to score at the drop of a hat if her team needs her to. Not to mention, she understands pace of play and what is the best route of attack against most defenders she matches up with on a daily basis. She can pass with the best of them and she doesn’t settle for bad shots. To be a great PG, you have to be able to check off a lot of different boxes to a collegiate recruiter and I think that Becker does just that. If she can stay on the path she is currently on, the sky is the limits. She may truly end as one of the best overall players out of this 2026 Class before everything is said and done. I’m excited to see how far she can take things this Spring with whoever she is lacing up for.