2026 Players Rankings Update: Top 5
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In this update, we have added around 25 new players throughout the state, that have held their own so far this winter season while putting up some productive numbers. In the article below, we are going to cover our Top…
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Continue ReadingIn this update, we have added around 25 new players throughout the state, that have held their own so far this winter season while putting up some productive numbers. In the article below, we are going to cover our Top 5 from the 2026 Class. There has not been a lot of movement in the Top 5, but throughout the entire 2026 Class Rankings for this Update in general, so make sure to check it out when you have a moment!
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Over the past 2 years, Clara Welker Clara Welker 6’0″ | CG Millard North | 2026 State NE of Millard North has slowly grown into a promising talent on the basketball court and I can’t wait to see what she puts together this AAU season. Welker has a smooth game with some size and natural strength. She can score it from all three levels offensively, while being a mismatch on the defensive side of the ball. She also has the ability to move around and play a plethora of different positions. She may be better at one than another but nevertheless, she is versatile enough to move around and still be productive. Making a difference each contest. The future is bright in the 2026 Class in Nebraska. It’s a Class filled with a lot of promising prospects and Welker is certainly in that conversation as our #5 prospect.
Ani Leu Ani Leu 6’0″ | PG Lincoln North Star | 2026 State NE ‘s naturally long arms and knowledge of the game make her a real problem against most of the competition that her Gators team has to face throughout the high school season. It also helps that Leu’s roster is stacked with talent but that’s not the point. She can really play. She checks off most boxes offensively that a recruiter would have, while being a difference maker on defense. Every time that I have had the opponruntiy to see her compete these past few months, she impressed. Wether that was because of scoring, defending, rebounding, or whatever else you may think of. There is a lot to like about her game-play in general and I’m sure that’s only going to grow over time.
Highlights
Izzie Galligan Izzie Galligan 5’9″ | SG Millard North | 2026 State NE was one of the most productive players on a high school floor this season out of Nebraska. Even though her team may have fallen short in the end, it wasn’t due to a lack of effort. Whenever Galligan caught the ball, she made something happen. She demonstrated that she can score it from deep behind the three point line for a jumper or she can take a few extra dribbles, getting herself a more open look from another spot. The other thing about her game that stands out is how hard she competes. She never takes plays off and is always willing to go the extra mile for the ones around her. I’m expecting Galligan to put together a rememberable Spring. If she competes over the next few months, how she did this past High School season, then she is going to be sitting in great shape going into her Junior Season of High School.
I’ve said this a few times now but I think that it also applies in this situation. This Spring is going to be an important one for Kylee Paben Kylee Paben 6’1″ | SF Millard West | 2026 State NE . If she makes the most of it and shows off what she can really do then she is going to be fielding a ton of recruiting calls from collegiate scouts from all different divisions. Paben has height, phycialty, and she knows her role. She is the type of player that understands the system she is playing in, usually making the most of it. She is very good at limiting her dribble in the paint, using her leverage to scoring in a number of different ways, from both sides of the basket. There aren’t too many times where you find a player who moves as agile as Paben does at 6’1. When you account for all of that and for the fact that she is still very raw in her skill moves, the sky becomes the limit.
Coming into this season, Halle Dolliver Halle Dolliver 5’10” | CG Malcolm | 2026 State NE was putting up some eye-opening numbers while helping her team’s in whichever way possible. Well, this winter it was much of the same. Dolliver put up big numbers each night she took the floor and her team won a good amount of games because of that. Dolliver is a work-horse. She handles her teams workload on both sides of the ball, while doing anything else asked of her. She is a force to be dealt with in the paint when she catches, with the ability to attack her defender going over either shoulder or even bringing them out to the perimeter where the mismatch favors herself. I have not seen too many other prospects step up and stop Dolliver on a consistent basis. It almost never happens. She always makes an impact and I don’t think that that’s going to stop any time soon or at the college level. At the end of her career, she is going to have some options as to where she might want to play. If she is put in the correct situation, she could become even better but as for now, Dolliver will hold onto our #1 spot for this 2026 Class.