5 Guards to watch this summer: 2026

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These are some guards in the 2026 class that I'm watching closely. These players are primed to take leaps heading into their Junior year this summer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["719276"],"_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":"u003cspan data-preserver-spaces=u0022trueu0022u003eIn her freshman season, [player_tooltip player_id='719276' first='Claire' last='Kang'] was one of my biggest risers in NOVA. Her Sophomore season could have been smoother. u003c/spanu003eu003cspan data-preserver-spaces=u0022trueu0022u003eClaire is a great ball handler and has good quickness, but sometimes, she u003c/spanu003eu003cspan data-preserver-spaces=u0022trueu0022u003estrugglesu003c/spanu003eu003cspan data-preserver-spaces=u0022trueu0022u003e to finish and plays too fast.u003c/spanu003eu003cspan data-preserver-spaces=u0022trueu0022u003e She has a lot of talent, and Centreville will lose two starters following their state semifinal appearance. Claire will have a bigger role, and if her game matures and becomes more polished this summer, she will be an absolute force at PG.u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["603549"],"_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":"u003cspan data-preserver-spaces=u0022trueu0022u003eAva Sewall is a really talented player who, even with a high ranking, has yet to get the attention she may deserve. This is mainly because she played on a struggling Annandale squad the past two years. Ava is taking her talent to a loaded Potomac School squad next year, and I'm excited to see what improvements she makes. She is going to be playing with better talent, but she will also be playing against better talent. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["376338"],"_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":"u003cspan data-preserver-spaces=u0022trueu0022u003eAliza Murray had some good moments for Virginia Academy this year. Virginia Academy will lose a couple of guards who produced for them, and Aliza is my main candidate to take those minutes. She is great at either guard position and has u003c/spanu003eu003cspan data-preserver-spaces=u0022trueu0022u003epotentialu003c/spanu003eu003cspan data-preserver-spaces=u0022trueu0022u003e to be one of the best guards in the state in the 2026 class. She is primed for a big jump, and her development is one to watch this AAU period.u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["673985"],"_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":"u003cspan data-preserver-spaces=u0022trueu0022u003eBishop O'Connell struggled in the WCAC this year. The WCAC is very talented, and O'Connell is one of the younger teams. There are a couple of guards I'm looking at on this O'Connell squad who will take leaps this summer. The one that I see coming back the most improved is [player_tooltip player_id='673985' first='Denver' last='Carlton']. She has risen the rankings over the past year and a half, going from unranked to the top 20. She has excellent size for a guard and is a complete offensive player. Watch for her to take the next step following a great AAU season.u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["376329"],"_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":"u003cspan data-preserver-spaces=u0022trueu0022u003eMadison Nicholson was a player that I thought would be a riser heading into this past high school season. Because of injuries and other things, she didn't have the season she wanted to. I still think she will be highly impactful at some point and I think this summer will be the start of her being a big piece of PVI's plans. Madison is a great scorer and can do it on all three levels. She is quick and a great defender. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6639868297ea5"} /-->