2026 Player Rankings Update: Jot Them Down - Point Guards

"Jot Them Down" is a new series of articles that I will be trying out for the 2026 Class. This series is focused on covering athletes at each specific position from both the states of Iowa and Nebraska, that collegiate recruiters should take a look at prior to their Junior season of high school ball this upcoming Winter.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    The Brownell Talbot Raiders put together an 11-12 season last year on the high school floor, leaving it all out on the court whenever they were competing. A big reason whenever they found success was because of impactful prospects like their Point Guard, [player_tooltip player_id='820510' first='Avery' last='Nichols']. Nichols was this groups heart beat in a lot of senses last year. She led the team is scoring with 16.6 PPG, while also grabbing 7.5 RPG, 2.7 APG, 3 SPG, and 2 BPG, basically doing everything you can think of to try and help the cause. Production is one of those things that you can't deny. When a player can produce, they can produce and Nichols can produce. She has been a solid player over her past two years on the Varsity floor as well as with her [program_tooltip program_id='715717' first='Nebraska' last='Supreme'] team this travel season. If she continues to this path, she will end her high school career as one of the top producers in the state as a whole. Something that is quite impressive in any way you look at it.     [player_tooltip player_id='758856' first='Alaeya' last='Randle'] of Omaha North High School was the top assist leader for her Varsity program last season, while also scoring right around 9 PPG and grabbing 4.5 RPG. Randles job within her offense is not to score. It's truly to set up the success for the teammates around her and she does a fantastic job in that aspect of the game. Not to mention, scoring over 9 PPG as she does this is pretty noteworthy. It means she is still able to get her own in different ways, even though she is a pass first type prospect. This upcoming season, her team is going to return their main producers for another go around. If they can come back to the team and all play better because of their offseason work, they should put together a rememberable season compared to their recent past.     McKenzie James may not of seen the Varsity floor last season but I have a feeling that could change this Winter. James is solid prospect on the hardwood. She is a PG that stands at 5'4 with a smart head on her shoulders, with a high energy-type play style. She is someone that can get past her defenders in the blink of an eye with her fast first step down the floor or she can bring it back out and make a solid pass to someone that is open as her teams runs their offensive sets. Defensively, she brings some tenacity with her on ball pressure, usually making her opponents turn it over a time or two before a contest comes to an end. Westview will return a decent amount of their Varsity roster from a year ago so it'll be interesting to see how much everyone see's the floor. It's going to be a hard rotation to play into but if they can do it smoothly, the results should follow.     This AAU season, [player_tooltip player_id='560334' first='Claire' last='Turner'] of Spirit Lake High School stepped onto the court with something to prove and she has been doing just that moving into this month of July. Turner is a quick thinking, fast acting guard, that is a master at orchestrating her team's offense, while being an able and willing attacker in both the half and full courts. Turner can be shockingly good. Sometimes she pulls a move out of nowhere that makes anyone watching audibly say, "wow." This AAU season with her [program_tooltip program_id='712617' first='Lady' last='Pure Prep'] team, her ability has been shining through and she has proven that she is a born leader on whatever team she is competing with. If she keeps this up, she is going to be a hot commodity for a handful of recruiters at the collegiate level as she starts to think about her future after her high school career comes to an end.     [player_tooltip player_id='672168' first='Mylee' last='Stiefel'] of Burlington High School is a prospect out of this 2026 Class that can get down hill in a hurry while attacking her defender off the dribble. Stiefel has demonstrated that she is a crafty and shifty handler, while being able to get to whatever she wants to on offense, in any which way she pleases. She is equipped with great movement from fast to slow and back to fast again, really helping "sell" her moves on offense. After competing a successful high school Varsity season last year, she has taken her talents and competed with an impressive [program_tooltip program_id='715980' first='Team' last='Iowa'] 16U BlueStar team. If she continues to expand her game to going into even deeper into her offensive bag, while stay fundamental in her movements, she is going to continue to shine against all sorts of competition into the near future.

"Jot Them Down" is a new series of articles that I will be trying out for the 2026 Class. This series is focused on covering athletes at each specific position from both the states of Iowa and Nebraska, that collegiate recruiters should take a look at prior to their Junior season of high school ball this upcoming Winter.