Season Preview: 2026 Centers to Watch

Up to this point, Prep Girls Hoops North Carolina has previewed the upcoming high school girls basketball season the last few days by focusing on this year's junior class.    Following a look at standout guards and forwards that should be on the radars of fans, we now turn our attention to bigs.    With so much of today's game being centered around guard play, it can be easy to overlook those that do what they do best in the paint. But even if more teams are in search of talented ones and twos, it can be the play of those fives that can make all the difference especially in tight contests.    Without further ado, here is a look at a few of those bigs.     We have become very familiar with Lightfoot these past few years through what she has done on the AAU scene with [program_tooltip program_id='714756' first='Carolina' last='All-Stars'] as well as in the high school realm with North Pitt. That would be defending 2A state champion North Pitt. In last season's 2A state final vs. East Burke, the multi-talented big scored eight points – but made her biggest impact on the glass as she hauled in 15 rebounds. Along with what she has done on the basketball court, Lightfoot has also competed in track and field events throughout her athletic career – including the discus throw and the shot put.     There is height advantage – and then there is height advantage. How does 6-foot-6 sound? The 2023-24 version of Arune's Gaston Christian team may have only won three games last season, but Arune proved to be a bright spot for the team in her sophomore season. Arune averaged a double-double of 12.4 points and 11.5 rebounds to go along with 3.9 blocks per contest and 1.6 steals. During the spring and summer months, Arune runs on the club circuit with [program_tooltip program_id='713540' first='Team' last='Curry']. Her height is complimented by her length. Last year's Eagles rendition was very young. This year's, of course, will have a bit more experience and that combined with the overall play of Arune will surely improve Gaston Christian's fortunes this season.     The last time Knightdale claimed 14 wins in a season prior to last year was in 2019-20 when the Knights were victorious on 19 occasions. Adewumi played a massive role in Knightdale's winning ways last season as she nearly averaged a double-double while playing seeing playing time in all 27 contests for the Knights. In those 27 games, Adewumi averaged 10.5 points and nine rebounds. The stellar season she put together sporting Knights black and gold led to her landing a litany of offers. She received her first offer from Virginia Union in June and has since added offers from Howard, Bluefield State and Queens.     Arrington is also a multi-sport athlete who has competed in track and field events to go alongside her basketball accomplishments. In 2023-24, Arrington only played in 13 games at Ashbrook, but made her presence felt throughout that baker's dozen of contests. Arrington averaged a double-double of 16.2 points and 11.5 rebounds a game. In addition, she averaged 2.6 steals and 2.3 blocks a game for the Green Wave. She will be missed at 3A Ashbrook as she will now bring her many basketball talents to a 4A school in South Meck. The Sabres posted a record of 13-14 (6-4 in its conference) and qualified for the 4A playoffs.

Up to this point, Prep Girls Hoops North Carolina has previewed the upcoming high school girls basketball season the last few days by focusing on this year's junior class.