These 5A 2026 Guards will be household names after this season

The 5A junior guard group is so talented, and so deep. I will not be able to include everyone, but here are several of the 5A 2026 guards who are currently stars, or who have star potential.    [player_tooltip player_id='882196' first='Hayley' last='Ferguson'] was 5A South all-conference in 2023/24, and for a good reason: she's a hooper! Ferguson was a starter last season for the Lady Wolves as a sophomore, and expect her junior season to be even better.   Ferguson can make plays on both sides of the ball, but her outside shooting is her strongest attribute. Ferguson has a very nice shooting stroke, a great release point, and solid arch. Defenses have to account for her every time down the floor. If not, she will bury a triple. Ferguson can make great plays on defense, too.   Ferguson uses her active hands to cause turnover after turnover from the other team. She can poke the ball out when the opponent is driving to the basket or intercept a pass. Either way, she can take the ball away and score at the other end.   [player_tooltip player_id='882196' first='Hayley' last='Ferguson'] is set for a big junior season, and this Lake Hamilton team is slated for a deep 5A tournament run. [player_tooltip player_id='820896' first='Braylee' last='Winfrey'], a fellow 2026 guard who Ferguson was teammates with, transferred from Lake Hamilton to Auburn High School in Alabama. So Ferguson is going to have more opportunities to score this season.     Josie Dillard is one of the many players on this Farmington team who has serious college potential. Many of Dillard's teammates have already committed to play at the next level or are mulling over multiple college offers. Dillard will be the next Farmington player to have colleges chase after her, so her junior season will be that much more important.   Dillard is a pure point guard. She can score, but she is at her best when she is running the point. Dillard knows how to find her open teammates and can thread the needle on her passes. Regardless of where her teammates are on the floor, Dillard's precision passing and court vision will get the ball to them.   Scoring-wise, Dillard draws a lot of defensive attention with her shooting. She stretches the floor so much with her nice shooting form, and she cashes in on a lot of 3-pointers. She can knock down catch-and-shoot jumpers from the corner, or she can bring the ball up the floor and pull it when she gets to her spot. Since she requires so much attention from the perimeter, she can easily throw the ball to her open teammates down low for effortless buckets.   Josie Dillard is definitely underrated, but she will be Farmington's next great player, you can count on that.     [player_tooltip player_id='615194' first='Brooklynn' last='Mitchell'] was a multiple-time all-conference performer with 5A West rival Harrison High School. Now with the Mountain Home Lady Bombers, Mitchell will be joining another great team with postseason gold on the brain.   Mitchell can get it going from beyond the arch in an instant. She has a quick release and is deadly when she is given enough space. Mitchell can and will fire any catch-and-shoot jumper she sees fit, and her teammates make it their mission to find her on the perimeter. Mountain Home has a strong post game, and with Mitchell's outside shooting, it will be a deadly weapon for the Lady Bombers.   Mitchell is also a great defender with a habit of forcing turnovers. She cuts off the passing lanes well and pokes a lot of balls free. Mitchell is capable of causing multiple turnovers a game and can take each one to the other end for an easy layup.   [player_tooltip player_id='615194' first='Brooklynn' last='Mitchell'] will provide a major spark for Mountain Home's offense this season, and offers should be pouring in sooner rather than later.     [player_tooltip player_id='1060862' first='Kristyn' last='Cooper'] is one of the best junior guards in the entire state of Arkansas, and I think the 2024/25 season will be her chance to show everyone that she is one of the best guards in the state. Cooper has already been offered by Lyon College, but her potential tells me that she has "elite college prospect" written all over her.   Cooper is one of those shifty guards that makes you want to quit basketball after she burns you on a drive. She has a great handle and she can blast by anyone she wants. Cooper may not have the best height for a guard, but she uses her stature to her advantage. At 5'3", Cooper can squeeze past defenders and find creases in the defense that taller players cannot even visualize. With that great handle, Cooper can get to her spots on the floor and create offense for herself. She is a good 3-point shooter, but her mid-range shot is even better.   Cooper loves to use the jab step on the 3-point line to get separation, then she can pull up and knock down any mid-range shot. She also has a pure form and gets great elevation on her jumpshots. If jumpshots are not available, then Cooper will just drive to the basket. If her drive is cut off, then she can pull up for a floater, which she hits at a high clip.   [player_tooltip player_id='1060862' first='Kristyn' last='Cooper'] is a bundle of energy who is unstoppable on the offensive end. She is one of the best scores and ball-handlers in the state, and I would not be surprised if she started to pick up more offers at the start of the season.     [player_tooltip player_id='876322' first='Kylah' last='Pearcy'] is one of the most versatile players in the 5A classification. She can shoot, finish, rebound, pass, and defend, and she was Greenwood High School's best player as just a sophomore last year. Now entering her junior season, expect colleges to start calling up Pearcy.   Pearcy is best described as an all-around player. She can play multiple positions and she can be used in a variety of ways. If Pearcy is used as a point guard, she has the ability to facilitate or to create offense for herself. She can drive from the perimeter and score inside, but she can also dish the ball to her open teammates. If she is used off the ball, Pearcy can hit catch-and-shoot threes with a high-arching shot. She cuts well to the basket and records a handfull of putback opportunities.   On defense, Pearcy is going to keep her assignment in front of her at all times. She records several steals and blocks per game, mostly coming over on help-side defense. She plays the passing lanes like a mind-reader, just knowing where the opposition is going with the ball before they know themselves.   [player_tooltip player_id='876322' first='Kylah' last='Pearcy'] is already one of the best guards in the state of Arkansas, and she is just now entering her junior year. She has serious college basketball potential, and it will be fun to watch her and the Lady Bulldogs this season.     Basketball might not be [player_tooltip player_id='1060859' first='Sophia' last='Gonzalez']'s best sport, but she sure is good at it. Softball is Gonzalez's sport of choice, but in her first season on the Lady Golden Eagles' varsity basketball team, she made some great plays on both sides of the ball.   Gonzalez averaged 7.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.6 steals per game last season as a sophomore. She stuffed the stat sheet on most nights, showing her positional versatility. Gonzalez did not shoot with the best efficiency, but she has the ability to impact the game on offense from the perimeter. When she is left open, Gonzalez can knock down threes, especially from the wing. She may be a point guard by nature from averaging 2.7 assists per game, but she can be used off the ball.   Gonzalez is also a very solid defender, which it is hard not to be if you average 1.6 steals per game. She plays the passing lanes well and she can rip the ball from the opposition, causing a lot of turnovers and fastbreak opportunities for her team.   [player_tooltip player_id='1060859' first='Sophia' last='Gonzalez'] was a do-it-all player for Greene County Tech last season, and that is even from not mentioning her averaging 1.1 offensive rebounds per game, showing how she can rebound on both sides of the ball effectively. Every team in the country needs a player like Gonzalez who can have an impact in a number of ways, and the Lady Golden Eagles are lucky to have her.     Sayde Crouse is a straight up markswoman! Crouse had a limited role with Sheridan High School last season as a sophomore, with shooting the 3-ball being her main role.   As far as I can tell, Crouse is pretty much just a shooter. Of course, she played limited minutes last season, but her outside shooting kept her in the game. Crouse has a quick release and she makes most of her money shooting on the wings and in the corners. Her spacing is perfect, especially for a younger player. She knows just where to go to be in a great position to receive a pass. With her off-ball movement, most of her looks are wide-open, and once she has that good look, those catch-and-shoot jumpers are cash.   Sayde Crouse is one of the better shooters on the Lady Yellowjackets and in the 5A South. With more minutes in 2024/25, expect Crouse to fill up the box score with even more triples.    There are way more than just these seven players who will be impactful 5A 2026 guards this season. I wanted to include players like [player_tooltip player_id='876331' first='Jayla' last='Yonkers'] of Mountain Home, [player_tooltip player_id='876275' first='Payton' last='Futch'] of Hot Springs Lakeside, and [player_tooltip player_id='578159' first='Zaniyah' last='Johnson'] of Searcy. Those players are already stars and are already being talked about across the state. Of course, they will have great seasons, but I like to highlight some of the players who are not already being talked about, such as most of the seven players evaluated in this article.   The next article to look out for: 5A 2026 forwards, and there are some more great players in this position group.

The 5A junior guard group is so talented, and so deep. I will not be able to include everyone, but here are several of the 5A 2026 guards who are currently stars, or who have star potential.