Best Teams in NOVA: Public School

Here are the teams that should be the best in NOVA this year. I could see all these teams making deep postseason runs.   Osbourn Park  Osbourn Park is the best public school team in NOVA, and they have the best shot at winning a state title. They have all their production returning and bring in some new pieces with their freshmen class. [player_tooltip player_id='448324' first='Samia' last='Snead'] and [player_tooltip player_id='749391' first='Payton' last='Walters'] make up one of the top backcourts in all of public school basketball in the state. [player_tooltip player_id='239413' first='Keyarah' last='Rainey'] is one of the best two-way players in the area, and [player_tooltip player_id='307651' first='Alexandria' last='Brown'] will make an impact as a big. There is more talent on this team I haven't named, and they will be able to compete with anyone in the state.   Gainesville  Gainesville has won 20 games in back-to-back years, and they should again be a formidable team. Although they lost a lot of production from their backcourt, I think they have enough to hover around the 20-win mark again. They added [player_tooltip player_id='376329' first='Madison' last='Nicholson'] after she transferred from PVI, and returners like [player_tooltip player_id='579893' first='Peyton' last='White'] and [player_tooltip player_id='848973' first='Grace' last='Ellingson'] should play big roles.    Robinson  Robinson always puts out elite defensive teams, and this year will be no different. [player_tooltip player_id='389125' first='Georgia' last='Simonsen'] is not only one of the best defensive players in the area but one of the better overall players in the state. They have a lot of guards who get after it on defense. Robinson is well-coached and plays as a team, and they are the favorites to win a very good Patriot District.    Centreville  Centreville lost two starters and one of the best shooters in the state, [player_tooltip player_id='509490' first='Sofia' last='Caraus']. However, they do return their best player and district Player of the Year, [player_tooltip player_id='239387' first='Kennedy' last='Parrott']. After finally being healthy, she had a huge Junior season, and she will be a candidate to make an all-state team again. [player_tooltip player_id='719276' first='Claire' last='Kang'] and [player_tooltip player_id='433880' first='Malia' last='Siriwardene'] should see an increase in roles, and they are more than capable.    South County South County was very good last year, winning 19 games, but I think they could surpass that this year. Last year, South County had a lot of young guards that I see taking a leap this year. [player_tooltip player_id='722607' first='Laila' last='Tull'] returns as this team's best player. Laila had an outstanding Sophomore season, earning second-team all-state honors along with being first-team all-district. Young guards like defensive ace Natayla Wooten and [player_tooltip player_id='602383' first='Peyton' last='Baines-Trapp'] are players to watch as well entering their Sophomore seasons.    Oakton Oakton may not have the talent a couple of these teams have, but I think they will be a 20-win team again. Oakton always prides themselves on being elite defensively, and they are very well-coached. Oakton has a couple of great guards, one being Junior PG [player_tooltip player_id='876808' first='Sophie' last='Toole']. Sophie was a second-team all-state selection and an elite two-way player. [player_tooltip player_id='755774' first='Brooke' last='Chang'] should provide shooting from the other guard position as well. Oakton will be a gritty team that will be hard to beat again.   Hayfield  Hayfield was a surprise last year, being one of the most improved teams in NOVA. Hayfield played a lot of underclassmen and returned much of their production from last year. [player_tooltip player_id='747629' first='Courtney' last='Breland'] was this team's best player as a freshman and she returns as one of the 40 best players in the state for 2026. Hayfield has a lot of other fantastic players who will make an impact on this team. They should win 20+ games again.    Meridian  Last year, Meridian made the state championship in district 3, and they returned 3 of their 4 leading scorers. [player_tooltip player_id='746291' first='Ellie' last='Friesen'] led this team in scoring last year and is a knockdown shooter. [player_tooltip player_id='738503' first='Nora' last='Stufft'] is a well-rounded player who adds grit to this Meridian squad. Nora will be asked to score more this year, and she will average close to a double-double. Nora and Ellie are both top 70 players in the state for 2025, and they will be surrounded by a couple of talented guards.   Edison   Edison has a lot of players that fly under the radar. They have a handful of guards that were productive last year that return. Senior Guard [player_tooltip player_id='1092542' first='Sarah' last='Chawki'] is one of the most underrated players in the state. Sarah has a high IQ and does everything well on the court. She will be this team's best player, and her name will come up for an all-district team. Edison's 3 regular season losses were all decided by one possession, and they will be a 20-win team again this year.   Chantilly Chantilly has been a team that has steadily gotten better over the past few years. They impressed me at the Scott Allen Showcase last month and towards the end of last season, they really started to put things together. They return a lot of production and should be one of the top teams in the area. Junior Guard Alivia Tarry is poised for a breakout year and I see her breaking into the top 50 this season. Junior Forward Alexandra Wilson will provide a dominant interior presence for this team as well.

Here are the teams that should be the best in NOVA this year. I could see all these teams making deep postseason runs.