Hidden Gems in the Class of 2026

Let's kick things off with one of our Top 10 Class of 2026 athletes, [player_tooltip player_id='615384' first='Ashlan' last='Carlow-Blount']. She has garnered the most attention of this group but still remains a hidden gem with just a few college offers. Her film and watching her live would place her at the Division I level in my eyes. She is as athletic as they come and plays with great tempo and a lot of energy. She plays aggressively with a downhill mindset on offense, getting to the rim often throughout games. She is a high IQ player on both ends who does whatever it takes to help her team win. She creates havoc on defense and generates points off of tunovers with ease with a really good transition game off of steals. She is a walking triple double from points, rebounds, assists, and steals, and stuffs the stat sheet nearly every time she touches the court.     Hazel is a fringe Top-10 player in this class who projects to be one of the top athletes in the group and has a really high ceiling. She gets it done at every level of the game and has a noticeable mix of length and athleticism. Strong handles, an effective jumpshot, and pure quickness she is a diverse scorer who does a great job off the dribble, and spotting up and shooting as well. A tough finisher she protects the basketball in traffic and does a great job of finishing in the paint. An effective rebounder on both ends and a diverse defender who can guard every position 1-4, she has one of the most complete games in this class.     Gracie is an athletic forward who is quickly climbing the ladder in this class. She can do it all on both ends and appears to be getting better all the time. At the recent prep girls hoops Top Prospects Expo in Sioux Falls, SD, she stood out as one of the best athletes at the event even amongst elite talent. She scored off the drive, knocked down threes, and created mid-range opportunities off the dribble as well. On defense she makes hustle plays all game long as a shot blocker, grabbing steals, and shutting down her opponent time and time again. A high quality rebounder who can then put the ball on the floor and push the transition game, this young lady is a high-level player who has a huge impact on the game.     Kendra has all the physical tools needed to succeed with great length, athleticism, and a high basketball IQ. She is a matchup nightmare for defenses as she can score off the dribble, hit from the outside, as well as catch and finish in the paint. She might be the most pure athlete in this group and has really impressive physical tools. On defense, she makes life tough on her opponents as a shot blocker as well as a player who snags multiple steals per contest. If she can develop a consistent scoring game on offense she could work her way into the top 25 of this class.     Following in the footsteps of her talented older sister, Addyson is a force to be reckoned with on the inside. In today's game you don't see as many back-to-the-basket post players who can catch it and go to work in the paint. Enter Addyson. She is a tough post player with great size and an understanding of the game. She takes advantage of mismatches and will make you pay if she catches it deep in the paint. On defense she's an eraser as a shot-blocker and a strong help-side defender. She looks primed to take a really big leap this year and is an expected stock-riser with a bigger role for Wessington Springs this upcoming season.