The potential in this group of 4A 2026 Bigs is sky high!

This is a solid group of post players in the 4A junior class! This is evident of the amount of talent that exists in this classification and in small town Arkansas hoops.    Ella Miller is a lockdown center! She is nearly impossible to get around in the post, and there are no "good looks" in the paint when she is there. Berryville may not be one of the premiere teams in 4A, but with Miller anchoring their defense, they have high potential.   Miller's offense mostly consists her finishing open layups, but her defense is her natural strong-point. Blocking shots is especially Miller's specialty. She plays strong on-ball defense in the post, and when her opposition is ready to shoot, she is right there to deny them. Most players will jump really high to try to deny a shot, but Miller does not feel the need to do that much. She is a great "standing shot-blocker," which means she can just keep her arms straight up and she racks up the rejections.   Most centers are not great at defending on the fastbreak, but Miller is. She does not panic and she does not do anything rash, she just sits and waits for the opposing ball-handler to go up for a shot. Once they do, Miller bats it away and pulls down the rebound.   Ella Miller may not be a name you hear much about during the season, but if you go and watch her play, you will see the impact she has for her team.     This will be Ke'Asia Pearson's first year playing in the 4A classification after previously playing with 1A-7 Nevada High School. She was all-conference as a sophomore with the Lady Jays, and now with Magnolia, let us see if she can make the transition into the 4A-7.   Pearson played a lot of small forward with Nevada last season, seeing as she was one of the best slashers in 1A and difficult to stop on her drives. She did show that she can play well in the post, especially in small-ball sets, and her excellent finishing ability should translate right away.   Pearson finishes well through contact, and though she is a lefty, she can finish on the right side with her off-hand as well. Part of why Pearson played the 3 last season was because she could have an impact from the perimeter as more than just a slasher. Pearson can hit mid-range jumpers, but she can stretch it out to the 3-point line, where she drained a number of triples. Pearson was also situated at the free throw line. Here, she has the option of pulling up for a jumper or driving inside against the defense.   Ke'Asia Pearson is very versatile, and she will be a great weapon for Magnolia to use this season. Something is cooking down there is south Arkansas, so keep an eye out.     [player_tooltip player_id='876348' first='Ella' last='Joan Williams'] can do just about everything on the court, and she can do a lot of things most other centers cannot. She can play both the 4 and 5 positions, but whatever you want to classify her as, she is a force to be reckoned with down low.   Williams can play like your typical old-school center, or she can show off some of her new-school skills. She can post up and seal off the defense like a traditional big, where she can use her post moves to finish inside. Williams can also box out the opposition and grabs every offensive rebound she sees. Or, she can receive the ball in the high post and dish a nice pass to an open teammate anywhere on the court. She can also receive the ball on the perimeter and use her solid ball-handling skills to drive around the defense and get to the basket. Outside of the paint, Williams has shown that she has the ability to knock down mid-range and 3-point shots.   On defense, Williams anchors down the painted area. She blocks multiple shots a night, and she makes it difficult for opposing bigs to gain position against her. When a shot does go up, like on the offensive side, Williams is right there grabbing every board that comes into her line of sight.   [player_tooltip player_id='876348' first='Ella' last='Joan Williams'] is a multi-sport star at Heber Springs High School. Though she is a great soccer goalkeeper and a great volleyball middle-blocker, she is even better as an all-around basketball center.     [player_tooltip player_id='1060818' first='Kylei' last='Bailey'] is very difficult to stop when she has it going in the post. Her Forrest City teammates know when to feed it to her, and even if the defense puts a body on her, that is not a guarantee to stop her.   Bailey's offensive game revolves around the painted area. She has great hands and can catch any pass thrown her way. Once she has the ball, she rises up and finishes through contact, regardless of how heavy the defense is. Bailey is a lefty, but she can finish with both hands well. She was also used as a cutter often last season.   Instead of Bailey only occupying the paint, she can move without the basketball and cut from anywhere on the court. This way, Bailey could easily get open and her teammates could find her for buckets inside. In addition to this, Bailey is a fantastic offensive rebounder. She boxes out her opponents well and immediately goes right back up with the ball, posting several offensive putbacks a night.   [player_tooltip player_id='1060818' first='Kylei' last='Bailey'] is a fantastic post scorer, and her junior season could be a breakout year for her. Forrest City has the potential to be a major powerhouse in the 4A-6 this season.     [player_tooltip player_id='1057818' first='Christian' last='Lovett'] is a tough two-way player for the Watson Chapel Lady Wildcats. Once she has positioning inside, on either side of the ball, she is a dominant presence.   On offense, Lovett gains position against the defense easily in the post, and whether she is posting up or her teammates are lobbing a pass to her, she is scoring with ease. Lovett takes on contact well, and her finishing ability is solid. She can also set hard screens and could be used more in pick-and-roll scenarios.   On defense, Lovett is difficult to gain position against, She is strong and she looks taller than 6'0". The opposition should not even bother trying to post up against her, nor should they try to drive inside when she is in the paint. If that does occur, Lovett is ready to block a shot or two away. Lovett will also crash the glass, and if you are the opposition, good luck trying to keep her from grabbing rebounds.   [player_tooltip player_id='1057818' first='Christian' last='Lovett'] could use the ball more in the Lady Wildcats' system. Once that happens, Lovett can be a premiere center in the 4A classification.     [player_tooltip player_id='1060816' first='Riley' last='Potts'] can make a case as the best shot-blocker in the entire 2026 class, and she is just now a junior! Frankly, she could make a case as one of the best shot-blockers in Arkansas.   Potts was a consistent post defense presence last season for Ozark. She was swatting away several shots a night, and posting double-doubles like it was nothing. In a game versus Dardanelle High School last season, Potts denied 7 shots. One of those 7 blocks was so forceful that when it went flying out of bounds, it smacked the baseline official in the face.   Potts is a legitimate rim protector, and she uses her 6'2" frame well. She has long arms and has a decent vertical which add to her shot-blocking prowess. She uses this frame to also grab a number of rebounds. Her rebounding ability is solid on both defense and offense.   On offense, Potts scores a fair amount of second-chance points, but she can also be used in pick-and-roll scenarios. Once Potts has her sights set on the basket, it is hard to contest her shot.   [player_tooltip player_id='1060816' first='Riley' last='Potts'] is already one of the best post defenders in this class, and she can be even better in 2024/25.    Another solid 4A junior group, and all of these players are quality starters who have star potential. The next article on the docket is 3A 2026 guards! That one will be coming soon, so be ready.

This is a solid group of post players in the 4A junior class! This is evident of the amount of talent that exists in this classification and in small town Arkansas hoops.