These 2A 2026 Guards are ready to paint the town this season!

Smaller classifications of high school hoops rely on guards to lead the way more so than larger classifications. Some of these guards are already their team's star, but others are still looking to make a larger impact in 2024/25.    Makenzie Williams might just be the best junior player in the 2A classification. If not, she is without a doubt the best junior guard in 2A. Williams has a great feel for the game and is unstoppable on offense.   Williams is at her best when she has a lane to the basket. She knows where the holes in the defense are and she will exploit them. She has a solid handle, and she uses it to slice past the defense and get to the bucket. I would like to see Williams become more comfortable dribbling and finishing with her left hand, but for now, if she has room to dribble and score with her right, she cannot be stopped. Not only is Williams a fantastic finisher, but she can also stretch her game out to the mid-range and perimeter where she has a quick release on her jumpshot. Williams especially thrives off catch-and-shoot jumpers when coming off a screen.   Williams can make plays on defense, too, as she is very disruptive along the perimeter. She can deflect passes and pick them up and take them fullcourt for a fastbreak finish. Williams is also a good passer, and if she does not have a lane to finish, she has no trouble finding an open teammate.   Makenzie Williams impressed enough people as a sophomore last season to earn a spot on the 2A North all-Region team, where she shared spots with numerous seniors. Now as she enters her first season as an upperclasswoman, I would fully expect Williams to have a breakout season that lands her on recruiting radars.     [player_tooltip player_id='1196059' first='Emilee' last='Pankey'] is one of the best lesser-known names in the 2A classification, and she will no doubt find a lot of success in her junior season with Cedar Ridge.   Pankey is a solid scorer who can fill up the stat sheet in a short amount of time. She is a dynamic shooter who can light it up from beyond the arch, particularly from either wing. Pankey has a quick release, good shot elevation, and an excellent release point on her shot. She can also create offense off of defense.   Pankey is an aggressive defender who can turn turnovers into points. Once she has the ball in her possession, she uses her speed and solid ball-handling ability to push the ball down the court. Pankey uses her athleticism to finish at the rack, through contact or not.   [player_tooltip player_id='1196059' first='Emilee' last='Pankey'] is the definition of underrated, as she is one of the best scorers in the entire 2A classification, as 20-point nights are not uncommon for her. If Cedar Ridge can make a deep run in the 2A state tournament, then I would expect Pankey to start getting more attention from around the state.     [player_tooltip player_id='1057810' first='Katie' last='Karr'] is a very impactful player for Corning High School, and without a doubt their best all-around player. Karr proved this as just a sophomore, but heading into her junior season, do not be surprised if she plays at an all-state level.   Karr is a fantastic 3-point shooter who can light it up on any given night. She is best when shooting off the catch. Karr's shot has a good arch and she has no problem shooting over tight defense. Her halfcourt offense mostly stems from her outside shooting, but she can put up points on the fastbreak from her play on the other side of the floor.   Karr knows how to force the opposition to turn the ball over, especially when they are attempting to pass away from her. Karr plays defense with active hands and gets at least a finger on a number of passes, causing them to go awry. In this way, she has plenty of transition chances, and opportunities to score easy baskets.   [player_tooltip player_id='1057810' first='Katie' last='Karr'] is a very solid player in the 2A-3 who has a chance at being one of, if not, the best guard in that conference. Keep an eye on her in 2024/25.     [player_tooltip player_id='1057806' first='Kierra' last='Kleinert'] can do a bit of everything for the Ozark Mountain Lady Bears, but the best part of her game is her perimeter shooting. Kleinert is not a known name as of now, but if she carries over the performances she had as a sophomore into her junior season, she will be well-known across the 2A classification.   Kleinert has a very quick release from beyond the arch. Along with a good arch and solid shot elevation, Kleinert is a very good outside shooter, who can hurt defenses off the catch. She can also finish on the fastbreak, which usually starts from her own defensive play.   Like several of the players highlighted in this article, a portion of Kleinert's offensive game stems from her ability to cause turnovers. Kleinert capitalizes on loose balls, particularly when it comes to playing the passing lanes. In addition to this, she can also block some shots and play sound on-ball defense against anyone her coach assigns her to.   [player_tooltip player_id='1057806' first='Kierra' last='Kleinert'] is an excellent 3&D player with other two-way abilities that can be very impactful for her team this season.     For those of you familiar with [player_tooltip player_id='1190751' first='Keira' last='McDaniel']'s game, you might know that she is a cunning defender with a knack for stealing the ball. You might not know that McDaniel has the potential to be much more than a one-sided player, as she has shown that she can be a very impactful offensive player.   McDaniel's defense is obviously her calling card. She is a very aggressive, energetic, and active defender who can take the ball away from her opponent at will. McDaniel racks up multiple steals per game, and she can play tough on-ball defense all night long.   On offense, McDaniel posts most of her points from scoring off the fastbreak. Throughout her sophomore season though, McDaniel did showcase her ability to knock down threes with an arch so high it touches the roof of the gym before it comes back down. She can also rebound the ball well for her size and position, as well as being an underappreciated facilitator who can get her teammates involved.   [player_tooltip player_id='1190751' first='Keira' last='McDaniel'] is certainly underrated, but she has a lot of potential to become a fantastic two-way player. She can definitely be one of the best players in the 2A-7, and Cutter Morning Star has a versatile player at their disposal.    All five of these players are extremely underrated, but they all have serious chances to put their names on the map this season. My next article will be a little different. Since the 2024/25 season is essentially here, I would like to start to wrap up these preseason preview articles, considering that it is no longer the preseason. With that in mind, my next article will be combining 2A 2026 wings and 2A 2026 bigs into a single article. The same will be done for the 1A juniors. Those articles should be coming out soon, along with the first of the season rankings, so be ready.

Smaller classifications of high school hoops rely on guards to lead the way more so than larger classifications. Some of these guards are already their team's star, but others are still looking to make a larger impact in 2024/25.