2026 Player Rankings Update: Seven Stock-Rising Guards

To be a, “Stock-Riser”, means a few things depending on how you look at it but the most important factor in my opinion is that the prospect is continuously putting in meaningful work in their off-time and that work is translating to the floor in real game-time. In this piece, we cover seven individuals out of this 2026 Class in Iowa, that have embodied what it means to be a Stock-Riser these past few months.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    It's going to be an important Spring/Summer AAU season for [player_tooltip player_id='509225' first='Averie' last='Lower'] with her new program in North Tartan. Lower, a 6'0 SG, would be labeled as a natural Shooting Guard with her best ability being able to let it go from long distances away but over the past year she has also had to take on the role of the PG for her high school program at times as well and this has helped her round out her game a bit more. Offensively this is someone that can get to the hoop at Will a majority of the time off the dribble, while being lethal with her pull up ability. Defensively, her length for her position helps her control the opponent in front of her and she has the ability to switch onto someone bigger or smaller if need be. In this Update Lower moves up to #6 within this 2026 Class as she gets ready for her AAU campaign.     [player_tooltip player_id='641977' first='Grace' last='Fincham'] capped off her Junior season with her first D1 offer from UNI. A pretty good way to end things in my book. Fincham is a 5'10 Combo Guard. In reality she is a mismatch nightmare for most. With her height, her physicality, and her agile skill-set she becomes a tough one to handle on both ends of the floor. She can post smaller defenders, she can score in the midrange off of a jumper in space, she can catch and dribble to finish at the bucket, or she can step out and knock down a shot from deep. As you can tell, this is someone that checks a lot of boxes. I wouldn't be surprised if she grabs a few more offers this AAU season with her AIA program.     [player_tooltip player_id='592200' first='Hudsyn' last='Ranschau'] showed out at the State Tournament last week in Des Moines. Ranschau is an elite 3-point shooter off of the catch but she can also get to other favorable spots if the defense tends to overplay her. With the high school team that Ranschau competes with, they have multiple 3-point shooters who can make it rain so most defenses can't overplay one individual over another. When she saw her opportunities last week, she made the most of them and that was noteworthy. She shot at a high percentage from deep off the catch from the wings and then she played off that. Exactly what I would expect from a player of this caliber.     By my evaluation, [player_tooltip player_id='935274' first='Vana' last='Bilic'] is a player that could compete at the D2 level and she could make some waves throughout her career. Bilic is a guard that has better than average speed, she can handle, she can distribute, she can get to the hoop and finish through contact, she can pull up from all three offensive levels, and she can orchestrate a team's offense if need be. When it comes to defense, Bilic can lock up. She has good reaction times in real time and that translates to produce in the steals/deflections departments. It'll be important to get in from of the right eye this AAU season for Bilic but I'm not worried about that. If she is seen by the right coaching staff, she will be committed before you know it.     Coming in at #30 in this Update is another prospect from CCA High School and that is SG, [player_tooltip player_id='782232' first='Lena' last='Evans']. Evans is becoming a more appealing prospect as she gets older. I'm not sure if that's because she is getting more of an opportunity or because she is just coming into her own or if it's a little of both. As a competitor, Evans is a guard with a shifty cross-over from right to left. Her side-to-side body movement with this move is really impressive and usually leaves defenders in the dust. After that Evans can pull up and shoot from the midrange level or she can get all the way to the hoop for a finish. I have a feeling this is someone that is going to "blow up" in a sense this AAU season. If she competes to her full potential, she should have several collegiate recruiters trying to get in touch moving forward.     Last week at the 2025 Iowa Girls State Basketball Tournament [player_tooltip player_id='603374' first='Claire' last='King'] and Wahlert Catholic competed as their usual selves, making some impressive statements throughout their contests. Individually, King showed off her seasoned play making ability as a PG, her next level feel for the game, and that she understands what it means to lead by example for that around her. If you are a smaller guard out on the floor, you have to do certain things well to play at the next level. Things like playing off of two feet, playing with balance off of those two feet, or having the ability to consistently make everyone else around you better. King does all of these things. She checks off a lot of boxes that recruiters at the next level have so it'll be fun to see where her journey takes her from here.     We have said for a few years that if [player_tooltip player_id='766456' first='Malaina' last='Hackley'] got a chance at the Varsity level, that she could put up some impressive numbers. Hackley transferred to Roosevelt and started this season for her Junior campaign. She averaged 9.5 PPG and 3.2 APG, while helping her team to an overall 13-10 record, 10-0 in conference, ending things as 2025 Iowa Alliance Conference Champions. Hackley has a quick handle, a nifty passing ability, she is willing to mix it up with anyone that might be bigger than her, and she doesn't turn the ball over too much when it's in her possession - a major key when you are a PG. Defensively with her size, she plays scrappy. She gets into her opponent and does a great job of beating them to their spots as they attack off the dribble. The difference she makes defensively is noticeable from a distance and that says it all. Moving into this Spring Hackley moves into the Top 75 once again at #73.

To be a, “Stock-Riser”, means a few things depending on how you look at it but the most important factor in my opinion is that the prospect is continuously putting in meaningful work in their off-time and that work is translating to the floor in real game-time. In this piece, we cover seven individuals out of this 2026 Class in Iowa, that have embodied what it means to be a Stock-Riser these past few months.