5 Breakout Forwards That've Established Themselves This Year

As AAU starts to unwind and the past high school season has gotten further away, now would be the ideal time to look at the year in total. Even though many players have been in the headlines, which ones were the ones that made a statement this year? These names mentioned below are ones that're widely known regionally, but have turned things up a notch. It's essential to talk about these 5 players below that've established themselves with a successful breakout year.   Use code MBG30 for 30% off your first purchase of any subscription    Celia Neilson (2026) | 6'0 Forward | MCW Starz   Celia was eye-catching the few games caught this AAU season. Of course many come for [player_tooltip player_id='393472' first='Bella' last='Owumi'], or the playmakers that can help get her the ball, but what about this talented, yet underrated forward? Neilson did all the little things, helping propel MCW Starz over top-rated teams in these extremely competitive matchups. Celia is poised, liable to duck in at any time, face-cuts when defenders are sleeping, backdoor cuts to the basket at opportune times and she also makes all the right reads that lead to these connective passes. Celia is one of the main contributors to the easy flow of the offense. She also runs the floor hard, can put the ball on the floor while assessing the defense, plus Neilson can knock down the swing 3 with confidence.   Although she's playing with nationally ranked talent, Celia has found ways to come through for her team routinely. Please don't sleep on Neilson; this school season will be a bigtime statement year from her.     Devyn Walsh (2027) | 6'0 PF/SF | NSSA   Devyn is a player that requires more attention for what exactly she brings to the table. The 6'0 forward can do a bit of it all and has no problem filling any role her team needs. On top of it all, she's very reliable. The consistency each game can't be overlooked. There hasn't been a game watched where Walsh has been outplayed in her matchup either. Having a gluelike figure that can plug an abundance of holes without question was one of NSSA's strengths. This was one of the aspects of the team that made them such a dangerous team this AAU season. This school year, Walsh should keep the momentum up and prove to be a key name amongst other '27s in the region. Pentucket will be an interesting watch with her in a lead role.     [player_tooltip player_id='1051535' first='Alannah' last='Baehr'] (2027) | CG/SF | CBC   CBC's main attraction is Baehr right now. This is starting to look like a future star in the making. The possibilities of her game seem boundless. With what she can do already, she's a tall task for alot of defenders to handle and she hasn't even come close to reaching her celling yet either. Alannah has been covered extensively this year, for good reason too. She's not just a budding talent anymore, Baehr has put it all together, making herself such a dangerous threat. Not only can she shoot the lights out, but Alannah has gotten comfortable with the ball in her hands, can play in transition, plus she offers some eyebrow-raising playmaking on the defensive side of the ball. It's easy to see why she's a popular name for school's recruiting boards.     [player_tooltip player_id='1050171' first='Lucianna' last='Parrotta'] (2027) | CG/SF | Rivals   Lucianna has taken major strides forward this year. She's be incredibly impactful for the Rivals as well as being a top member of her FIBA U18. The potential has always shined bright for Parrotta. It's been apparent for a while that she would be a special talent; Parrotta has been playing up in age brackets for years, dating back to middle school. She was marked early on as being someone to watch, many investing into her stock and understandably so. Things seem to be working for Lucianna as she's become an impressively proficient player. This year specifically, she's grown a bit and ramped up her production to new levels. Her exponential rate of ascent in the rankings should come to no surprise.     [player_tooltip player_id='428116' first='Lily' last='Sokol'] (2026) 5'8 SF | BCRI   This has been Sokol's best full-length work through the complete year. It's been unbelievable to see her put up the type of numbers she has, especially considering she's been featured in many high-level games. In a bunch of these BCRI games watched, she's been a go-to figure that constantly finds ways to connect at the end of the day. The shot-making ability surely opens things up, but the pure threat of her getting into a rhythm gives her complete freedom to attack in whatever 'way she chooses. Lily's number can be called upon to finish off plays. Sokol isn't the most athletic, but she understands angles. The lethalness is from deep, on the catch or off the dribble plus she shows great discernment when getting to her spots. The decision to transfer to St. Thomas More this coming season will serve her well. She'll have plenty of opportunity to carve out an even larger role while still competing.

As AAU starts to unwind and the past high school season has gotten further away, now would be the ideal time to look at the year in total. Even though many players have been in the headlines, which ones were the ones that made a statement this year? These names mentioned below are ones that're widely known regionally, but have turned things up a notch. It's essential to talk about these 5 players below that've established themselves with a successful breakout year.