From Role Players in 2024/25 to Stars in 2025/26

As the title suggests, these players were role players last season, but will be entering the 2025-26 season as one of their team's key returners. Not only will they be keys to victory, but they may be the go-to option every time down the floor.    [player_tooltip player_id='884753' first='E'lyse' last='Williams'] is one of the few returners from Little Rock Central's 2023-24 championship team. She is also the lone starter to return from last season, and she is finally getting some collegiate attention.   Williams has picked up an offer from National Park College, and they could not have offered her at a better time. She is entering her senior season as one of Central's top scoring options. The Lady Tigers graduated Ky Wilson, Taylor Day-Davis, Ameriya Gaston, and Chloey-Rei Brown, and Williams will be tasked with picking up the slack from all of them.   Williams is a solid inside-outside scorer. She can knock down jumpers off the catch or take a dribble inside the arc and hit a mid-range shot. She is also great on the break, finishing through traffic. Throughout much of the conference season last year, Williams was tasked with being another playmaker for Central, and she did that with ease.   Not only is [player_tooltip player_id='884753' first='E'lyse' last='Williams'] a solid offensive player, but she is an outstanding defender, often tasked with defending the opposition's best two-guards. With her championship pedigree and being one of the few seniors on this Lady Tiger roster, she will be relied upon heavily as she is now in the role of a "star."     Harding Academy graduated several key players from last year's squad, but [player_tooltip player_id='1180797' first='Lydia' last='Landrum'] is one of the Lady Wildcats' better returners.   Last season, Landrum averaged 6.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. Landrum is a solid 3-point shooter, knocking down 19 triples over the course of her sophomore campaign, but she is at her best in the paint, where she shot 52% from the field.   Landrum is also a great offensive rebounder. Over half of her total rebounds came on the offensive end, grabbing 2.0 a game. Her effort on the glass was a huge reason why Harding Academy was so successful, as she allowed herself and her teammates to have extra opportunities to score.   [player_tooltip player_id='1180797' first='Lydia' last='Landrum'] will be receiving the ball even more in 2025-26, so I would imagine those numbers increase steadily over the course of her next two years of high school basketball.     [player_tooltip player_id='1186516' first='Lily' last='Jo Titsworth'] was a vital piece to a Dover team that nearly had an undefeated season, ultimately falling in the 3A championship game. She was an efficient scorer last season, and now she will be called upon more in her senior campaign.   Titsworth averaged 6.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game during the 2024-25 season. She can hit the outside shot, but she is at her best when attacking the basket, shooting 50% from the field and 57% from inside the 3-point line.   She is also an outstanding defender. Dover would not have been in the championship game without their exceptional team defense, and Titsworth was a major part of that. She excelled at intercepting errant passes and poking the ball out of the opposition's grasp.   Dover lost two of its top four scorers due to graduation. Now, [player_tooltip player_id='1186516' first='Lily' last='Jo Titsworth'] has been thrust into a larger role, and her play so far suggests that she is ready for the challenge.     [player_tooltip player_id='1253985' first='Addie' last='Ryan']'s numbers improved slightly between her freshman and sophomore seasons. After seeing her ball out with Team ISO Joe this summer, I suspect her numbers will improve by a large margin.   Ryan averaged 5.8 points, 1.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 0.5 steals per game on a Greene County Tech team that was dominated by upperclassmen. Despite seeing limited touches, Ryan shot 38% from 3-point land. Her shooting is not a fluke, as she shot 37% from beyond in her freshman season on 118 attempts.   Against Houston Hoops in the Nike EYCL Champions League, Ryan put on a show, leading her team to victory and posting 18 points along with 2 boards and 2 steals. Shortly before that, she put up 12 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in a tight loss.   Based on her performances this summer, [player_tooltip player_id='1253985' first='Addie' last='Ryan'] is ready to take the next step up in her game. I predict her floor this season will be averaging a hair under 10 points per game. What is her ceiling, you might ask? We will have to wait and see what happens.     Farmington is coming off a championship victory in just its first year of being in the 5A classification. [player_tooltip player_id='1051007' first='Josie' last='Dillard'] backed up several great guards on last year's title squad, but with most of those players gone, she is more than capable of stepping up and running the Lady Cardinal offense.   Dillard is a solid all-around point guard who is already receiving collegiate attention. She can hit shots from beyond the arc, from mid-range, and from in the painted area. She keeps the ball on a string and finds her way in and out of tight spaces, able to find ways to create her shot.   Farmington's defense was stifling last season, and Dillard was one of several players who provided the necessary depth to make it effective. She hustled hard, proving why she deserved to be on the floor. She stole passes, stripped ball handlers, and made sure her defensive assignment had a long night.   [player_tooltip player_id='1051007' first='Josie' last='Dillard'] has been a champion every season she has been a part of this Lady Cardinal team, and she plans on being a champ once again, with her at the helm of the offense.    These are just a few of the great players who are getting a boost in their roles next season. Definitely keep up with these hoopers, because one day we will all wake up and they will be superstars.

As the title suggests, these players were role players last season, but will be entering the 2025-26 season as one of their team's key returners. Not only will they be keys to victory, but they may be the go-to option every time down the floor.