It's all in the Family: The Best Siblings in Arkansas

At the high school level, many teams have several players from the same family on their roster. In Arkansas, several teams are led by players from the same family, and that is what I will be covering in this article.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Campbells:</h2>   I have talked extensively about two of the best siblings in the 6A classification: Makenlie and [player_tooltip player_id='1090312' first='Madisen' last='Campbell']. They both are incredible two-way players who wreak havoc on both sides of the ball.   <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/tag/makenlie-campbell/">[player_tooltip player_id='1090299' first='Makenlie' last='Campbell']</a> is coming off a great 2024-25 season where she earned all-conference, all-state, and all-tournament honors. She had several solid performances as a sophomore, including 18 points against the 6A runner-ups and 22 points versus an up-and-coming Bentonville West team. Perhaps her best outing of the season was against the 3A state champs, Lamar, where she exploded for 28 points in an 11-point victory. She also had 22 points against Greenwood in December and 20 points against North Little Rock around the same time.   <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/tag/madisen-campbell/">[player_tooltip player_id='1090312' first='Madisen' last='Campbell']</a> earned all-conference, all-state, and all-defensive honors this past season. Like her sister, Campbell had highly impactful scoring outings throughout the 2024-25 season, including 22 points against Greenwood and 18 points against the eventual 6A state champs, For Smith Northside. She is infamous for her defensive ability, as she creates turnovers at an incredible rate. In addition to her clamps, she can hit the long-ball at a high level, as well as attack the basket with consistency.   Both Campbell sisters are incredible players on both ends of the floor. They can shoot, attack the basket, dish to teammates, grab rebounds, and lock down the other team.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Akins:</h2>   Honestly, you are a fool if you try to make me believe Mountain View will not win the 3A state championship. Their roster is loaded with talent, including Emma and [player_tooltip player_id='1091183' first='Erin' last='Akins'], who are poised to make their presence felt in the 2025-26 season.   <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/tag/erin-akins/">[player_tooltip player_id='1091183' first='Erin' last='Akins']</a> is the youngest of the two, and so far, she is heading into her sophomore campaign with a lot of momentum. While playing with some of her Mountain View teammates on the ISO Joe AAU squad, Akins has been lighting up the scoreboard with her lethal shooting and leading her team to victory. Against the Tennessee Flight, Akins had 24 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. A good portion of her scoring comes from beyond the arc, where she is a flamethrower off the catch. In addition to her length, Akins is one heck of a 3-point shooter who is not bothered by contests. Her abilities have attracted the attention of several colleges, with offers already received from Arkansas Tech, Maryville, Drury, and Ouachita Baptist.   <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/emma-akins/">[player_tooltip player_id='1054375' first='Emma' last='Akins']</a> has also been putting up some numbers this summer with Team ISO Joe. This Akins sister relies on her well-rounded game to have an impact, logging 5 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals against the NW Magic while boasting a +/- of 15. During this past high school season, Akins was crucial to the Lady Yellowjackets' play in the playoffs, including an astounding performance against Bergman where she put up 17 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 assists (10 points and 10 rebounds in the first half). As she heads into her senior season, she already has an impressive offer sheet, garnering offers from Delta State, Ouachita Baptist, Drury, Crowley's Ridge College, and Arkansas Tech.   These Akins sisters are gliding on a lot of momentum right now, and they can easily take that into the 2025-26 season, where Mountain View hopes to finish the year with the 3A crown.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Coopers:</h2>   Jaci and [player_tooltip player_id='1055220' first='Evvi' last='Cooper'] were key members of a great Mountain View team last season. Now, they are making the move to Greenland High School, joining an impressive roster.   As <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/tag/jaci-cooper/">[player_tooltip player_id='1055209' first='Jaci' last='Cooper']</a> heads into her final year of high school basketball, she can look back at all of her accomplishments. She has already eclipsed 1,000 career points, earned postseason awards, and holds college offers. As the floor general of her team, Cooper does a bit of everything: scoring, passing, rebounding, and defending. She did all of that against Yellville-Summit in January, logging 13 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. To open up the year against Searcy, Cooper put her scoring ability on full display, knocking down 3 triples and going 4/5 at the free throw line, finishing with 15 points. Now with a new team, I would imagine her role to expand even more.   <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/tag/evvi-cooper/">[player_tooltip player_id='1055220' first='Evvi' last='Cooper']</a> impressed the entire state during her freshman campaign, being named to the all-Arkansas Underclassman Team by AllArkansasPreps. As a point guard, you must be quick with your decision-making and with your feet. Cooper is both. She can fly past defenders, getting to her spots within the blink of an eye. Once she arrives at her destination, she can quickly pull up for a jumper or take on some contact and finish through traffic. Though she is moving on to a new school, she has already shown what she can do on the court. She makes plays on both sides of the ball, particularly against Jasper in November, where she posted 30 points and 5 steals. Against Cave City in the previous game, she stole the ball 7 times.   Jaci and [player_tooltip player_id='1055220' first='Evvi' last='Cooper'] are two of the state's most impactful transfers for the 2025-26 season. Greenland is building a squad that is poised to win the 3A-1, but at the rate they are going, Greenland is quickly becoming a 3A title contender, especially with these two elite guards.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Gunnels:</h2>   Let us drop down to 1A for a second. Emerson had a highly talented roster last season, but they narrowly missed out on a spot in the 1A playoffs. Despite that, I believe they will earn a spot in the postseason and even make a respectable run at the title, primarily because of Kagen and [player_tooltip player_id='1196164' first='Karley' last='Gunnels'].   During my article series covering the top player from each county in Arkansas, I selected<a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/tag/kagen-gunnels/"> [player_tooltip player_id='1180791' first='Kagen' last='Gunnels']</a> as the <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2025/05/the-top-player-from-each-arkansas-county-preseason-pt-1/">preseason favorite for the top player in Columbia County</a>. After averaging 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game, she looks to be even better as she heads into her junior season. Gunnels is a fantastic player on both sides of the ball, but she has her hands in just about every play that Emerson runs. At the end of the day, Gunnels always finishes with impressive numbers in assists, rebounds, points, and steals. One game that sums up her ability to make plays up and down the floor was against Bearden, where she finished the evening with 25 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 9 steals. It is not often that we see a player threatening to log a quadruple-double in a high school basketball game, but she could potentially accomplish that feat.   <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/karley-gunnels/">[player_tooltip player_id='1196164' first='Karley' last='Gunnels']</a> may not put up the same scoring outings as Kagen, but she still has a massive impact on the game. Against Hermitage in early January, Gunnels logged 8 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 assists. In a matchup versus Gurdon towards the end of the month, Gunnels had another great night on the glass, finishing with 13 rebounds along with 7 points. This sister is at her best when she is crashing the glass with force and flying high to be the first to have her hands on the rebound.   Emerson might have lost some talent this offseason, but they still have a great sister duo of Kagen and [player_tooltip player_id='1196164' first='Karley' last='Gunnels'].   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Burnhams:</h2>   Vilonia might have lost their best scorer this offseason, but they still have the Burnham twins on the roster, who are going to help the Lady Eagles take the 5A Central.   About a month ago, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/tag/brooklyn-burnham/">[player_tooltip player_id='1091148' first='Brooklyn' last='Burnham']</a> announced her decision to commit to Harding University, one of the best Division II schools in this part of the country. Of course, she still has a couple of years left in her high school career, but at the end of the day, it is not hard to see why she is committed to one of the best teams in the Great American Conference. Burnham earned all-conference, all-state, and all-tournament honors this past season after making plays on both sides of the ball. She can rebound, pass, and score, particularly from the interior. If she sees a lane to the basket to exploit, she will not hesitate to go score.   On the same day as her twin sister, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/tag/briana-burnham/">[player_tooltip player_id='1091156' first='Briana' last='Burnham']</a> committed to hoop at Harding. As a twin, not much is different compared to her sister. This twin was also an all-conference and all-state performer, and she is also an incredible two-way player. She plays with a lot of heart, going after every rebound, making great plays on defense, and attacking the basket with aggression. During Vilonia's first conference game of the season, Burnham had a fantastic performance, finishing with 14 points, 11 assists, and 4 steals, showcasing her all-around talent.   Brooklyn and [player_tooltip player_id='1091156' first='Briana' last='Burnham'] are incredibly talented players who can make an impact all over the floor. There is not much they cannot do, and both Vilonia and Harding are lucky they are on their sides.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Nabholz's:</h2>   The Nabholz family has produced some excellent basketball players. Kate Nabholz just graduated in May, but she was the oldest of three sisters who all played for Conway St. Joseph last season, standing out in the 2A-5. Now Anna and [player_tooltip player_id='1091218' first='Emily' last='Nabholz'] remain on the team, and they are an intriguing team in this conference as we approach the start of the 2025-26 season.   <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/tag/anna-nabholz/">[player_tooltip player_id='1093346' first='Anna' last='Nabholz']</a> has been making some plays with the AAU squad, the Arkansas Warriors. Though she is well-known for playing in the post thanks to her 6'0" frame, she is a solid outside shooter who can knock down perimeter shots off the catch, even in transition and through difficult contests. This past season with Conway St. Joseph, Nabholz had a strong outing against CAC, finishing the night with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 steals. That performance showcased her ability to be a strong interior presence, rebounding effectively and scoring at will inside.   <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/emily-nabholz/">[player_tooltip player_id='1091218' first='Emily' last='Nabholz']</a> first turned heads during her freshman season after pouring 18 points, 8 assists, and 4 steals on Sacred Heart to open up conference play. This past season, Nabholz continued her solid play, defending the ball effectively, knocking down shots from all over the court, and making plays for others.   The 2A-5 must be tired of dealing with the star power from the Nabholz family. Unfortunately for them, they will continue to be bogged down by this family of hoopers until 2027.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Daileys:</h2>   Between the inconsistency and the injury bug from last season, Bryant was forced to give some freshmen sizeable roles. Amongst those freshmen were Keila and [player_tooltip player_id='1183259' first='Kierstan' last='Dailey'], who took the challenge on with pride.   <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/tag/keila-dailey/">[player_tooltip player_id='1090888' first='Keila' last='Dailey']</a> quickly asserted herself as one of the better shooters in the 6A Central right away. In addition to her shooting, she proved that she was a capable ball-handler and interior scorer who could draw contact on almost every drive. In recent highlights from various team camps, Dailey looks to have added the floater to her bag of tricks, improved her playmaking, and sped up her shooting release. With these improvements, she will surely have another all-conference season with the Lady Hornets.   <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/tag/kierstan-dailey/">[player_tooltip player_id='1183259' first='Kierstan' last='Dailey']</a> makes a name for herself in just about every aspect of the game. She is not a go-to scorer, but she can make shots from inside and outside, rebound the ball effectively for her size, and defend at a high level. One of her better all-around performances last season was against Little Rock Central, where she put up 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. She did show out in the scoring category several times, including her 15-point, 6-assist, 2-steal outing against Little Rock Southwest. Dailey can heat up from the outside if she has several open looks, which she did against Jonesboro, knocking down 3/4 on her way to 11 points.   The Dailey sisters are returning to a Bryant team that looks ready to make some noise this coming season.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Pittmans:</h2>   Gravette struggled last season, but they could have an improved record in 2025-26, especially with Palmer and [player_tooltip player_id='874446' first='Parker' last='Pittman'] returning.   <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/tag/palmer-pittman/">[player_tooltip player_id='874456' first='Palmer' last='Pittman']</a> had a solid freshman season for the Lady Lions. She averaged 7.6 points and 2.5 assists per game while being named all-conference. Pittman can shoot at a high level, knocking down threes with a quick release. However, she is perhaps at her best when making plays for others. She knows where to find her teammates on the floor, proving how capable of a playmaker she is this early in her basketball career. She can also defend well, using her quickness to stay in front of her assignment and force turnovers.   <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/parker-pittman/">[player_tooltip player_id='874446' first='Parker' last='Pittman']</a> has played her role as a sharpshooter off the bench well for Gravette. She was an offensive spark for the Lady Lions in 2024-25, using her unorthodox yet lethal shooting form to give the team the boost they needed. Pittman is more than a shooter, of course. Against Gentry in February, she logged 3 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal. She was chasing after loose balls, finding ways to grab rebounds, and making the next pass to her open teammates.   Palmer and [player_tooltip player_id='874446' first='Parker' last='Pittman'] are going to have to have big seasons if they want to take Gravette to the next level in 2025-26.

At the high school level, many teams have several players from the same family on their roster. In Arkansas, several teams are led by players from the same family, and that is what I will be covering in this article.