2026 Player Rankings Update: Stock-Risers

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 five 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!    Every college coach that I hold a conversation with loves the style that [player_tooltip player_id='502101' first='Madden' last='Wilson'] has in her bag. Wilson is a pass first PG with natural vision and an act for being able to create off the dribble. Wilson can also crash the boards hard, create chaos defensively with her active feet and hands, and she does all the little things that coaches love like she communicates at a high rate and is always giving her maximum effort. I'm not sure which college will lock Wilson in following this season but whoever gets her is getting an instant impact player deepening on the Division-level.     [player_tooltip player_id='782498' first='Ainsley' last='Kiene'] is a big part of what Ankeny High School is trying to accomplish this Winter. Kieve, the 5'8 SG, moves pretty effortlessly with and without the ball. She is someone that has a better than average handle and the foundation for a convertible shooting stroke from behind the three point line. She primarily likes to work off of the ball on offense but she can go to work if the shot clock happens to be winding down or something like that. If Kiene produces as steady rates this Winter, Ankeny is going to be a tough contest. They have elite guard play and promising young talent so they just need to put it all together as the weeks go on.     One of the biggest X-factors for the CCA Clippers this Winter is the play of their starting PG - [player_tooltip player_id='1323000' first='Kennedy' last='Stratton']. Stratton does her job. She handles down the floor, she knows how to get the ones around her open, she can make three's when the ball is rotated back to her, and she can lead by example by getting downhill off the bounce into the middle of the lane for her patented floated from 7-10FT. When she is on defense, she is very active. She is usually guarding the opposing PG but she can switch onto others for a quick moment if need be. Stratton moves into the Top 100 Rankings in this Update. If she continues to show her worth in big ways over the next few months, she could move up even more at the next one coming out this Spring.     [player_tooltip player_id='839333' first='Avery' last='Wilson'] of Sioux Central is a serviceable player on both ends of the floor. Wilson is a 5'10 CG, that has a decent mixture of ability as a Guard and as a Forward. She has good size and lengthy arms so you'd think that she would just be put in the Post but she moves too well to be stuck down there. She can be someone that can move out and play from your wing position most of the time but if she ever does have someone smaller on her, she isn't afraid to post them up for easy buckets next to the basket. This is the first time that Wilson cracks the Top 100 for this Class and she deserves it. She has put together competitive games over the past six months while getting better and she is sure to be someone that puts up numbers this Winter at Sioux Central.     DCG is in a prime position within the 4A Class at the moment. They are the favorite to bring home the Class State Title because of their mixture of personal, coaching, and culture. Someone who is going to be a steady piece for this group is [player_tooltip player_id='1302233' first='Leah' last='Brauch']. Brauch is coming off of a successful AAU season with her AIA program out of DSM and she has recently committed to South Dakota School Of The Mines to continue on with her Basketball career following her Senior year. For the Mustangs to make their mark this season and fight for that title, everyone needs to take care of their job, Brauch included but I'm not too worried about that.     [player_tooltip player_id='1190190' first='Karlyn' last='Kovarna'] made some major plays last Winter for Hinton High School as they went undefeated, eventually winning the 2A State Title. Kovarna was a mismatch nightmare. She is someone at 5'11, who can play both positions, depending on what is needed from her at that time. She can move and attack off the outside or she can handle the middle and make sure everything stays in check. This Winter she will have some more reinforcements along side of her but that won't change the fact that Kovarna should be her normal-self. If she builds on what she put in place last Winter, she should continue to see success individually.

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 five individuals out of this 2026 Class in Iowa, that have embodied what it means to be a Stock-Riser these past few months.