Above The Noise: All Hoops, No Hype, Just Big Performances

Above the volume of rankings and highlight reels, Alabama's best guards and forwards are scripting a louder narrative — production that impacts wins. Rivalry revenge energy, scoring eruptions, rim protection from the backcourt, and tournament MVP hardware all defined the week. This isn't about who trends the most — it's about who changes games every possession, front to back, 94 feet at a time. Six players stood tall in that truth this week, rising Above The Noise with consistency, physicality, IQ, and clutch production that demands respect, not attention.    [player_tooltip player_id='382901' first='Heaven' last='Bailey'] — PG | Class of 2027 | Stanhope Elmore (2-1 week)   [player_tooltip player_id='382901' first='Heaven' last='Bailey'] is the guard every coach dreams is hiding in the stat sheet. This week, she dropped 55 points, 17 steals, 10 assists, 11 rebounds across 3 games, helping lead her team to a 2-1 record. Bailey is a true two-way playmaker, scoring at all three levels while taking over defensively without a second thought. In a rivalry collision against her former school, she came loaded with purpose, dropping 18 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals — proof of emotional maturity and basketball IQ working in tandem. She applies 94-foot ball pressure like a compressor, punching passing lanes early, often, and violently for a lead guard. Offensively, she never rushes, never panics, and lives in advantage reads, spacing counters, and pace control. With her handle forcing defensive shifts and her defense forcing turnovers, she profiles as one of the state's emerging cornerstones for 2027 guard play. Bailey doesn't need noise to be heard — her impact speaks first, second, and last every game.     Tee King — PG | Class of 2026 | Pelham High (Troy Commit)   Point guard Tee King is proving the modern guard role now includes rim protection and scoreboard pressure. This week in two wins, King tallied 54 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 5 blocks, confirming that her game isn't just felt — it's layered. King organizes pace early, attacks gaps late, and plays like a guard built in a lab of physicality and discipline. She collapses pick-and-roll coverages with a strong downhill burst while reading secondary defenders like open books. On defense, she chases blocks like medals, contesting shots most guards never even consider as part of their job description. She embraces the full 94-foot defensive identity, picking up above the key, sliding early, and redirecting penetration with strength, not hope. With her mix of physical scoring delivery and guard-originated weakside deterrence, she profiles as one of the most dangerous mismatches in Alabama's 2026 guard crop. King continues to prove you can defend, score, and protect the rim from the 1 spot without sacrificing tempo or sanity.     [player_tooltip player_id='373866' first='Lani' last='Smallwood'] — PG | Class of 2026 | Albertville (Mississippi State Commit)   When the scoreboard starts talking, the scouting room starts listening. [player_tooltip player_id='373866' first='Lani' last='Smallwood'] delivered a 42-point monster game in a win this week because chaos dared her to. Smallwood plays with scoring certainty, not curiosity — a three-level offensive sniper who touches paint, counters middies, and drops 3-pointers like truth bombs. Her 3-ball shines brightest, a weaponized skill that creates gravitational pull defending teams can't ignore. She manipulates pace calmly until she detonates scoring runs violently — the perfect blend of poise + eruption. She attacks ball screens, soft hedges, drop coverages, and second level rotations with veteran-like reads and fearless shot counters. Defensively, she never takes the play off, but offensively, she takes entire runs over, confirming why she lives in Alabama “best player 2026” conversations even when the hype takes lunch. She doesn't chase highlights — she creates them by impacting winning possessions with shooting, control, pace, paint pressure, and late-game counters. Smallwood proves hype isn't required when production is nuclear. In the right system, she could score 30 quietly — or 40 loudly like she did this week.     [player_tooltip player_id='382895' first='Hannah' last='Smith'] — F | Class of 2026 | Montgomery Catholic (Troy Commit) | 3-0 week   [player_tooltip player_id='382895' first='Hannah' last='Smith'] is checking boxes that don't even exist in most scouting checklists. This week, she rolled 3-0, averaging 26.7 PPG, 13.3 RPG, 3.7 APG, 5 SPG. In her matchup vs Stanhope, she dropped 28 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals, confirming that impact scoring isn't about flash — it's about bullying mismatches with footwork, strength, and execution. Smith rebounds outside her area, ignites offense with the first outlet or grab-and-go, and creates transition edge before the defense ever sets shell. Physically, there isn't anyone more imposing in her class locally — she punishes smaller guards in paint catches and punishes bigger posts in effort catches. She doesn't force offense, she forces advantages — collapsing the floor, creating kick outs, sealing deep, and controlling the possession economy like a Fortune 500 board member. Defense feels her length. Offense feels her presence. Rebounding feels her certainty. The former 8th-grade double-double machine is now a polished weekly force who impacts winning without needing halftime adjustments. Production isn't new to her, it's historic. The only stat she hasn't hit yet is the one that matters most for her legacy: a championship ring.     Jakeya Horton — F | North Ridge | Jaguar Thanksgiving Jam Champions-MVP   Jakeya Horton didn't whisper at Thanksgiving — she grappled the mic. Leading the Jaguar Thanksgiving Jam champions, Horton earned tournament MVP behind her most violent scoring week of the season. In the championship clash vs Wetumpka High School, Horton scored a season-high 23 points, delivering frontcourt dominance at the exact moment it couldn't be outsourced. She rebounds with a relentless motor that turns 50/50 balls into 75/25 possessions. She embraces physicality early, absorbs it calmly, and returns it violently down the other end in power catches + paint finishes. Horton provides transitional mobility, half court rebounding utility, and late-clock offensive reliability — the ultimate “don't leave her open in the paint” profile.     KeLeigh Mullens — G | Class of 2026 | Prattville | Pelham Thanksgiving Tip-Off MVP   KeLeigh Mullens from Prattville High School earned Pelham Thanksgiving Tip-Off MVP this week by delivering floor stability the offense could build a mortgage on. She profiles as a plug-and-play combo guard, scoring efficiently at all 3 levels and defending rotations like she's already watched the film. At 5'7”, she gives teams lineup freedom — she can initiate offense, attack off the bounce, or sit weakside and bury 3's when the drive creates room. Mullens rebounds confidently from the perimeter, closing possessions without needing to touch paint to matter. She processes gap-touch reads calmly, takes what the defense gives, and then counters what the defense tries to take away. Defensively, she plays above expectation, sliding early, fighting through screens, and anticipating transition reads before they land on Twitter. For Prattville, Mullens brings lineup structure, spacing freedom, and multi-level defensive reads that hold teams together when the lights get brightest. This week, she proved MVP isn't about height, it's about fit, control, defense, scoring versatility, and how many possessions you win before the gym knows you stole them.    This week reiterated what scouting often hides in plain sight — impact doesn't need hype to be undeniable. These six players aren't climbing the rankings, they're redefining the standard for win translation, controlling tempo, stealing possessions early, punishing mismatches late, and bringing defensive intensity that lingers after the whistle. The game plan remains simple: Hoops first. Impact always. Production only. In Alabama's 2026 and 2027 player crops, these are the names defenses can't ignore and coaches can't replace. This is what rising Above The Noise looks like. All hoops. No hype. Big performances only.

Above the volume of rankings and highlight reels, Alabama's best guards and forwards are scripting a louder narrative — production that impacts wins. Rivalry revenge energy, scoring eruptions, rim protection from the backcourt, and tournament MVP hardware all defined the week. This isn't about who trends the most — it's about who changes games every possession, front to back, 94 feet at a time. Six players stood tall in that truth this week, rising Above The Noise with consistency, physicality, IQ, and clutch production that demands respect, not attention.