Underrated 2027 Forwards and Centers to Watch on Recruiting Trail

Many fans of high school basketball believe that a player's final season through their pre-college ranks begins in November with tip-off of the high school season. It actually starts in late March when they embark on their final journey through the travel realm.    That is the case for the 2027 class. We at Prep Girls Hoops unveiled our initial lists of juniors that should get a bulk of offers over the next few months on the recruiting trail.    The aforementioned list centered on names that may land the bulk of Division I offers. Then there are those that should still earn college offers even if they are potentially lower level or predominantly in-state.    We turn our focus to underrated 2027 frontcourt forces with this list.    During the two years that 5A was split into two divisions, Berkeley was the team to beat in both seasons. Coach Crystal Peace's Stags are fresh off going back-to-back at state and McCray tallied eight points to aid Berkeley's cause in this past season's championship game against Greenville at Colonial Life Arena. A veteran standout who also partakes in volleyball, McCray averaged nine points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game in 2025-26. McCray first began playing at the high school varsity level as a seventh grader and can give a team productive minutes either as a three or in the backcourt as a shooting guard.     Thompson was one of a pair of key transfers to coach Brandon Wallace's 4A Gray Collegiate program that were certain to make the War Eagles a force to be reckoned with in the frontcourt. The 6-foot-3 veteran big would play in 27 contests last season in Gray Collegiate threads while averaging 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds (second on last season's War Eagles) and 1.2 steals per contest. Thompson was one of six 2027s on this past season's War Eagles team and they are set to move up in class to 5A beginning with the 2026-27 season. She helped Gray Collegiate to a 22-6 record and a second-place finish in its region as well as a 4A Lower State semifinals berth.     Wright has provided the right stuff for Camden since her eighth-grade year when she first began playing at the varsity level for the Bulldogs. This past season, Camden was once again one of the premier 4A teams in the state and the six points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 steals and two assists per contest were part of the winning formula for coach Lewis Mungo's Bulldogs. Wright was a key factor in Camden's 23-4 record and the Bulldogs earning a berth in the 4A Upper State championship game. When the 2026-27 season tips off, Wright and her Camden assembling will return to the 3A ranks.     Over the past couple of years, McIver has secured a pair of in-state offers from Anderson and Lander and also landed one from Wingate. McIver has played at the varsity level since she was a seventh grader and was part of the Mavericks' 2022-23 version that claimed a state championship. This past season, McIver helped Mauldin make a deep 5A Division 1 tournament run to the Upper State championship game. She played in 26 games this past season for the Mavericks while averaging 10.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, two steals and one block per contest. McIver was one of three juniors on the 2025-26 Mauldin version.     Since Rush made the decision to begin sporting Camden's signature black and gold hues, it continued to solidify the Bulldogs' status as one of the most dangerous teams in the state. Rush played in all 27 of the Bulldogs' games this past season. She would average 11.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.8 steals per contest. She previously played her travel ball with [program_tooltip program_id='903656' first='Lady' last='TUSC'] and will spend her final grassroots season running with SC Future on the Under Armour UA Rise circuit. Rush reached the 1,000-point plateau for her career this past season and secured an in-state offer from Lander back in December.     With 5A Division 1 River Bluff bringing in a large list of transfers over the offseason, Johnson did not have to shoulder as much of the load for coach Jordan Leath's Gators in 2025-26 as was the case with the 2024-25 version. Johnson averaged 7.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks as she played 20 of River Bluff's 26 contests in 2025-26. She also reached the 500-rebound mark for her career to become the Gators' all-time leading board-getter. Johnson was part of a River Bluff team that hosted a playoff game for the first time since 2020 when it took on Fort Dorchester in the first round of this past season's 5A Division 1 tournament.     After years and years of being seen as an afterthought in the Palmetto State's high school girls basketball landscape, the Demons of 5A Division 2 Lugoff-Elgin are on the rise under coach Dominique Thompson. Hobson in her junior season competed in 23 of the Demons' 25 matchups this past season and averaged 9.3 points, a team-leading 6.5 rebounds, 4.7 steals (second on Lugoff-Elgin) and 1.5 blocks (also a team-leading statistic). The 2025-26 Demons earned a first-round playoff victory over St. James and only lost to Chapin in the second round by a 50-40 margin. Hobson – one of three team co-captains on this past season's Lugoff-Elgin assembling – will move down to 4A next season.     Blye and her 5A Division 2 North Myrtle Beach bunch may have suffered an unceremonious exit to its season at the hands of eventual state champion Berkeley but the Chiefs still had a solid season in large part thanks to her. She was one of two marquee transfers to North Myrtle Beach and led the 2025-26 Chiefs in rebounding. Playing in 20 of North Myrtle Beach's 24 games this past season, Blye averaged 10.7 points, 8.4 boards and 2.2 steals per contest. One of four 2027s on the Chiefs' roster, she helped North Myrtle Beach win its region with a perfect 10-0 record and established the Chiefs as the 5A Division 2 team to beat for much of the previous season.     The Lions of 4A Daniel presented a core four that established coach Cosandar Griffin's team as one of the toughest outs in the state. Williams was in a Daniel uniform in 26 of the team's 27 games this past season and averaged 11.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and two steals per contest. Williams and her Lions hope to continue their winning ways as Daniel returns to the 3A classification beginning with the 2026-27 season. With the high school season in the rear-view mirror for Williams, she will run with AMP Elite on the Under Armour circuit during her grassroots basketball schedule throughout the spring and summer.     Throughout Randolph's athletic career, she has worn 4A South Florence's Carolina blue, navy blue and gold hues on the softball diamond every bit as proudly as she does on the basketball court. The Bruins present one of the most dangerous frontcourts in the state and Randolph's six-foot stature does not make the task of containing said frontcourt any easier for South Florence foes. Randolph played in 28 of the Bruins' 29 games this past season and averaged 6.9 points, four rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. South Florence made a deep run in the 4A state tournament to the Lower State championship game.     After a couple of years where Bishop England played in the 4A ranks, the Bishops are set to move back down to 3A beginning in 2026-27. Allen played in 27 of the Bishops' 28 games in 2025-26 and was one of the team leaders in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. She averaged 13.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.2 steals, 2.7 assists and one block per contest. While listed at 5-foot-10 and primarily operating as a small forward, Allen can also be placed in a team's lineup as a guard. She was one of seven from Bishop England's class of 2027 on this past season's Bishops roster.

Many fans of high school basketball believe that a player's final season through their pre-college ranks begins in November with tip-off of the high school season. It actually starts in late March when they embark on their final journey through the travel realm.