SC Prospects That Finished the 2026 Travel Season With a Flourish

The PGH Carolinas Freshman Showcase is Aug. 30 and the Expo takes place on Sep. 6! Use the discount code Carolinas26PGH25OFF for 25% off registration!   With the month of July reaching its conclusion, this also means the 2026 grassroots season has also done the same.    The conclusion of another club season is also a very crucial time for many a rising senior as it is the final time that they will sport a travel uniform. By this same time next year, those who are rising seniors currently will be transitioning to life at the college level.    The academic year for 2026-27 will soon commence and it will not be long before they are back in high school jerseys. In addition, showcase events such as the Prep Girls Hoops Carolinas Freshman Showcase and Expo are also on the schedule – as is the South Carolina Basketball Coaches' Association (SCBCA) Elite Camp.    The final live period for many a Palmetto State prospect was another “thrive period.” Here are several names that finished the 2026 AAU season with an exclamation point.     The momentum Carter had from leading Berkeley to back-to-back state championships clearly was present throughout the 2026 travel season. It culminated with even more stellar performances in Chicago at the Nike Nationals. She would average 17.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 2.2 assists. With the 2026 grassroots campaign in the rear-view mirror, Carter now looks ahead to the 2026-27 season with the Stags where they will be a solid favorite to once again be the final 5A assembling standing. Those aforementioned statistics are a strong indication Carter is improving even more on her rebounding. She averaged 13.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.9 steals per game last season.     Dates is continuing to solidify her national profile – and it is resulting in Power Four offers – the latest of which was courtesy of North Carolina. She played up in class on the FBC United 17U team and earned a berth to the Girls UAA Finals at Spooky Nook. A marque prospect that has played at the varsity level since the seventh grade, one can see her positive development in many areas of the game. Dates' Gators will also be a heavy 5A favorite a year after earning a berth to the 5A Division 2 Lower State championship game. She averaged 20 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.5 steals last season.     Moore saved plenty of her grassroots best for last. Her Carolina All In team was one of the many groups that were on hand at the Lady P32 Session 3 in Chicago. Among her highlights was a 19-point performance against NJ Panthers 17 LP32 Black. Over the last several months, Moore's play has landed her several in-state offers from Claflin, Converse and USC-Beaufort. Up next for Moore is a 2026-27 season with 5A Dorman. Last season's Cavaliers team were 5A Division 1 Upper State semifinalists. Moore averaged 13 points, 3.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 2.9 steals per contest.     Ligon and her Better Built Basketball team were on hand in Greensboro for Insider Exposure's Summer Slam. She played up in class as a 2029 and more than proved that she belongs on the same court against more experienced competition. The many positive elements to her game include the ability to make plays in transition, connect on 3-point attempts, willingness to fall to the floor to complete a play, ball distribution and shiftiness with the ball in her hands. Ligon was part of a Mauldin team that reached the 5A Division 1 Upper State finals last season and averaged 7.3 points, 3.6 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game last season. One can expect for those numbers to increase in 2026-27.     The rising senior star for 5A Berkeley has sported an AAU uniform for the final time and she made the most of the six games she played at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Chicago. For Nike Nationals weekend, McCray averaged 12 points, six rebounds and a steal per contest for [program_tooltip program_id='783909' first='Palmetto' last='76ers/A'ja Wilson Elite']. McCray has not only played basketball throughout her athletic career but also volleyball as well. She has played at the high school varsity level since she was a seventh grader and looks to add a third state championship to her resume. A skilled veteran playmaker who excels with 3-point shooting, rim attacking, rebounding, transition plays and toughness, McCray averaged nine points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest last season.     Bostick has more than established herself as one of the premier young frontcourt forces in the Palmetto State. This was her first travel season wearing the AEBL uniform and it culminated at the Nike Nationals in Chicago. A playmaker who is a force to be reckoned with on both ends, the 2026 travel season has seen her land offers from Denmark Tech and Furman. Last season with 4A South Florence would see Bostick average a double-double of 22.3 points and 10.1 rebounds plus three steals per game. Bostick led her Bruins to last year's 4A Lower State championship game.     This travel season would result in Lucas landing a number of major offers – including South Alabama, College of Charleston, Loyola Maryland and Stetson. Lucas has played previously on the Adidas and Under Armour circuits and brought her many talents to the Nike circuit with CP3 Flames 17U. Knowing how to turn defense into offense, approaching the game with a heads-up attitude and the ability to operate at either of the two backcourt spots are among Lucas' many strong points. She now looks ahead to the 2026-27 season with 4A South Pointe a year after her Stallions were once again 4A Upper State finalists. Lucas averaged 18.5 points, 5.5 steals, 5.3 assists and 2.9 rebounds per contest in 2025-26.     We turn our attention to another of the state's premier 4A assemblings in Westside. Earl's first season as a Ram was last season and that translated into more solid play on the club circuit with AEBL. Earl is difficult to defend considering her height – and where she plays on the floor considering she is taller than most guards. Combine that talent with veteran instincts and one can see why she has secured a number of college offers throughout the last several months. Earl averaged 11.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 steals for last season's 4A Upper State champions and has been offered by Western Carolina, North Carolina Central, Seattle University, Kansas City, Elon and East Carolina.     Marshall added a massive achievement to her resume when she was named 16U Girls EYBL Regular Season Defensive Player of the Year. Since the 2025-26 season concluded with Westside, Marshall secured a Division I offer courtesy of East Carolina and a Division I Power Four offer from Georgia Tech. That solid defense will certainly land Marshall even more offers over the next several seasons. The AEBL product was part of a Rams team that earned the 4A Upper State championship. Marshall averaged 12.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.1 steals last season at Westside and has more experience at the high school varsity level than the average rising sophomore considering she first played as a seventh grader.     Adams is another that first hooped at the high school varsity level as a middle schooler. At 5-foot-11, she has the height of someone who would play as a four forward but thrives in the backcourt at the two. Adams has established herself as one of the premier 3-point specialists in the Palmetto State. She is used to wearing blue – whether it is the blue of AEBL or that of St. Joseph's Catholic which reached back-to-back 3A Upper State championship games. Adams averaged 17.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.5 steals on a Knights team that will be in 2A beginning this season.     Lombana also plays for an Upstate team that is moving down in classification. She is wrapping up her 2026 travel season with an [program_tooltip program_id='715412' first='SC' last='Eagles'] team that made several stops on the Prep Girls Hoops Circuit. The final destination for her and her team this travel season was Spooky Nook in Ohio as [program_tooltip program_id='715412' first='SC' last='Eagles'] plays on the Under Armour circuit. After a couple of seasons playing as a 5A Division 2 team, Riverside is returning to the 4A ranks beginning with the 2026-27 campaign. Lombana would compete in 25 games last season with the Warriors while averaging 8.2 points per matchup.     Also among the many teams on hand in Ohio for the Under Armour finals was Pojani's FBC Reign 2028 team. Pojani would once again put up stellar numbers, averaging 21 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.5 steals per contest. She led her First Baptist team to a SCISA 4A championship and has carried that momentum with her through the last several months of AAU ball. Pojani also guest played with [program_tooltip program_id='988463' first='Mosch' last='Ball'] at the Prep Girls Hoops Circuit's Southeast Kickoff back in late March. Her recruitment has also taken a massive uptick the last several months. Pojani averaged 22.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.3 steals and 3.7 assists last season.     Godfrey was one of the catalysts behind what was a resurgent 2025-26 for 5A River Bluff. As a rising senior, this year's Nike Tournament of Champions in Chicago represented the final time Godfrey will sport a [program_tooltip program_id='783909' first='Palmetto' last='76ers/A'ja Wilson Elite'] uniform. Even against the toughest of defenses, she knows how to find attacking lanes to the rim and always approaches the game with a heads-up attitude. The defense she plays can also leave many opposing ball carriers turnover prone. She played in 26 contests last season for coach Jordan Leath's Gators while averaging 10.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.6 steals a matchup.     Sims has also played in her final AAU tournament – Insider Exposure's Summer Slam in Greensboro. With her career wearing the Better Built Basketball Elite uniform in the rear view mirror, Sims looks ahead to her senior season with 5A Spartanburg. She is a potent 3-point shooter that also knows how to throw defenses off balance with her rim-attacking capabilities. Opposing teams have to constantly watch where she is as she is a playmaker on both ends of the floor. Sims averaged 15.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.8 steals in the 28 games she played last season in Vikings threads.     Brown played her first season with 4A Beaufort and provided a massive boost to the Eagles as they made a run to the 4A Lower State semifinals. Her Essence Savannah team was one of the many on hand at Insider Exposure Summer Slam in Greensboro. Brown is one of the better defensive guards one will see as well as one of the better rebounding guards one will watch. She played in 23 of Beaufort's 26 contests last season and averaged 15.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, three steals and one block per contest. Brown has also played soccer throughout her athletic career and the agility needed or that sport certainly translates well to basketball.     Childers concluded her 2026 travel schedule in Ohio with [program_tooltip program_id='715412' first='SC' last='Eagles'] at the Under Armour finals. Opposing teams have to watch for when Childers has the ball behind the 3-point arc because she is likely to take – and make – her attempts from distance. She combines that ability with impressive ball handling skills and accuracy from midrange as well as long range. Childers also has no problems going to her left with the ball. She played last season in 25 of 5A River Bluff's 26 games in 2025-26 while averaging 7.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.3 steals and two assists per contest.

The PGH Carolinas Freshman Showcase is Aug. 30 and the Expo takes place on Sep. 6! Use the discount code Carolinas26PGH25OFF for 25% off registration!