Our first 2026 group: 6A guards who will impress this season

We are back in the 6A classification for the first time since late July. Of course, articles are being released more frequently since the season is almost here, so let us get on with it. These 6A junior guards are fantastic! Some are already offered and on the college recruiting scene. Some are still hoping for their big break.    I think it is fitting to start out talking about a star from my alma mater, [player_tooltip player_id='876286' first='Katie' last='Fimple'] of North Little Rock High School. Fimple has already received offers from Maryville University, Henderson State University, and Ouachita Baptist University. The reigning 6A central all-conference teamer is in store for a massive junior season.   [player_tooltip player_id='876286' first='Katie' last='Fimple'] is a fan-favorite in NLR, and she won over a lot of people with her sharpshooting ability. Once Fimple has her feet set, she is letting the three fly with tremendous arch. The ball takes two business days to come back down, just long enough for fans to hold their breath when she is shooting in the clutch. Last season, Fimple made 67 3-pointers and averaged just over 10 points per game. Most of her points came from beyond the arch, but Fimple did showcase her slashing ability at times last season. She uses her quick first step to fly by defenders and she can finish with both hands. She can also seal off defenders with her body in order to gain some separation in the paint.   Fimple also averaged 2.3 assists per game, showing her willingness to get her teammates involved. She averaged 2.1 rebounds per game, which is fitting considering she is a scrappy guard who does not mind doing the dirty work at times for her team.   [player_tooltip player_id='876286' first='Katie' last='Fimple'] is not afraid to hoist a triple, and will do so several steps behind the 3-point line. Fimple's basketball resume is impressive in just 2 seasons of high school basketball, so her upperclasswoman years with the Lady Charging Wildcats should be fun to watch.     [player_tooltip player_id='1060894' first='Kaylin' last='Bean'] was a 6A central all-conference honorable mention as a sophomore last season, but if she has the season I expect her to have, she has a serious shot at 1st-team all-conference. Even better, Bean has a shot at landing smack-dab in the middle of the college recruiting scene.   Cabot went 28-6 last season and made it to the 6A state semi-finals before losing to 6A state runner-up Conway. Bean's offense was a large part of why the Lady Panthers were so successful in 2023/24, and why they are going to repeat that success this season.   Bean is a dynamic scoring machine who can hurt you inside and out. From the perimeter, Bean loves having the ball in her hands. She can be a playmaker for others, or a playmaker for herself. She hits pull-up triples like layups, whether they are behind screens, on the move, or off a nasty step-back. However they come, Bean is cashing in on her outside jumpers.   On the inside, Bean is a very capable slasher. When she has room to work in the paint, she can put her back to the basket and gives her defender work in the post. From there, she can spin off of them and finish. On dribble drives, Bean is hard to stop, and she is getting to the cup any way it takes.   [player_tooltip player_id='1060894' first='Kaylin' last='Bean'] will be a heck of a player this season. Once her name starts circulating around the state, just know I was the one who saw it coming and called it first.     There are so many different ways [player_tooltip player_id='874448' first='Charleen' last='Hudson'] can hurt you on offense. Inside, outside, playmaking, she does whatever you need her to do on the offensive side of the ball. Frankly, it is hard to believe she was just a sophomore last season with the way she controlled the game. Hudson is on a talented Springdale team, and I would not doubt that they will be one of the most exciting 6A teams this season.   Hudson's great play all starts with her superior ball-handling. She is right-handed, but she almost prefers to drive left, which is indicative of her comfort level on dribble drives. She can blow by her defender along the perimeter, and once the help defense comes to meet her, she can either use a pass fake or a spin move to get around them. Once she is at the basket, she finishes so well.   On the outside, Hudson is a major outside shooting threat. She can take a few steps in and knock down some mid-range jumpers, but she is really deadly shooting triples. Her release is quick and she is not fazed by the defense's contests. Of course, Hudson also knows to not do too much with the ball in her hands, so she is willing to give the ball up to a teammate, racking up a number of assists.   [player_tooltip player_id='874448' first='Charleen' last='Hudson'] is one of the best point guards in the state, and there is no reason why she should not be the best point guard in Arkansas, regardless of class, at the end of her junior season.     [player_tooltip player_id='1060890' first='Charley' last='Rawlins'] might have the best shooting form in the entire state. It seems like each shot just goes straight through the net and never touches rim. I would be demoralized if I was the opposing team watching every one of her jumpers go in, and I imagine that is her affect on a lot of teams.   If you have not caught my drift yet, Rawlins is an amazing 3-point shooter, and she has been that since her freshman season. As a freshman, she hit 71 3-pointers on a 38.8% clip. It is not hard to see why, as she has a lightning-fast release. Her release is so quick it reminds me of a shooter like Stephen Curry or Caitlyn Clark, but she might have a quicker form than either one of them. Rawlins is obviously a great 3-point shooter, and she is also a great mid-range shooter. She hits those shots with the same quickness, arch, and accuracy as she does with the long-ball. Rawlins also has potential to be more than just a shooter.   She has shown that if she has a lane to the basket, she finishes well. Once Rawlins has a lane to the basket, she can use a pass/pump fake to ward any defenders away so she has a clean look at the basket.   Fayetteville High School had a great season last year but were upset in the 6A state tournament by Cabot High School. Expect this year to be different as the Lady Bulldogs rely more and more on [player_tooltip player_id='1060890' first='Charley' last='Rawlins'].     [player_tooltip player_id='1060888' first='Alexis' last='Montgomery'] is going to be a huge asset for the defending 6A state champs, Little Rock Central High School. She has already shown her skills during the summer with the AAU squad Our vision. Now it is time for that two-way success to carry over into the season.   Montgomery is a great two-way guard who can make winning plays on both sides. Her defense is spectacular, and she suffocates opposing ball-handlers with her on-ball defense. She has a long wingspan which helps her pick pockets and steal passes. Once there is a loose ball, Montgomery is picking it up and taking it the other way.   Once Montgomery has control of the ball, she races to the other end where she knows how to finish off the break, even against contact and bigger defenders. She has a great stride and stretches to the basket with ease. Montgomery can also stretch her game out to the 3-point line and cashes in on a lot of open shots, especially in the corner and on the wing.   Little Rock Central graduated a fair amount of talent after last season, so Montgomery should have a huge role. Lyon College has already offered Montgomery, and she should in store for more with a role increase this season.     [player_tooltip player_id='1060886' first='Jordan' last='Bowden'] is a perfect fit for coach Daryl Fimple and his system with the Lady Charging Wildcats. Bowden showed off her two-way abilities over the summer with the AAU squad Our Vision. Lyon College has been impressed and offered her over the summer, so more offers might be piling in this season.   Bowden is an active defender who can terrorize the other team. She hounds the opposing ball-handler until she can get her hands on the basketball. She is also a fantastic defensive rebounder, and clearly her size does not hinder her ability to grab tons of boards.   On offense, Bowden adds multiple elements to the table. She can stretch the floor with her solid outside shooting, where she does most of her damage from the corners, and she is a solid slasher. She does whatever she can to find creases in the defense and finish inside. She even had a triple double during an AAU game this summer, and was four steals away from a quadruple-double, showing her incredible versatility.   [player_tooltip player_id='1060886' first='Jordan' last='Bowden'] is a name I highly suspect will be one of the most popular names in the 6A central by the end of the 2024/25 season.     [player_tooltip player_id='1060883' first='Gabrielle' last='Sanders'] is another great player who spent the summer with the Our Vision AAU squad, and another player who will be able to contribute to the 6A reigning champs this season.   Sanders can make plays on the offensive side of the ball. She is a solid 3-point shooter who can get going quickly. Sanders is especially impactful as a shooter on the fastbreak. She gets to her spot along the 3-point line, and all her teammates have to do is find her and Sanders will do the rest. If the defense closes out on the perimeter, Sanders can slash past and finish at the hoop.   Sanders can make plays on defense. She is able to deflect a lot of passes and pick up loose balls. She has the speed and the ball-handling ability to then take the ball full-court to the bucket on the fastbreak.   As an NLR alum, it hurts me to say this, but this Little Rock Central team might be primed to go back-to-back. Players like [player_tooltip player_id='1060883' first='Gabrielle' last='Sanders'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1060888' first='Alexis' last='Montgomery'] could very well make that happen.     Fort Smith Northside is loaded with talent, with their three main senior guards having serious Division I and Division II opportunities. For the Lady Grizzlies, their star guard of the future might just be [player_tooltip player_id='1060881' first='Isabella' last='Kindrick']. She has already made a name for herself as a scrappy two-way guard, but this year will be her chance to break out.   Kindrick may be stuck behind some really good guards, but she has been a varsity contributor since she was a freshman, playing 29 games in each of the last two seasons. She took a step up in her sophomore season by averaging 4.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 0.8 steals per game. She also hit 27 triples, showcasing her threat as a 3&D player.   Kindrick did average just under one steal per game last season, but expect that average to be higher as a junior. She is very active and makes the most of her time on the floor. She deflects a lot of passes and sprints after loose balls. Kindrick plays hounding on-ball defense, and she has even won some awards in the past for her performance on that side of the ball.   On offense, Kindrick has mostly shown that she is a capable 3-point shooter. She does cut well and can finish in the paint, but I am impressed with her ability to distribute the ball to her teammates.   [player_tooltip player_id='1060881' first='Isabella' last='Kindrick']'s junior season will be important for how she plays in the rest of her high school career. But if the recent history surrounding Northside tells us anything, it's that colleges love recruiting guards from that school.    I have not written that much in a while. There are some great 2026 guards in the 6A classification this year, and I am excited to see the two great conferences (6A central and 6A west) battle it out this year.   Considering I am a NLR alum, I may be biased, but I think that the North Little Rock Lady Charging Wildcats will win the 6A state tournament this year. I am not a betting man, but if I was, I would put my mortgage on NLR. They are well coached and have an elite guard and forward rotation, what is there not to like with that team?   Moving on to 6A 2026 wings!

We are back in the 6A classification for the first time since late July. Of course, articles are being released more frequently since the season is almost here, so let us get on with it. These 6A junior guards are fantastic! Some are already offered and on the college recruiting scene. Some are still hoping for their big break.