Best Teams in NOVA: Private School 

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are the teams that should be the best in NOVA this year. I could see all these teams making deep postseason runs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PVI</strong><br>PVI had a little bit of a down year last year. They had some impactful injuries, and they had a lot of new or young players put into big roles. This year, they bring back a handful of impactful players while also making a splash with the transfers they've brought in. Returners like [player_tooltip player_id='579891' first='Demi' last='Gilliam'] and [player_tooltip player_id='312081' first='Riley' last='Hamburger'] are the top 6 players in their respective classes and will most likely be this team's best players. [player_tooltip player_id='902372' first='Lee' last='Williams'], [player_tooltip player_id='364761' first='Ava' last='Limcaoco'], and Alyna Rachmat-Jones are additional returners who could impact PVI. PVI added some of the best talents in NOVA public school ball last year with players like [player_tooltip player_id='468759' first='Sravya' last='Janapati'], [player_tooltip player_id='551071' first='Leylani' last='Abraham'], and perhaps most importantly, [player_tooltip player_id='735525' first='Amaya' last='Ramey']. Freshmen guard [player_tooltip player_id='691150' first='Taylor' last='Williams'] is as good as any freshmen in the state and could make an impact on this team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bishop Ireton <br></strong>There probably isn't a team with more high-end talent in the state than Bishop Ireton. They have 3 players in the top 5 in the state for 2025. [player_tooltip player_id='302530' first='Nyla' last='Brooks'], [player_tooltip player_id='239417' first='Amirah' last='Anderson'], and [player_tooltip player_id='455387' first='Theresa' last='Hagans'] are all going to major high schools, and Brooks and Anderson are the top 100 players in the country. Ireton will run through these three. Nyla is an elite prospect and an uber-skilled three-level scorer at 6'2. [player_tooltip player_id='239417' first='Amirah' last='Anderson'] has an argument for the best shooter in the state, and [player_tooltip player_id='455387' first='Theresa' last='Hagans'] is this team's engine at PG. It will be interesting to see how the rest of this team takes shape, but players like [player_tooltip player_id='239415' first='Jaylen' last='Manning'] and [player_tooltip player_id='239414' first='Kayla' last='Washington'], who have been hurt for the better part of a year could impact this team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Virginia Academy <br></strong>Virginia Academy did a great job with transfers, and even after winning another VISAA state championship, I think they may be better. Senior returners like [player_tooltip player_id='238923' first='Leah' last='Keyes'] and Sarah Odoro will be key pieces to this team. [player_tooltip player_id='376338' first='Aliza' last='Murray'] will have a big role in this team in her Junior season, and after a great summer, she has risen to be a top 15 player in the class in the state. I talked about the transfers Virginia Academy got, and the biggest one is Junior Guard [player_tooltip player_id='743970' first='Irieanna' last='Smoot']. Irieanna is an elite scorer and a top-10 player in Virginia for 2026. Shooters like [player_tooltip player_id='640501' first='Sydney' last='Moore'] and transfer Wing [player_tooltip player_id='509490' first='Sofia' last='Caraus'] will impact this team. This team has depth at all positions and should have people's attention. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Potomac School<br></strong>Potomac School is returning 3 of their top scorers from last year, and I expect them to be able to hang with the best teams in the DMV. [player_tooltip player_id='633711' first='Sabrina' last='Anderson'] led this team in scoring last year as a Freshman, and she comes back as one of the best players in Virginia regardless of class. Versatile Wing [player_tooltip player_id='383500' first='Catherine' last='LeTendre'] should be a huge piece to this team in her senior season, and Senior G/Wing [player_tooltip player_id='816642' first='Zora' last='Burrell'] provides this team with unlimited energy, rebounding, and defense. Sharpshooting wing [player_tooltip player_id='670496' first='Sabrina' last='Eldredge'] will have a bigger role this season after having a limited role as a freshman. Potomac School also brought in [player_tooltip player_id='603549' first='Ava' last='Sewall'] from Annandale, who provides them with another elite shot creator from the backcourt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->