Starting Five: 2026 Trending Top-50 Talents

Oregon's newest senior class has a chance to be very deep. In addition to the many newly ranked prospects, several previously ranked players have <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2025/09/september-rankings-update-who-moved-up-the-rankings-in-oregons-2026-class-2/">jumped into the top 50</a> thanks to strong junior years and summer club performances. Here's a starting lineup of five underrated risers who intrigue me the most.    The miniature-but-mighty former West Salem standout will take her talents across town to South Salem this season, and Saxons coach Adrian Lewis is excited. Lewis said Casas "never seems to get tired," which seems like a necessary quality for a player with her stature and on-court responsibilities. On offense, she demonstrates a good first step, tight handle, fearless three-point range and the motor to rebound her own misses. Her floor general abilities are most apparent in transition where she makes zippy get-ahead passes. She displays the same court vision on defense and excels when deployed as a back-line rover in a zone press. Her nose for the ball led her to swipe 2.6 steals a game last year en route to a conference defensive player of the year award.     After leading her team to the 2025 2A state championship, Persons has become a small-school household name. She is dangerous from deep both from a standstill and off-balance, draining 10 of 25 three point attempts over the final three games of that tournament run. During her club season with the Mid-Valley Monarchs, she impressed head coach Ron Hittner with her ability to pressure the ball full-court and finish with both hands over taller defenders. She enters her senior year as the heart and soul of this Crusaders team and headlines a growing list of bright guard talents in Salem.     The 5'6 wing fits in nicely as a floor-spacer in a Bulldogs lineup full of skilled ball-handlers such as the dynamic [player_tooltip player_id='832050' first='Payton' last='Starwalt'], but Kurth has the skill and smoothness to be a primary creator on most other teams. Her tape shows a repeatable and mechanically sound catch-and-shoot motion, making her a reliable kick-out option. She's mentally undeterred by misses and hustles back to defend fast breaks. She's done what's been asked of her as a team player so far, and as she enters her senior year, she may find herself with more opportunities to lead. West Albany is one of my sleeper picks to win the 5A title, and Kurth can unlock this team's potential.     Hailing from the Columbia River-bordering town of Hermiston, Teegarden is undoubtedly one of Oregon's strongest products despite primarily playing against Washingtonian opponents. Offensively, she is the most versatile weapon in this article — a highly fluid stretch forward who can make plays off the dribble. She drives aggressively, commands help, and fires timely kick-outs. Her teammates feed off her vocality and energy, and she is just as fired up to see her teammate score as she is to score herself. She is especially comfortable in the dribble handoff game, both as a receiver and a passer. It's intriguing to imagine what she could do as a straight-up pick-and-roll ball-handler.     Bologoff's powerful frame alone makes her an effective anchor for the Beavers, but what makes her special is that she knows how to use it. She displays an advanced understanding of positioning and leverage. Widening her base to get open in the post, boxing out with physicality, sealing off a help defender to allow her teammate to drive inside cleanly — she does it all. She's also confident with the ball, with soft hands and accurate low-post distribution. According to her club coach Dave McAbee, she frequently leads her team in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio while being a “calming presence” on the court.    I chose a starting-five format because it's fun to imagine how talented players on different teams would perform together. These five hidden gems, all ranked between #25 and #50, have complementary skillsets, fundamentals, and intangibles. Casas and Persons's shot creation and explosiveness combined with the passing IQ of the frontcourt would make for a high-speed, harmonious offense that could give any school in Oregon a good battle. I expect them all to do exactly that on their respective teams in 2025-26.

Oregon's newest senior class has a chance to be very deep. In addition to the many newly ranked prospects, several previously ranked players have jumped into the top 50 thanks to strong junior years and summer club performances. Here's a starting lineup of five underrated risers who intrigue me the most.