Eastern Kansas League Lands Debuters in 2026 Rankings

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Composed of teams competing in the 4A, 5A and 6A classifications the Eastern Kansas League is arguably the toughest league in the state. Producing three state champions in 2023 pretty much confirms it for me. As strong as leagues are, there is always new talent coming in as talent graduates. Take a look at the debuters in the 2026s rankings list in rank order.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='649149' first='Alex' last='Crouse'], 5'7", PG, St. Thomas Aquinas - Debuting in the top five, Crouse help the Saints win yet another, consecutive 5A state championship and played heavy minutes doing so. She also was selected all-EKL honorable mention. Perhaps her strongest trait is the ability to play at any pace with a high skill level. She is a consistent three-ball threat and can finish through contact. With an offer from Drake University picked up in June, Crouse is going to be a key player in the Saints finding ways to not have their championship streak stopped.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='317352' first='Mary' last='Grant'], 5'5", PG, Bishop Miege - Debuting in the top ten, Grant joined the Stags' already strong backcourt last season and managed to avoid a serious challenge by McPherson in the 4A finals to win yet another consecutive 4A title. I got to see her at the PGH Top 250 Shawnee event last October and, above all, was impressed with her strong perimeter defense. Defense all starts with the feet and she uses good balance and quickness to effectively keep the ball in front of her. She also can score and do so with energy. Motor, quickness, defends, scoring threat - lots to like with Grant. She will be key player in the Stags efforts to keep their consecutive title streak going. Grant earned third-team all-EKL honors last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='623724' first='Emma' last='Smith'], 5'8", PG, St. James Academy - Smith is part of talented team that lost one of its top scorers from a season ago. She has been putting together a great summer to take over her share of those minutes. STJ is not just a top challenger to seize the 5A state title from St. Thomas Aquinas but also has had the opportunity to prevent the Saints from getting to state to begin with, losing in consecutive sub-state finals. I got to see Smith last season at the Mid-America Classic, at tournament they won by avenging an earlier season loss to McPherson, Smith not only is fast with the dribble, handles backcourt pressure well, and can finish at the rim at speed but she is also an improved three-point shooter with great range and can score from her back-to-basket game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='650612' first='Molly' last='Numrich'], 5'3", SG, Blue Valley Northwest - Every team loves having high motor, quick guards who run transition lanes well. And since Numrich has the ability to waste little movement off the spot-up catch her perimeter shooting can be a real shot in the arm. She also has good lateral quicks to disrupt ball handlers and players sitting one pass away. I am really looking forward to seeing how she blends with returning, highly experience squad she will be playing with. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->