Class of 2026 Spring Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='624879' first='Julia' last='Lashley'] (2026) of Bloomington High School South and [program_tooltip program_id='715818' first='DistinXion' last=''] Champions Black 16U.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As crazy as it might sound, we are already a month and a half into the 2024 grassroots season, with the first "live" period already having come and gone. As April wraps up, I wanted to highlight seven prospects in the Class of 2026 who have really stood out to me thus far during the Spring tournaments I have been able to attend. This isn't everyone who has played well, but I seem to take notes on each of the below prospects every time I see them in action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["567134"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Joslyn continues to improve and make plays on a more consistent basis each time out. A lot of it has to do with growth and added strength, and she's absorbing contact much better, getting into the lane, and either finishing or finding open teammates. She, herself, can also knock down open jumpers consistently, but it's her awareness and understanding, coupled with her skillset, that make her one of the better guards in Indiana's 2026 class. She does a nice job with her off-ball defense, especially using her length one pass away. If she can sit down and guard water-bugs a little better, it would certainly benefit her.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["553262"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"I really like what Chloe has done this Spring, and she's another younger prospect you can see growing with regards to her confidence and aggressiveness. She has a wiry-strong frame, she's a solid all-around athlete, and she has a really nice offensive skillset. She can handle it a little in transition and initiate the offense, she is a very good perimeter shooter when she's able to find her balance and get set, and she is a solid North/South driver from the wing. If she can continue to make her handle more dynamic, especially in traffic, and prove she can defend quicker guards, those are the next steps.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["624879"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Julia is another really nice wing prospect in this class, but she's in a different mold. She is a primary ball-handler, like a point forward, and she does a really nice job of handling it in transition, finding open teammates, and making the u0022rightu0022 play much of the time. She has length, wiry strength, and she can knock down an open rhythm jumper. I think she's still a little under the radar, but that shouldn't last too long as she gets more and more exposure this Spring u0026amp; Summer. Defensively, she is probably best on wings and forwards, so if she can prove to defend guards off the bounce, it could only help.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["492322"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"For the last couple of years, I have made this point over and over again, and I maintain this opinion...the way Aniyah plays, with her motor and toughness, I would take that all day and probably win a lot of games if I could put five of her on the floor. She just battles, regardless of the score. She only knows the one speed, she chases down rebounds, defends with effort, runs in transition, dives on the floor, and does just about any other u0022little thingu0022 you can think of. Additionally, she is a talented athlete, she has some ball skill, solid touch to near the perimeter, but most importantly, she always produces.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["486483"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"When I saw Paiton earlier this Spring, I was very impressed with how much her game has changed. She has always been a feisty, tough-nosed, aggressive player. But now, she looks much quicker and more explosive, she is making disciplined, high IQ plays, not just highlight plays, and she is really doing a nice job of learning the game and how to play with different types of teammates. She still brings the feistiness and energy to the floor, and it is contagious to teammates, but I like how she has also improved her handle, her perimeter shot, and her all-around game.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["492324"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Maddy is one of the most skilled forwards in Indiana's 2026 class. She has also grown from being more of a back-to-the-basket kid when she was younger, to now being a really nice mid-post forward and even looking comfortable at times around the perimeter. She has some touch at the 3-point line, but as she continues to work on different types of jumpers, like coming off of down screens, she's going to be so much more difficult to defend at her size. Defensively, she does a nice job of protecting the paint, and she times blocks well. She will need to continue working on defending the ball.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["486496"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"It is really difficult to watch Berkeley and not be a huge fan of hers. She is a ball of energy, competitive and feisty, but she also runs through walls for her team and will do a lot of the intangible things to help them win. Over the past couple of years, she has done a nice job of really improving her handle and moving from the wing to a traditional point guard position. She could probably score it a lot more if she wanted, because she has nice touch outside, but she is really working on being a facilitator. Defensively, she is a pest, and she is often tasked with hounding the opponent's top player.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":7,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66319da099dec"} /-->