Familiar names are expected to be in the mix once again for the No. 1 spot in the preseason MaxPreps Top 25 heading into the 2026-27 high school basketball campaign. Our way-too-early look at next season features
Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.) as the team to beat with
Bartlett (Tenn.) at No. 2.
Millennium is led by four returning starters in MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year
Adan Diggs, four-star Class of 2028 wing
Trey McKinney and Class of 2027 standouts
Adrian Higuera and
D.J. Spencer. The Tigers reached the Open Division state semifinals last season.
Bartlett looks to build on a run to its first state championship since 2001 behind top 50 Class of 2027 prospect
Dylan Jones, top 15 Class of 2028 prospect
D.J. Okoth and under-the-radar Class of 2028 guard
Braylon Williams.
2025-26: 24-4, No. 19 in final MaxPreps Top 25
The Tigers have high expectations headed into next season as four starters return anchored by Diggs.
2025-26: 35-4, No. 7 in final MaxPreps Top 25
Defending Class 4A state champions expected to return top three scorers in Jones, Okoth and Williams.
2025-26: 29-1, No. 12 in MaxPreps Top 25
Stokes was a star in the program but co-MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year Crawford leads a group of returners that stepped up and shined in various moments throughout the season for the state champions.
2025-26: 30-0, No. 8 in final MaxPreps Top 25
Enter 2025-26 riding a 40-game winning streak following their third straight state title. The Knueppel brothers look to guide the Vikings to their third top 10 finish in four seasons.
2025-26: 30-1, No. 3 in final MaxPreps Top 25
Coming
off its best finish in program history, the Trailblazers look to repeat
as Open Division state champions behind top 50 sophomores Lowery and
Mize.
2025-26: 28-5, No. 5 in final MaxPreps Top 25
Defending Open Division state champions bring back their top two contributors as Prescott and Wabbington look to guide the Vikings to back-to-back top 10 finishes.
2025-26: 36-2, No. 9 in final MaxPreps Top 25
With seven state championships in the past 12 seasons, the Bengals look to continue their dominance behind MaxPreps Freshman All-America selection Duggins and MaxPreps Sophomore All-America pick Gunter.
2025-26: 24-1, No. 2 in final MaxPreps Top 25
MaxPreps National Junior of the Year Daughtry will look to guide the Eagles to their third consecutive top five finish in the national rankings.
2025-26: 22-8
Four of the top five scorers are back after advancing to the Open Division state tournament last season. Second team MaxPreps Junior All-America selection Bowman is primed for a big senior year.
2025-26: 33-3, No. 1 in MaxPreps Top 25
Replacing the production of MaxPreps National Player of the Year Smith is an impossible task but with three starters returning expect the Panthers to compete for a sixth consecutive top 10 finish in the national rankings.
2025-26: 29-3, No. 17 in final MaxPreps Top 25
Following
a run to the program's first state championship since 1982, the
Wildcats will be a team to watch again next season behind second team
MaxPreps Junior All-America selection Branham.
2025-26: 25-2
Return the bulk of the production from last season centered around promising Class of 2027 prospects Curry and Tyson.
2025-26: 29-2, No. 4 in MaxPreps Top 25
The
graduation of first team MaxPreps All-America selection Coleman will be felt in a big way but virtually all other production returns for the two-time
defending Class 3 state champions.
2025-26: 23-4
Head
coach Jeff Teague has the pieces to compete for the program's first
state title since 2003 with Hill, Miller and Landon Lampley equipped to
lead the way.
2025-26: 35-4, No. 11 in final MaxPreps Top 25
After winning the program's first state title since 2008, Hayes and Price should keep the Panthers in the hunt for another championship.
2025-26: 28-3, No. 24 in MaxPreps Top 25
Morman and Terry combined for 37.5 points per contest while guiding the Spartans to the Class 7A state crown.
2025-26: 27-8
Veney and Smith-Bey make the Cadets the favorite to claim back-to-back Class AA championships after winning the program's first since 2015.
2025-26: 27-3
A model of consistency, the Blazers have won six state titles in the past eight seasons and three straight. Four-star Class of 2028 prospects R.J. Davis and C.J. Moore will see increased roles.
2025-26: 25-7
Top
10 sophomores Myles Hayes and Lusakueno along with four-star junior
Jarvis Hayes look to guide the War Eagles to the Class 5A state
championship after advancing to the title game in 2025-26.
20. George Rogers Clark (Winchester, Ky.)2025-26: 33-4
Look to claim back-to-back state championships with the top two scorers expected to return in Akins and Gay.
2025-26: 26-3
Behind the leadership of three-star junior Curry and first team MaxPreps Freshman All-America selection Leonard, the Rams are expected to compete for their second title in program history after winning their first in 2024.
2025-26: 31-4
Back-to-back TAPPS Class 5A state champions will be a formidable out again next season behind five-star Class of 2027 standout Alston.
2025-26: 24-1
Backcourt tandem Gardner and Zachary anchor a program that has piled up a record of 83-3 over the past three seasons.
2025-26: 25-3
The top two scorers return as Gill and Mercer look to guide the Vikings to back-to-back Division I state championships after a dominant 31-point win in the title game in 2025-26.
2025-26: 31-2
Third
team MaxPreps Freshman All-America selection Blake looks to guide the
Warhorses to their third state title in the past four seasons while head coach Charles
Smith looks to build on a career record of 1,215-213.
