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| Prospect-Central - Class of 2026 - Point Guards |
It really is true what they say about time; ⏰ it flies by and waits for no man. That certainly is the case when it comes to high school freshmen watchlist's. Every year we get older and every year they stay the same age. It was actually 10-years ago when Prospect-Central released its first high school basketball freshmen watchlist and it's safe to say some of the players have lived up to the hype.
It was for the Class of 2016 and it made up half of the 2017 NBA Draft's Lottery selections, including 4 of the top 5 picks! 👀 Here are just a few of the recognizable 9th grade names that were featured at the time; Jayson Tatum, Bam Adebayo, De'Aaron Fox, Lonzo Ball, Malik Monk, Josh Jackson, Dennis Smith, Jr., Harry Giles, Thon Maker, Payton Pritchard, Terrance Ferguson, & Caleb Swanigan (RIP).
Now just as those players were beginning to embark on their high school basketball journey, c/o 2026 recruits were turning 4 & 5-years old. 😳 Fast forward to the present day however, and you'll find those same little kids, aren't so little anymore. It's their time to shine now and from the looks of it, they seem more than capable of capturing the moment.
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| Ikenna Alozie: (NJ) Class of 2026 |
For example, by the time they graduate high school some of these recruits will have reclassified both up and down a grade, some will have quit basketball to pursue other sports (most likely football), and some of them will have even ended their athletic dreams altogether to focus on other passions, like dancing on Tik Tok perhaps :) 🤦🏽♂️
Then again, for the players that end up becoming the cream of the crop, they're about to stack more bread than most of us will see in a lifetime. From NIL (name, image, likeness) money to $100K 💵 contracts from Overtime Elite, the landscape of high school basketball is big business for the players now, which is yet another thing that has changed over time. I can only imagine what everything will look like in another 4-years once these recruits have ended their high school careers come 2026.
Last but not least time changes a person's body, especially the bodies of 14 & 15-year old's. So while these recruits are labeled a certain position, it's more for organizational purposes than anything else, considering some of them will change positions as time goes by and they continue to grow into their frames. As you'll find out later, genes 🧬 work in mysterious ways and play a predominant role in the life of a basketball player. There are over 500 incoming high school freshmen selected for Prospect-Central's c/o 2026 Watchlist, separated into four positional sections, with 10 players featured for each section, 20 honorable mentions, & the rest are names to keep an eye on for the future. 👀
Stacking up with its predecessor's, Class of 2026 definitely has some legit prospects for the next level, but as of right now it appears to be an average class with no generational talent. Of course nothing is set in stone as more players should emerge throughout the years. For the incoming high school freshmen featured in this article however, time is of the essence. High school may seem like it lasts an eternity, but in reality it’s just a blur and the clock is about to start ticking. So, how good can the Class of 2026 become once it's all said and done? Clearly only time will tell. ⏳
