Class of 2026 Top 50 players In Illinois!!!

First installment of Top 50 players in the state of Illinois for Class of 2026. It's not the strongest class but has some good players who should have very good senior seasons. For their teams to have a chance to win the state title, senior leadership is still needed. Here we go:

1) Jamison White, 6'8" wing, East St Louis: Penn State commit is a transfer from Chaminade (St Louis,MO). Powerful wing who can score in a variety of ways. Finishes on attacks to the rim, hits the glass hard, and can hit threes. Can employ him in a number of spots on the court.

2) Cooper Knowles, 6'10' forward, West Hancock: Best small school player in the state. King of Bounce athlete who'll dunk on you from the dunkers spot, or attacking the rim off the bounce. One of best rim protectors in the state, hits the glass on both ends, can hit threes, and take it off the bounce.

3) Lincoln Williams, 6'6" wing, Kankakee: Two end player who can score from three levels now. Defends all perimeter positions, hits the glass on defensive end, can take it himself off the glass. King of Bounce athlete who'll dunk on you.

4) Mason Lockett IV, 6'5" combo guard, East (Oswego): DePaul commit who's a plus athlete with serious bounce. Versatile as he can run the point or score from three on the wing. Guards multiple positions on the perimeter.

5) Stephen Brown, 6'7" wing, Marist (Chicago): Light is starting to come on for this big time athlete. Shoots it from three, and can attack the rim off the bounce. Hits the glass and gets it out to guards, or can take it himself.

6) Colin Stack, 7'1" center, Benet Academy (Lisle): State champion who's one of the best rim protectors in the state. Has improved his strength, can step out and hit threes, and dunks it from the dunkers spot. Rebounding on the defensive glass, and gets put backs with positioning.

7) Rashaun Porter, 6'6" forward, DePaul College Prep (Chicago): Toledo commit is strong on the interior, and rim protects with his strength. Plus rebounder and can hit the mid range jump shot. Runs the floor well. State champion three straight years.

8) Sean Lee, 6'4" wing, MacArthur (Decatur): Versatile wing who can put it on the floor and create for himself and others. Strong bodied player who scores through contact, or from three. Rebounds at a high level for his position.

9) Marquis Clark, 6'2" point guard, Whitney Young (Chicago): Tennessee commit is an attacker off the bounce and finisher through contact at the rim. Improved three point shooter who can knock them down off the bounce or the catch. Sets up teammates well.

10) Jordan Williams, 6'6" wing, Fremd (Palatine): Illinois State commit is a double/double machine who has improved his ball handling and attacking from the perimeter off the bounce. Lefty finishes through contact in the paint, and gets a lot of rebound putbacks.

11) Matt Szafoni, 6'9" wing, Lane Tech College Prep (Chicago): Illinois State commit is a three level scorer. Can hit threes off the catch or the bounce, nice mid range fall away jumper. Can also go straight up and score over the top. Attacks the rim off the bounce and finshes with a dunk.

12) Michael Nee, 6'3" combo guard, Glenbard East (Lombard): South Dakota commit might be best three point shooter in the state. Knocks them down at a high rate off the catch. Athletic finisher at the rim is a two sport athlete as he's a quarterback for the football team.

13) Amir Danforth, 6'2" combo guard, Auburn (Rockford): North Dakota State commit who's a stone cold scorer. Can do it in a lot of ways. Long range three point shooting, off the bounce attacking the rim, and finishing through contact. Can run point as well.

14) Chris Kirkpatrick, 6'3" point guard, New Trier (Winnetka): Princeton commit has been a big time player for three years now. Hits threes, but specialty is mid range as he gets to the paint and shots over small defenders with nice fadeaway. Defends perimeter at a high level.

15) Rykan Woo, 6'2" combo guard, DePaul College Prep (Chicago): Brown commit has been a solid player who makes the right play. Explosive scorer from three, and in the mid range, as well as on cuts to the rim for layups. Gets in defenders shirt on defense. State champion.

16) Ben Akoro, 6'8" wing, O'Fallon: Valparaiso commit is a wing who can score from three and in the mid range. Exploisive off the bounce who can dunk on defenders. Defends multiple positions on the high school level.

17) Adam Anwar, 6'7" forward, McHenry: Three level scorer who can fill it up on the offensive end. Scores threes off the catch or the bounce, nice one foot fadeaway jumper from mid range. Hits the defensive glass at a high level.

18) Cedrick Carter, 6'8" forward, Instrinsic Downtown (Chicago): Dyouville commit who's a big time sleeper. Plays in a non-descript high school basketball league. One of the states best rim protectors, hits the glass, can hit threes, scores on the block.

19) Trey Williams, 6'3" point guard, Loyola Academy (Wilmette): Cornell commit is an explosive athlete who pushes the ball up the floor with a quickness. Attacks the rim and finishes through contact, defends well on the ball, and in the passing lanes. Improving three point shooter.

20) Jayden Riley, 6'2" point guard, Christian (Yorkville): Southern Illinois Edwardsville commit. Led state in assists last season. Hits teammates in shooting pocket mostly off penetration. Can't stay in front of him off the bounce, strong finishes at the rim through and around contact. Improving three point shooter.

21) Chris Bolte, 6'6" wing, St Ignatius College Prep (Chicago): Yale commit is a lefty who can stroke it from three point range. Improving on attacking the rim off the bounce.

22) Jayden Wright, 6'0" point guard, Benet Academy (Lisle): Eastern Illinois commit is a DEEP DEEP three point shooter, range from the parking lot. He's stepped up his playmaking setting up teammates for baskets, attacking the rim for scores. State champion.

23) EJ Hazelett III, 6'7" wing, Kankakee: Indiana State commit is a transfer from Franklin Central (Indianapolis, IN) does a little bit of everything. Can get a rebound, attack off the bounce and set up the offense. Lefty has a nice stroke from three and mid range. Hits the glass on both ends.

24) Jake Pollack, 6'9" forward, Deerfield: Darmouth commit is a lefty who can score on the block, or step out and hit a three. Double/double threat as he crashes the boards on both ends with an aggressive style.

25) Adam Flowers, 6'4" combo guard, South (Downers Grove): Biggest sleeper in the state. I believe this young man will play division one basketball at some point. He can run point, set up teammates, score off the bounce attacking the rim, and hit threes at a high rate. Defends any position on the high school level. Could end up best guard in this class when all said and done.

26) Ahmad Lee, 6'3" point guard, Lincoln Park (Chicago): Another under the radar talented point guard. Can run a team, get to the rim or mid range off the bounce, and has an improving three point stroke. Defends well on the ball.

27) Bryce Wegrzyn, 6'8" forward, Libertyville: Winona State commit can score from three especially off the catch and shoot variety. Posts up on the block and scores on fadeaways, or jump hooks on the block. Have to account for him on offensive end.

28) Semaj Stampley, 6'3" combo guard, Alton: South Dakota State commit is a King of Bounce who'll dunk on you at a moment's notice. Attacks the rim downhill either in halfcourt set or on the break. Finishes at the rim in a variety of ways. Has a nice mid range pull-up jumper. Defends perimeter at a high level.

29) Jaali Love, 6'7" wing, Waukegan: Plus athlete is a rim protector who blocks shots, hits the glass on both ends, and will dunk on you. Improved mid range and three point shot. Defends on perimeter as well as at the rim.

30) Arnez Jones, 6'5" wing, North Lawndale College Prep (Chicago): King of Bounce who crashes the glass with authority. Will dunk on you at any moment. Has improved his perimeter game over the last year. Can hit threes, create mid range jumpers off the dribble, and of course finish through contact at the rim.

31) Justin Oliver, 6'0" point guard, Curie (Chicago): Another King of Bounce who'll collect posters. Mid range King as he can get to the paint and score over defenders getting high on his jumper. Hits threes to keep you honest.

32) Keison Peoples, 6'3" combo guard, Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin: Winona State commit is one of the top small school players in the state. Stone cold scorer who can hit threes, put it on the floor and attack the rim for a variety of finishes. Mid range pull-up jumpers game is strong as well. Defends multiple positions.

33) Oliver Gray, 6'6" combo guard, Barrington: Have to admit he might be a little low on this list. He can score in a number of ways, threes, jumpers, and attacks to the rim finishing through and around contact. Sneaky athlete King of Bounce.

34) Tyjuan Hunter, 5'7" point guard, Hope Academy (Chicago): One of the best small players in the state in awhile. Can take over games scoring or passing. Hits threes from deep, nice mid range floater in the lane, and scores at the rim mostly around people. He is tough enough to finish through contact. State champion.

35) Cameron Mercer, 6'2" combo guard, Riverside Brookfield: Two end monster plays so hard but has been bothering by linging ankle injuries the past two summers. Can score from three off the bounce or catch, fallaway mid range jumper, and attacking the rim. Defends at a high level on the perimeter.

36) Karson Thomas, 6'3" wing, Marist (Chicago): Serious King of Bounce who will punch on you if you're not careful. Scores mostly at the rim but can hit threes. Hits the glass well on both ends, can run point if needed. Ultimate utility player.

37) RJ McPartlin, 6'7" forward, St Patrick (Chicago): Strong body big man in the paint who can surprising bounce and will dunk on you from vertical. Double/double machine who's a good passer out of the post. Uses his body well in the paint scores with either hand.

38) Danny Houlihan, 6'3" combo guard, New Trier (Winnetka): High Point commit. LAYUP!!!!! LAYUP!!!! Hits threes at a high level on catch and shoot variety. if he's open you might as well get back to the other end because it's in. Lefty has become better on mid range fadeaway jumpers.

39) Nasir Rankin, 6'0" point guard, Morgan Park (Chicago): Illinois commit in football and basketball. King of Bounce is an explosive athlete on the hardwood, who's gets where he wants off the dribble. Hits long threes mostly off the bounce. Defends on the ball at a high level.

40) Brad Blackwell, 6'6" forward, Crane Medical (Chicago): Top rim protector in the state. Keeps his blocks in bounds to start the break for his team. Hits the glass on both ends. Lefty is improving on attacking off the bounce from the perimeter.

41) Tre Watkins, 6'3" combo guard, Metea Valley (Aurora): King of Bounce who has a nasty stroke from long range. Hits threes in bunches off the bounce or catch. Finishes at the rim with authority or step arounds in the paint.

42) Braylon Walker, 6'3" combo guard, Warren Township (Gurnee): Versatile guard who can run the offense of play off the ball and hit catch and shoot threes. Gets to the range and scores in the mid range at a high level. Defends all perimeter positions.

43) Aris Morgan, 6'7" forward, Rock Island: Transfer from Riverdale (Port Byron) is a double/double threat. Hits the glass hard and is a big time rim protector. . Can step out and hit threes off the catch.

44) Thaddeaus "TJ" Williams, 6'3" combo guard, Bolingbrook: Transfer from Glenbard West (Glen Ellyn). King of Bounce who can run point or play off the ball. Gets out in transition and uses his athleticism to score at the rim. Hits threes off the catch or bounce, makes nice passes when running point.

45) Josh Abushanab, 6'6" wing, Glenbard West (Glen Ellyn): Versatile player on both ends who attacks downhill off the dribble and finishes at the rim. Scores at the mid range, and can defend all five positions on the high school level.

46) Charles Barnes, 6'6" wing, Marist (Chicago): Transfer from DeLaSalle Institute (Chicago). Lefty is aggressive on the offensive glass as well as having a nice three point stroke. Defends a number of positions on the court.

47) Marshawn Cocroft, 6'0" point guard, Kaneland: Big time scorer who has shown he can run an offense. Scores in a number of ways at all three levels of the court. Sets up teammates for baskets, as well as defends on the ball.

48) Kaydin Williams, 6'3" combo guard, Simeon Career Academy (Chicago): Scorer who can run an offense. Attacks off the bounce and can score at the rim or pull-up for a three. Defends on and off the ball at a high level.

49) Rico D'Alessandro,6'5" wing, Maine South (Park Ridge): Two sport athlete (football) scores from three, mid range, or strong finishes at the rim. Big bodied wing uses it to get position in the paint and shoot over defenders.

50) Charlie Pomis, 6'3" wing, Hersey (Arlington Heights): He' s been injured all summer but is a King of Bounce when healthy. Can score from three, mid range, or put someone on a poster. Hopefully he's recovered to start the season.

NOTE:

JC Anderson (6'7" forward) of Mount Zion is an Ole Miss Football commit as a tight end. Not sure if he's playing basketball this winter. If he is he's definitely a Top 50 player in the state.