Top 20 Freshmen

In the final week of January we released our first Class of 2026 player rankings. While the list is not long there are some thrilling prospects already embedded in the Top 20. Read about several of these talented freshmen.

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Jarron Talley Jarron Talley 6'4" | SG Pope Prep | 2026 State TN (Pope Prep)

Impressive natural strength. Jarron’s team is loaded with talent, including Fred Bailey Fred Bailey 6'1" | PG JPII | 2024 State TN as the primary scorer and former PrepHoopsTN Freshman MVP Trey Pearson Trey Pearson 6'2" | PG Pope Prep | 2026 State TN . Talley is already a threat to scorer at the varsity level, which in itself is a tremendous accomplishment for a freshman. He will do well to focus this off-season on shooting and shooting off-the-dribble. Talley is in an enviable position, that of a top-tier prospect in the 2026 class.

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Luke Robertson Luke Robertson 6'3" | SG Maryville | 2026 State TN (Maryville)

Skilled. Luke is tall for a point guard, though quicker than other tall, young guards. He showed during the PrepHoopsTN Combine (late October) that he can create his own shots or set up teammates. Good effort player. Ideally, Luke will be a knockdown catch-and-shoot guy with elusive dribbling and unmatched court vision. These are all realistic goals considering how advanced he already is in this beautiful game.

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Ronald Towns III Ronald Towns III 5'9" | PG Southwind | 2026 State TN (Southwind)

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Talen Maze Talen Maze 6'4" | PF TN

During the summer of 2022, Talen Maze Talen Maze 6'4" | PF TN dressed and played with BMaze 15u. He was a year younger than his teammates, and frankly not fully caught up physically, which is to be expected. Maze stood approximately 6-foot-3 with impressive natural strength. The team utilized him as a power forward. Power forward is a position that rarely gets offensive touches during the fast-paced AAU weekends. Maze was frequently just helpful as a defensive rebounder. Again, he was largely unable to show off his offensive skills with the older peers dominating the ball. It is difficult to predict Maze’s ultimate position, but post player is unlikely. Expect him to naturally improve his agility and speed and then settle in at a high school 2-3.

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Parker Lane Parker Lane 5'10" | PG Farragut | 2026 State TN (Farragut)

Farragut’s guard Parker Lane Parker Lane 5'10" | PG Farragut | 2026 State TN is averaging a startling 12.3 points per game and 3.3 assists per game. Farragut is 16-10 on this the first day of February. Lane shoots a lot of three-pointers (112) and his 34 makes work out to 30%. The freshman looks like a very capable 15u scorer, and depending on which squad he runs with this upcoming summer he might rack up gaudy assist numbers.

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Eli Brown Eli Brown 6'2" | PG Webb School Bell Buckle | 2026 State TN (Webb-Bell Buckle)
One of the better catch-and-shoot players in middle Tennessee, Eli Brown Eli Brown 6'2" | PG Webb School Bell Buckle | 2026 State TN typically finds shooting windows. Like many freshmen, Brown’s scoring burden is small. The team does not need his scoring to operate, but obviously points are welcomed from him. Brown projects as a point guard even though sophomore Arnett Hayes Arnett Hayes 6'2" | PG Battle Ground Academy | 2025 State TN and sophomore Jax Howard Jax Howard 6'0" | PG Webb-Bell Buckle | 2025 State TN handle the ball-handling duties. Excitingly, Eli will occasionally dribble himself into a three-point attempt with success. As the skill of shooting takes on different levels of maturation, creating high-percentage outside shots after a dribble is so, so tough. Eli Brown Eli Brown 6'2" | PG Webb School Bell Buckle | 2026 State TN is not steady with that skill just yet, but there have been a few flashes on this.

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Quez Scott Quez Scott 6'1" | PG Clarksville Northwest | 2026 State TN (Clarksville Northwest)

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Ayden Sadler Ayden Sadler 6'5" | CG Green Hill | 2026 State TN (Green Hill)

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Craig Lewis II Craig Lewis II 5'9" | PG Providence Christian Academy | 2026 State TN (Providence Christian Academy)

Hard-driving guard Craig Lewis II Craig Lewis II 5'9" | PG Providence Christian Academy | 2026 State TN demonstrated an unnatural agility both with and without the basketball in the mid-September PrepHoops 250 Expo. Lewis II is creative, clever.

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Monterrio Cox Monterrio Cox 5'5" | PG Bartlett | 2026 State TN (Bartlett)

Up next for the Class of 2026 are their first high school playoff season followed by a 15u AAU summer. The modest number of evaluations done for each of the above players will be augmented significantly in the coming six months.

Top 10 Analysis by Courtney Smith.