Elite ’26 Defenders

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>PICTURED: [player_tooltip player_id='1947169' first='Oliver' last='Bender'].</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Read about many of the top defenders in the sophomore class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1560719' first='Trey' last='Pearson']</strong> (Pope Prep)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>https://twitter.com/TreyPearson_2/status/1734656315782508939?t=RUy89bXLTJtNDW2oHwIAsw&amp;s=19</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1560719' first='Trey' last='Pearson'] ranked among the leaders in steals for the entire NIKE E15 circuit, a group commonly of the best 15u teams and players in the nation. Pearson started last year and is leading this year for a Pope Prep team aiming for the State Tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1642603' first='Owen' last='Lentz']</strong> (Knox Webb)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Owen justifiably won Defensive MVP at the 2022 PrepHoopsTN Fall Combine. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1947169' first='Oliver' last='Bender']</strong> (Nolensville)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dual-sport athlete. Solid at football. Oliver might not play a lot for a senior-laden Nolensville High team, but he proved his defensive versatility and advanced strength for a high school sophomore. Defends 3 high school positions at 4a level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ivan Huffman</strong> (Chattanooga Patriots)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Huffman is averaging an incredible 3.2 steals per game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2289232' first='Colton' last='Pevahouse']</strong> (Perry County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/brookwoodelite/status/1689445973238460417?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/brookwoodelite/status/1689445973238460417?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2101863' first='Kamai' last='Samuels']</strong> (HHCA)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Samuels gained an Arizona State University offer this past summer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1959189' first='Cayman' last='Camfield']</strong> (Wayne County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cayman secured eight steals through Wildcats' opening four games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2289223' first='Grady' last='Keeton']</strong> (Oneida)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Typically regarded as an offensive juggernaut, Grady actually gets his hands in passing lanes a little bit too. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2042762' first='Matthew' last='Tae'Shawn Shelton']</strong> (Shelbyville Central)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Former @PrepHoopsTN Combine All-Star blocked 16 shots in his first eight games. Shelton is a springy, lean big man. We measured his vertical at 36" in June 2023.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->