Preseason State Rankings: 40-21

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the high school basketball season right around the corner, I'm excited to unveil the first part of the rankings. The rest of the team rankings will come out in the coming days. Today is just the teams ranked 40-21. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's several key prospects who are ranked highly in their respective classes who represent the teams on this list. That includes the programs with the top players in both 2025 and 2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rankings were compiled by all four PHI scouts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>40. O'Fallon</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ben Okoro, [player_tooltip player_id='1404855' first='Nathaniel' last='Smith'] are the top returners. Will look to improve off their regional finals appearance from last season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>39. Auburn</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Knights might still be a year away from being legitimate threats in Illinois. But they return a strong nucleus of players, including 2026 top 20 player [player_tooltip player_id='1845353' first='Amir' last='Danforth'] who can do it all. Juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2105407' first='Champ' last='Parker'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2105424' first='Brian' last='Harper'] will also contribute. NIC-10 favorites.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>38. Lane Tech</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Champions are a CPS sleeper this season. Names to watch include [player_tooltip player_id='1545128' first='Dalton' last='Scantlebury'], [player_tooltip player_id='2300370' first='Zach' last='Mazanowski'], [player_tooltip player_id='2489403' first='Luka' last='Pinto'], Matt Szafoni, [player_tooltip player_id='2433263' first='Drew' last='Bartolai'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>37. Oswego East</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Top-5 2026 Mason Lockett leads a group that continuously retools themselves with promising collegiate-level talent. [player_tooltip player_id='2617435' first='Myles' last='Buchanan'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2617376' first='Damien' last='Lewandowski'] are additional names to know.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>36. Peoria</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Miami Ohio Signee [player_tooltip player_id='1766506' first='Leshawn' last='Stowers'] leads a group that lost to Metamora in the regional final last season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>35. Rolling Meadows</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mustangs feature the top 2025 prospect in Illinois with Marquette signee [player_tooltip player_id='1385299' first='Ian' last='Miletic']. [player_tooltip player_id='2321417' first='Lazar' last='Lazarevic'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1545134' first='Jack' last='Duffer'] will complement an experienced group.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>34. Evanston</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>WIldkits could very well surprise people this season. Look out for incoming freshman [player_tooltip player_id='2531970' first='Ben' last='Ojala'] who caught our attention in summer league. Kaidan Chatman, [player_tooltip player_id='2538922' first='George' last='Richardson'], [player_tooltip player_id='2321433' first='Theo' last='Rocca'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2540157' first='Vito' last='Rocca'] round out the bunch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>33. Crystal Lake South</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1433337' first='AJ' last='Demirov'] could lead the state in scoring this season. Look out for [player_tooltip player_id='2369943' first='John' last='Morgan'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2369867' first='Ryan' last='Morgan'] to make an immediate impact!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>32. Kankakee</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#1 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2105360' first='Lincoln' last='Williams'] headlines this list. Kenaz Jackson and [player_tooltip player_id='2617434' first='Myair' last='Thompson'] are other names to watch on a Kays team looking to build off a 27-5 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>31. Lemont</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Picked up one of the biggest transfers in 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1552393' first='Gabriel' last='Sularski']. [player_tooltip player_id='2321410' first='Alanas' last='Castillo'] brings a ton of experience, too. [player_tooltip player_id='2105174' first='Matas' last='Gaidukevicius'] is another name to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>30. Peoria Manual</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1576114' first='Dietrich' last='Richardson'] is the big name to watch. 6'6" combo recently signed with Bradley. [player_tooltip player_id='2321406' first='Amare' last='Breedlove'], [player_tooltip player_id='2452449' first='Daniel' last='Finley'], [player_tooltip player_id='2323294' first='Tony' last='Bradford'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2105417' first='Joshua' last='Humbles'] round out the group </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>29. St. Ignatius</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coach Matt Monroe has built a very stable program over the past several years. This group is led by Northwestern Commit [player_tooltip player_id='1385292' first='Phoenix' last='Gill']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>28. DeKalb</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2026 football standout [player_tooltip player_id='2105355' first='Davon' last='Grant'] isa one of the best athletes in the state. Leadership is also there with PG [player_tooltip player_id='1545123' first='Sean' last='Reynolds']. Looking to build off sectional semifinal appearance last season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>27. Brother Rice</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Crusaders always reload with talent capable of making a splash in the Catholic League. Citadel commit [player_tooltip player_id='1545120' first='Marcos' last='Gonzales'] leads the way. Other names to watch include [player_tooltip player_id='1766504' first='Caden' last='Workman'], [player_tooltip player_id='2538898' first='Jack' last='Weigus'], [player_tooltip player_id='2444443' first='Max' last='Justic'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2538949' first='KJ' last='Morris'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>26. Niles North</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vikings have been building up for a season like this. 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2105191' first='Hunter' last='Gawron'] has been a personal favorite and I've seen so much growth from him over the past couple years. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2105209' first='Reid' last='Olson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1385296' first='Yaris' last='Irby'] bring more experience. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>25. Marist</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Early season injuries drop them a little. 2026 PF [player_tooltip player_id='1845350' first='Stephen' last='Brown'] will be the name to watch. Adoni Vasilaskis, [player_tooltip player_id='2375627' first='Marquis' last='Vance'], [player_tooltip player_id='1552436' first='Karson' last='Thomas'], [player_tooltip player_id='2323300' first='TJ' last='Tate'], [player_tooltip player_id='2125658' first='Kendall' last='Meyers'] round up the bunch. Could be one year away.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>24. Bloom</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Trojans always have a good roster. 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1545131' first='Elijah' last='Lovemore'] leads a group complemented by, [player_tooltip player_id='2105218' first='Payton' last='Edwards'], [player_tooltip player_id='1766466' first='Adam' last='Page'], [player_tooltip player_id='1845361' first='Amare' last='Pryor'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2323286' first='Markell' last='Slaughter-Harris'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>23. De La Salle</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gary DeCesare has built something special. Juniors Charles Barnes and [player_tooltip player_id='1845364' first='Morgan' last='Travis'] will lead the way. Look out for [player_tooltip player_id='2323307' first='Lucas' last='Johnson'], [player_tooltip player_id='2323332' first='Caleb' last='Henry'], [player_tooltip player_id='2617445' first='Remi' last='Edwards'], [player_tooltip player_id='2532316' first='Chaden' last='Harvey'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2532031' first='Roosevelt' last='Thomas'] to make an impact.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>22. West Aurora</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Iowa football commit [player_tooltip player_id='1545116' first='Terrence' last='Smith'] leads the way. [player_tooltip player_id='1428973' first='Gabriel' last='Gonzales'], [player_tooltip player_id='2407438' first='Kewon' last='Marshall'], [player_tooltip player_id='2617385' first='Drew' last='Lundberg'], [player_tooltip player_id='2125687' first='Travis' last='Brown'] and Terrell Purnell round up the group. Blackhawks will be a team to watch in the west suburbs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>21. East St. Louis</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Flyers always reload. This team will be led by [player_tooltip player_id='1766471' first='Arlandis' last='Brown'], [player_tooltip player_id='2427992' first='Montreal' last='Stacker'], [player_tooltip player_id='2538952' first='Jordan' last='Burris'], [player_tooltip player_id='2323266' first='Alex' last='Johnson'], Lawson Berry and [player_tooltip player_id='2458184' first='Tyrik' last='Barnes'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->