PAISAA Season Review: Junior (2026) stock-risers

With another great season in the books, it's time to look back on the winter that was in the increasingly talent-rich PA independent school scene. We'll start by taking a look at a handful of 2026 prospects who used their junior seasons as a springboard to elevate their stock on the recruiting front.    While he showed flashes throughout the course of a breakout sophomore season in his first year at Hill, Johnston used his junior year to solidify himself as a high-major prospect with his athletic and cerebral two-way game. He shines using his versatility, as the New York native shows an ability to play all across the perimeter on either end with the smarts and feel to make plays consistently no matter whether the ball is in his hands. Looking a bit taller and even more twitchy athletically than in the year prior, he made perhaps his most important contributions on the defensive end, where he showed a particular knack for coming up with key plays in rotation late in games. Johnston's ability to thrive within the flow of the game while placing an emphasis on winning and making his teammates better is a key selling point for the high-major programs now lining up for his services.     With the transfer of 2027 star [player_tooltip player_id='2195052' first='Tyler' last='Sutton'], Miller stepped right in to fill the void while leading George to an undefeated Friends League regular season after transferring over from St. Peter's Prep (NJ). With an imposing frame and dynamic handle, Miller lived in the paint as he routinely navigated to the front of the rim for physical, athletic finishes. Miller shines as a two-way presence with the instincts and physical tools to make life consistently difficult on opposing guards. He showed growth throughout the season in learning to leverage his scoring gravity to create shots for his teammates, as well as extending his range consistently out to the arc. Continuing that growth will be key as he looks to push his recruitment firmly into the mid major territory.     It's fair to say Phelps' season turned around with the mid-year arrival of Bottomley around the semester break, as the Canadian filled a palpable void in the Lions' lineup as a pure lead guard and ignited a Cinderella run to a PAISAA title. A tough-nosed floor general, Bottomley keeps the ball on a string while striking a natural balance between scoring himself and setting up his teammates. He shows mature pace and feel while probing off of ball screens, and is a dangerous threat to pull up behind the screen if defenders sag off. His size is a limitation at the highest levels, but Bottomley announced himself firmly onto the radar as a D1 prospect after being previously unknown to most in the region at the start of the year.     The outlines have always been clear with Bakare, as the swingman boasts the explosive athleticism and translatable 3-and-D skillset that can send coaches and scouts into a frenzy. It wasn't until this year though that he began to put the pieces together consistently and produce at a high level with regularity. The best athlete on just about any court, the native of Canada routinely has his head near the rim whether skying for rebounds or finishing off cuts and transition leakouts. His improved consistency as a catch-and-shoot threat along with flashes in the dribble pullup game have made him much more dangerous in a halfcourt setting as well. The ceiling really starts to open up for Bakare if he can work on his ballhandling, but he's established himself as a clear D1 prospect after his strong junior year.     Kelly started to turn heads as a sophomore and into his 16U summer, putting himself on the map as a scholarship-level prospect with an intriguing blend of positional size, shooting, and two-way versatility. He showed growth across the board this season while stepping into a starring role for SCH, turning himself into an All-League performer and beginning to garner D1 interest in the process. A high-IQ lefty wing, he's known for his shooting but also impresses as a crafty slasher, opportunistic playmaker for others, defensive event-creator. Questions about his lateral quickness on the wing will likely be on D1 coaches' minds this spring and summer as they mull over whether to pull the trigger on the quickly-improving southpaw.     Joining Miller in taking advantage of the opportunity presented by the transfer of Sutton and season-long injury of senior big [player_tooltip player_id='1153953' first='Luke' last='Bevilacqua'] (Lafayette), Fleming seized the open scoring role in the George lineup while vaulting himself from a small-college prospect to one who looks bound for the scholarship level. Previously more of a jack-of-all-trades utility guard, Fleming established an identity this winter as a dynamic shotmaker, with the confidence and versatile mechanics to translate that role up in levels. From that role, he's able to take advantage of closeouts to attack off the dribble for swift finishes or high-IQ passing reads. He doesn't jump off the page physically and his game may not be the sexiest, but Fleming's production, efficiency, and contributions to winning figure to become impossible to ignore before much longer.

With another great season in the books, it's time to look back on the winter that was in the increasingly talent-rich PA independent school scene. We'll start by taking a look at a handful of 2026 prospects who used their junior seasons as a springboard to elevate their stock on the recruiting front.