2026 Rankings Risers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are the players in the rankings that were previously ranked but also rose the most spots in the list. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2754632' first='Josh' last='Brock'] (96 to 76) left us impressed last winter during school season. We loved his energy and flow during the game as he seemed to always be in tune with the tempo and pace of the game. We like his shot selection and his strong effort on defense as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2385111' first='Caden' last='Ours'] (74 to 69) is a sharp shooting guard who recently received his first offer with Moravian Prep post grad. Ours can fill it up in a hurry as we've seen in several AAU games this spring and summer. No stranger to the score sheet, Ours was a tremendous scorer during school season at Petersburg WV.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2679289' first='Malcolm' last='Brown'] (72 to 63)came on strong towards the last of the regular season. A strong and bulky guard with elite lateral quickness that gets to the bucket and sees the floor. Brown seemed to be the guy left unaccounted for many times by opponents defenses and he always made them pay. An accomplished football player on the gridiron as well, Brown could really have a chance to play either sport at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2390883' first='Jerod' last='Trent'] ( 61 to 56) has quickly emerged as Doddridge County's best player. Trent has great quickness to the bucket and finishes at a very high rate. Trent is also a very efficient shooter who doesn't have to rely on the three point line to score as he's crafty and athletic enough to get to comfortable spots in mid range.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2686841' first='Austin' last='Porta'] (56 to 44) proved to us last year he's the real deal. Not to be confused with a small school superstar, Porta passes the eye test as a player who would perform at a high level on any level in WV. He's a great ball handler, shoots it well from all points of the floor and does a great job getting teammates involved. His often overlooked talent is making players around him better.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2683734' first='Braydon' last='Swanson'] (51 to 25) has came outta nowhere and refuses to be overlooked by us or anyone else. Taking a big role in his AAU program's scoring as well as any other stat that is available. A 6'5" frame that scores it from deep but can flush it in transition if you let him loose. Look for him to come onto the radar of some schools very quickly in this upcoming season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2303389' first='Jeremy' last='Phillips'] (38 to 27) received his first offer from Potomac State recently and maybe a few were surprised but we weren't. Seeing Phillips in April against serious competition at the Pitt Jam Fest was enough to convince us he's improved his game immensely and taken a serious approach to playing at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2310473' first='Eli' last='Smith'] (27 to 22) has been one of the most steady and consistent players in this class and he'll likely continue in his senior year while returning to Chapmanville. Smith does so many things well with having a great basketball IQ along with above average size and very sharp skills on the floor. His skill set in the C'ville lineup could lend itself to tickling a few triple doubles this upcoming season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2345905' first='Harrison' last='Riggs'] (10 to 7) recently offered by WVU Tech in what seems to be one of Tech's more swift moves in recruiting as Riggs has slipped through the cracks so to speak as he grew so fast and turned into an next level player in what seems like overnight. We thought there would be an onslaught of college suitors as this buzz would travel around the coaching circles this spring but it doesn't seem to be the case. Tech has had an eye for in state talent lately and will likely gain Riggs some attention just by offering. We should mention Riggs has an athletic 6'4" frame with a great ability to shake defenders and get to the bucket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->