Updated Class of 2026 Player Rankings: Zens, Gray zoom to the top

The decision last month of Oregon wing Vaughn Karvala to attend Bella Vista Prep in Arizona for his senior season left the top spot in the Prep Hoops Wisconsin Player Rankings for the class of 2026 vacant.   It was a difficult choice determining who should replace Karvala at the top of the mountain. Two players emerged in the running for the spot -- [player_tooltip player_id='1552512' first='Zavier' last='Zens'] of Wisconsin Lutheran and [player_tooltip player_id='2045256' first='Yusef' last='Gray Jr.'] of West Allis Central. Zens, a 6-foot-7 forward, has played a key role on consecutive WIAA state-championship squads at Wisconsin Lutheran while Gray, a 6-foot-3 guard, has already committed to one of the better collegiate programs in the country in Iowa State. In the end, we went with Zens because of his consistent production. An updated listing of the top 300 players in Wisconsin's 2026 class can be found <a href="https://prephoops.com/wisconsin/rankings/2026-rankings/">here</a>. One of the hotter prospects in the Midwest during the spring and summer club circuit, Zens owns NCAA Division I scholarship offers from a long list of schools, including Bradley, Colorado State, Drake, Miami (Ohio), Northern Iowa, St. Thomas and Wyoming, among others. His versatility in being a strong scorer from the perimeter and off the dribble, plus his high basketball IQ, endured Zens to collegiate coaches who watched in May and July as the returning Player of the Year in the Woodland West Conference helped the [program_tooltip program_id='2076218' first='Wisconsin' last='Playground Club'] win game after game on the Under Armour Association club circuit. According to the Under Armour Association website, Zens is averaging 13.9 points and shooting 42 percent from the field, 63 percent from the line and 29 percent from three-point range through 10 games. PCG owns an 8-5 record in UAA contests so the stats are not complete, but they are down a bit from his high school averages of 22.2 ppg on shooting percentages of 67 from the floor, 68 from the line and 51 from three-point range. Zens has visited several schools on his scholarship list and is likely to take additional visits later this summer and into the fall before making a decision. Gray, on the other hand, doesn't have to worry about making a collegiate decision as he committed to Iowa State on January 19. Competing for the [program_tooltip program_id='2391400' first='Team' last='Herro'] squad on the prestigious Nike EYBL circuit, Gray turned in a strong spring/summer. A defensive minded player first, Gray competes with tremendous energy and passion, and he has also matured physically. In 15 games during the EYBL season, Gray averaged 13.5 points and 5.3 rebounds as his squad went 6-9. Interestingly, Zens and Gray Jr. have played against each other in the Woodland West the last few seasons with Zens' squad coming out on top in six of the seven meetings, although Gray was injured and did not play in both games during their sophomore seasons. Last year, Wisconsin Lutheran and West Allis Central split their regular-season contests with Gray scoring 26 points in a 78-70 victory over the eventual state champions. Wisconsin Lutheran got the final word, however, as it posted a 72-53 playoff win over the Bulldogs behind 25 points from Zens. With West Allis Central moving to the Woodland East for the 2025-26 season, Wisconsin Lutheran and West Allis Central are not slated to play each other. They could, however, meet up in the WIAA Division 1 playoffs as both teams are in Sectional 4.   Checking in at No. 3 in the 2025 class is [player_tooltip player_id='1561925' first='Andrew' last='Jensen'], a 6-foot-9 forward from Kaukauna who is playing club basketball for the Full Package Elevate program on the UAA circuit. Jensen, a mobile and versatile big man who can finish in transition, block shots, rebound and make mid-range jump shots, had been a lean toward Marquette for virtually his entire junior season. Things changed this spring, though, as Marquette gained a verbal commitment from highly regarded Sheek Pearson, a 6-foot-11 forward from St. Louis. With Marquette no longer an option, word spready quickly and Jensen was able to garner some impressive scholarship offers in a short period of time as three Chicago-area schools -- De Paul, Loyola and Northwestern -- all extended offers. Jensen played a key role in helping Elevate to a 5-2 record last weekend in Atlanta, and he will play his final circuit event this weekend at the UAA event in Chicago.   [player_tooltip player_id='1561889' first='Amare' last='Hereford'] of Beloit Memorial checks in at No. 4 in the 2026 Player Rankings. The 6-foot-2 combination guard owns scholarship offers from Bethune-Cookman, Cal Poly, Northern Illinois, South Dakota State and Western Illinois. The 3.7 student recently heard from coaches at both SIU-Edwardsville and Tulsa. Hereford can score it off the dribble and through contact at a high level, and he has improved his long-distance shooting as well. He might be at his best in transition as he sees the floor very well and is quicker/faster with the ball than most. [player_tooltip player_id='1749722' first='Jakari' last='Smith'] of Milwaukee Bradley Tech is the No. 5 player in the class. The 6-foot-5 wing moves up a couple of spots in the Player Rankings as he has played well for the [program_tooltip program_id='2076218' first='Wisconsin' last='Playground Club'] and currently has an offer from Milwaukee. Drake and South Dakota State also are expressing interest in the ultra athletic prospect who thrives in the open court. [player_tooltip player_id='1959723' first='LaMont' last='Hamilton'], a lightning quick 6-foot-0 guard from Racine St. Catherine's, checks in a No. six. Hamilton is a scoring lead guard who is extremely difficult to keep out of the lane due to his quickness, burst and relentless nature. His three-point shot is a bit streaky, but he can get hot from outside the arc and has done so several times this spring/summer while competing for the [program_tooltip program_id='2076433' first='Kevon' last='Looney Power 5'] program on the adidas 3SSB circuit. Also a standout football player with an offer in that sport from Minnesota, Hamilton owns basketball offers from Detroit Mercy and Western Illinois. He remains undecided about which sport he will pursue at the next level. [player_tooltip player_id='1561869' first='Matthew' last='Kloskey'], a key player on Wauwatosa West's WIAA Division 2 state-title team last March, is the No. 7-ranked player. The Power 5 wing uses his athleticism, strength and size (6-5) to make things tough on opponents. Kloskey can finish well above the rim and is tough to contain off the bounce due to his strength. He has DI offers from Bethune-Cookman, Illinois State and IU Indianapolis. Rounding out the top 10 for 2026 are No. 8 Jeremy Manchester of Mount Horeb, No. 9 [player_tooltip player_id='1781157' first='Rashaad' last='Davis'] of Nicolet and No. 10 [player_tooltip player_id='1973149' first='Chris' last='Pohl'] of Marshfield. Manchester, a 6-foot-4 wing with deep shooting range, improved his stock with collegiate recruiters while playing with [program_tooltip program_id='2391400' first='Team' last='Herro'] on the EYBL circuit. He recently earned his first D1 offer as Northern Illinois put one on the table for the sharpshooter. Davis, a 5-foot-11 point guard from Nicolet, embraces having the ball in his hands with the game on the line. And the extremely quick backcourt ace usually delivers a big basket, both for Nicolet and the [program_tooltip program_id='2076218' first='Wisconsin' last='Playground Club']. His current D1 offers are from Southern Utah and Western Illinois. Pohl, a 6-foot-8 forward, has been outstanding all spring and summer for both the [program_tooltip program_id='2076033' first='Wisconsin' last='Playmakers'] club program and for Marshfield High School. His ability to swish long-distance shots, coupled with his size and mobility, led to a recent DI offer from Bryant. A few other DI programs remain involved with Pohl, who also owns several DII scholarship offers. No. 11-ranked [player_tooltip player_id='2116495' first='Cahlil' last='Jones'] (6-2) of Germantown and [program_tooltip program_id='2076501' first='Chapman' last='Basketball Academy'] figures to pick up some offers in the very near future. He is an athletic wing who can score in different ways. No. 12-ranked [player_tooltip player_id='1561913' first='Henry' last='Gruetzmacher'] (6-9) of Brookfield Central picked up offers in recent weeks from DI Green Bay and DII Northern Michigan. His size, strength and impressive improvement have definitely been noticed as he competes for the [program_tooltip program_id='2076218' first='Wisconsin' last='Playground Club']. Others include ... No. 13 [player_tooltip player_id='2025184' first='Wes' last='Rahn'] (6-8) of Lakeside Lutheran/[program_tooltip program_id='2076023' first='Wisconsin' last='Academy'] ... DII offers from Duluth, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State Moorhead, Northern Michigan and Winona State. No. 14 [player_tooltip player_id='2045263' first='Kayden' last='Schultz'] (6-3) of Plymouth/[program_tooltip program_id='2076501' first='Chapman' last='Basketball Academy'] ... DII offers from Hillsdale, Lake Superior State, Michigan Tech, Parkside and St. Cloud State. No. 15 [player_tooltip player_id='2045266' first='Mike' last='Wilson'] (6-2) of Madison West/[program_tooltip program_id='2076033' first='Wisconsin' last='Playmakers'] ... DII offer from Northern Michigan. No. 16 [player_tooltip player_id='2045262' first='Calvin' last='Anderson'] (6-6) of Superior/[program_tooltip program_id='2076033' first='Wisconsin' last='Playmakers'] ... DII offers from Duluth, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State Moorhead and Missouri S&T. No. 17 [player_tooltip player_id='1561953' first='Thian' last='Riak'] (6-4) of Madison La Follette/[program_tooltip program_id='2076218' first='Wisconsin' last='Playground Club'] ... out with an injury all spring and summer. No offers to date. No. 18 [player_tooltip player_id='2411140' first='Kevin' last='Pittman'] (6-10) of West Allis Central/Mac Irvin Fire ... DI offer from Western Michigan. No. 19 [player_tooltip player_id='2391091' first='Tyler' last='Tiutczenko'] (6-7) of Pewaukee/[program_tooltip program_id='2480703' first='24:' last='UP'] ... out with an injury. No offers to date. No. 20 [player_tooltip player_id='1561939' first='Ethan' last='Joling'] (6-6) of Hortonville/Power 5 ... DI offers from Bryant, Milwaukee and Southern Mississippi. No. 21 [player_tooltip player_id='1561944' first='Jacob' last='Hibner'] (6-2) of Stoughton/[program_tooltip program_id='2076023' first='Wisconsin' last='Academy'] ... DII offers from Duluth, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State Moorhead, Rockhurst and Winona State. No. 22 [player_tooltip player_id='1561874' first='Nathan' last='Ramus'] (6-2) of Appleton North/[program_tooltip program_id='2076033' first='Wisconsin' last='Playmakers'] ... DII offer from Northern Michigan.

The decision last month of Oregon wing Vaughn Karvala to attend Bella Vista Prep in Arizona for his senior season left the top spot in the Prep Hoops Wisconsin Player Rankings for the class of 2026 vacant.