The Challenge: 8 Available Maryland 2026 Forwards to Watch

This weekend, The Challenge invades York, Pa as the event will feature over 120 teams from the boys' varsity, junior varsity, and girls' varsity levels. A handful of states will be represented as well as a couple of programs from Canada as high school teams gear up for their 2025-26 season. For this article, we'll highlight eight Maryland forwards belonging to the 2026 class who should be on radars heading into the event.   <a href="https://prephoops.com/2025/10/the-challenge-10-available-maryland-2026-guards-to-watch/">Click here to check out the 10 available 2026 guards to watch</a>, which we highlighted earlier this week.    Huan, similar to his brother Sinan, is one of the more intriguing prospect in the 2026 local class. Steven has the upper hand when it comes to polished skill on the perimeter whereas Sinan is a more effective presence around the rim. Steven's move to St. Andrew's should pay dividends for head coach Kevin Jones as he can be used as an offensive hub at the top of the key or high-post area and be trusted as a decision-maker. All of this isn't to say that Steven isn't just as much of a lob threat as Sinan and as he showed over the summer, he has dependable hands, ability to adjust in the air and the power to finish with authority when he connects with the rim. It'll be good to see how he fits in early on within their rotation and playing alongside [player_tooltip player_id='1494165' first='Jayson' last='Peterson'].     I'm a strong believer that Howard is one of the best bigs available in the DMV as a whole, not just in this event. He's grown close to 6-foot-8 and can be used in a variety of ways offensively while remaining productive. He can operate on the block with his back to the basket, keeping a balanced approach as a scorer and passer. Howard can be utilized at the top of the key or high-post where he's a true high-low threat or he can be involved in ball screen actions where he presents as an effective rim roller with soft hands and textbook footwork. Defensively he's improving his movement in space, his quickness on weak side rotations and having more pride in dominating the glass even when rebounds are out of his area.     Rudusans will end up being one of the more translatable fours in this class when it comes to projecting at the college level thanks to his size, IQ and shooting ability. The Latvian native is key for head coach Tony Martin's complex system that includes a thick playbook with ample options throughout each set. Rudusans' processing as a passer and willingness to move or space without the ball brings tremendous value and gives them the freedom to feature a lineup with size alongside Howard and 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2454529' first='Junior' last='Mancho'].     Barrett recently received his first Division I offer from Howard and I wouldn't be surprised if a couple more are on the way. The 6-foot-8 hybrid forward possesses a great frame with length that should put on mass nicely once he steps foot onto a college campus. For now, he gains an advantage with his versatile scoring ability and playing off the catch attacking closeouts where he can put the ball on the floor and finish above the rim with a clear runway. He's also a lob threat in transition, which will be a common sight filling the lanes with Anthony Brown at the controls. Barrett's value really comes in defensively where he can legitimately guard four (and sometimes any of the five) positions at the high school level. He moves well laterally in space against shifty guards and once again, dials into his length to disrupt bigs who try to take him around the bucket.     Clark was the missing piece for the Patriots heading into last season and did a nice job of quickly asserting himself as the paint presence they needed. Clark doubled down on his worth during the June scholastic live period as he not only became more comfortable with his teammates and learning how to pick his spots, but also by improving his body as he's shown to put on some muscle that assists in finishing through contact or battling for boards. Clark brings a high motor, good instincts as a rim runner/roller and is showing to be a more capable threat in creating for himself on 1-on-1 scenarios in the paint.     It's been an impressive process to watch Belvin go from a back to the basket forward in the first couple years of his high school career to now develop into a true threat playing off the bounce and creating from the perimeter. He'll be featured on the ball frequently for the Millers this season and gave plenty of examples during the summer from being a grab-and-go threat where he made consistently sound decisions. Polishing this wrinkle in his game adds immense value when projecting for the college level and if he can prove that his skill set translates to wins, we should see a healthy list of schools vying for his services.     Of all the conversations surrounding there being a 'lack of bigs' in the 2026 class, it always left me scratching my head when Division I coaches would be courtside for Thet's games and not offer him despite speaking so highly of what he'll become. Norfolk State was the first program to pull the trigger on the 6-foot-10 big man with well-rounded skill. In my opinion, there's zero reason why he shouldn't have a handful of LM/LM+ offers, but it's expected for another school or two to get in the mix in the near future. For now, Thet continues to remind folks of his versatility and ability to pack the box score. He'll be receiving a boost in the next rankings update.     Houchins showed flashes of his potential last season where he emerged as a valuable frontcourt piece that provides versatility on both ends. He's one of the more explosive dunkers that you'll find in the DMV, which results in ample lobs for guys like 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2620897' first='CJ' last='Lyons'] and 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2139297' first='J'Lon' last='Lyons'] to make use of. For this season, Houchins steps in once again as a hybrid forward, but comes with a sense of confidence and familiarity that his other frontcourt mates lack. If Houchins plays to his strengths and embraces his increased role with efficiency and effectiveness, his phone notifications will increase as well.

This weekend, The Challenge invades York, Pa as the event will feature over 120 teams from the boys' varsity, junior varsity, and girls' varsity levels. A handful of states will be represented as well as a couple of programs from Canada as high school teams gear up for their 2025-26 season. For this article, we'll highlight eight Maryland forwards belonging to the 2026 class who should be on radars heading into the event.