2025-26 season preview: Impactful players

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2025 season is basically here. Scrimmages have been taking place since the month of November arrived. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Who's going to be impactful for teams with championship aspirations? It's an early countdown, but the road to Murfreesboro, Tennessee starts now.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are a handful of prospects that could be impactful players this upcoming season:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2886051' first='Isaiah' last='Grant'], Whitehaven: In the Tigers' scrimmage over Rossview, Grant showed he can be trusted in close ball games. The 6-foot-5 wing ignited Whitehaven's offense with monster dunks in transition that helped the Tigers build a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. Grant can guard multiple positions. Depending on the lineup, he can play at positions 2-5. Grant should be a double-digit scorer for Whitehaven and a mismatch because of his length and athleticism.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2797237' first='Carey' last='McClain Jr.'], Kirby: McClain was the Cougars' best player in their scrimmage against Memphis Business Academy on Tuesday. The 6-0 guard has been the program's best player. He led Kirby to a sectional game last season and will look to do so this upcoming season. In Tuesday's scrimmage, McClain was left wide open and made 3 3-pointers in the first half. It was light work for McClain as he's shown on plenty of occasions that he's capable of the best player on the floor. The Cougars will need him to be their best player on a nightly basis. Another productive season from McClain could have him as a dark-horse Class 3A Mr. Basketball candidate.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1762918' first='Bosah' last='Louis Onwuta'], Whitehaven: There's not a single player in the Class 4A District 16 that's built to handle Onwuta in the post. Each time he touches the basketball this upcoming season, the 6-9 big man should score. Onwuta is athletic and moves well up and down the floor. He can finish around the rim. Onwuta should be a hard cover just like former Tiger Bob Dickson was for Whitehaven the last two seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Must be impactful</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1560097' first='Kayin' last='Mitchell'], Whitehaven: Mitchell must be impactful if the Tigers want to get back to the Class 4A Boys' state tournament. The senior guard will have to be a double-digit scorer, shoot the ball at a decent clip, be very aggressive on the defensive end, and be a great teammate. Good guard play has always been the key to state title runs. It will, once again, be a key component in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2296676' first='Trey' last='Benson'], MBA: Benson is the best guard on the roster. He's the most reliable and experienced. Benson has been a focal point of the offense since he got to the program at the start of his sophomore season. He's a fierce competitor. Benson plays hard on each possession. He can make shots from the perimeter. Benson is a reliable ball handler. The Execs will look for Benson to lead them to wins in district play and late in the season once the postseason arrives. Benson will have to shift in another gear to lead his team through the final stretch of what-will-be his final season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->