Preseason Team Rankings: Top Five

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've finally made it to the cream of the crop. Our top five teams heading into the 2025-2026 basketball season. It's been a long time coming, but we're all so excited to be back covering high school hoops this year. Cheers, everyone!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>5. Marist</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is undoubtedly the season they've been building for. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1845350' first='Stephen' last='Brown'], [player_tooltip player_id='1552436' first='Karson' last='Thomas'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1845365' first='Adoni' last='Vassilakis'] have been regulars since their freshman year. Brown is a rangy 6'7" power forward ranked in the top 10 of his class. Thomas is a high-quality 3-and-d wing player who came come through in the clutch. While Vassilakis provides tons of playmaking abilities as a point guard. Another senior, [player_tooltip player_id='1552445' first='Charles' last='Barnes Jr'] transferred in from De La Salle. While [player_tooltip player_id='2323300' first='TJ' last='Tate'] is an electric, crafty point guard who brings so much energy to this group. They also have a top-25 junior in [player_tooltip player_id='2125658' first='Kendall' last='Meyers'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>4. Kankakee</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another program building for this season that's headlines by the #1 senior in the state, [player_tooltip player_id='2105360' first='Lincoln' last='Williams']. He's a lengthy, two-way forward gauging tons of interest. Senior PF [player_tooltip player_id='1552625' first='EJ' last='Hazelett'] is power forward also ranked top 10 in 2026. The Indiana state commit had a big summer while showing to be a dominant presence on the interior. Another senior, [player_tooltip player_id='1874852' first='Myair' last='Thompson'], is an outstanding playmaker that small schools should take notice of. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3. Warren</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2323571' first='Jaxson' last='Davis'], the states #1 2027 prospect, has been destined for superstardom since his freshman year. Leading the Blue Devils to a sectional championship in 2023 and the a state runner-up finish last spring as a sophomore. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2437519' first='Braylon' last='Walker'] complements Davis in the backcourt with tons of varsity experience. Two more seniors, Avan King and [player_tooltip player_id='2437525' first='Joel' last='Paasch'] will give them size in the front court - something that was missing in recent memory. This group will be exciting to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2. Benet</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 4A champs have only gotten better since last season and cruised through opponents in the summer shootouts. Two D1 commits, Colin Stack and [player_tooltip player_id='2105390' first='Jayden' last='Wright'], will lead the charge. Stack is a 7'0" center headed to North Dakota State who's been unstoppable at times down low. While Wright is an Eastern Illinois commit who facilitates with ease and makes everyone around him better. Both providing tons of varsity experience. They'll also have [player_tooltip player_id='2323620' first='Ed' last='Stasys'], a 6'8" power forward who took a massive jump over the summer. Guards Perry Tchienge, [player_tooltip player_id='2217942' first='Aidan' last='Renicker'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1552419' first='Ryan' last='Walsh'] bring tons of stability to this group.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1. Depaul Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They've been the most successful program in the state over the past three years, and were undoubtedly the most dominant team over the summer. Toledo commit [player_tooltip player_id='1845360' first='Rashaun' last='Porter'], a top 5 senior, has looked more dominant every time I watch him play. While Brown Committ [player_tooltip player_id='1435692' first='Rykan' last='Woo'] fit perfectly into the Ram system after transferring from Whitney Young a year ago. [player_tooltip player_id='2376273' first='Zion' last='Lee'], a 6'4" forward, transferred in from Sacred Heart Griffin over the summer and makes a big impact. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2323334' first='AJ' last='Chambers'] provides tons of experience in the backcourt and is headed to D2 Michigan Tech. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='2425702' first='Magnus' last='Johnson'] has seen his stock rise with a strong performance at The EXPO in August and will be a stretch-four to monitor from the 2027 class. And [player_tooltip player_id='2842573' first='Blake' last='Choice'], a 2028 point guard, shows plenty of promise with his physical tools at 6'3". DePaul is now playing in 4A this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->