Preseason Watch List: 2026 Names to Know

Preseason fall ball is fully in the rear view mirror and everyone's eyes are focused on the upcoming high school season that is right around the corner. With programs gearing up for the start of the season over the next week or so and so much basketball ahead of us this winter, let's dive into some prospects that should be on people's radars, either looking to turn heads and gain some more exposure or looking to continue to solidify their stocks, over the course of the next few months.    A strong bodied and explosive guard with a natural knack for attacking driving lanes, [player_tooltip player_id='2284374' first='Jayden' last='Moton'] is a combo guard who generates an immense amount of rim pressure, both in half court sets and in the open floor. An aggressive downhill attacker, Moton is adept at manipulating driving angles and exploding to the rim for both athletic above the rim finishes as well as crafty finishes in traffic. Moton allows for the rim pressure he generates to open up additional offense for not only himself but the others around him, countering his driving ability with his effective and compact outside shooting while also being an adequate facilitator, with his ability to attract multiple defenders and find open teammates.     A powerful, explosive guard with a natural feel for attacking defensive gaps, [player_tooltip player_id='2284385' first='Jordan' last='Moton'] is a dynamic combo guard who creates heavy rim pressure in both different half court actions as well as in transition. A relentless downhill driver, he skillfully manipulates angles and bursts to the basket for both high-flying finishes and crafty conversions through contact. The rim pressure Moton generates not only fuels his own scoring but also opens opportunities for teammates, as he balances his downhill aggressive driving threat with reliable and fluid outside shooting and the ability to draw multiple help defenders before finding the open man.     A steady and often reliable shooting guard who does most of his damage from the perimeter as a versatile shot maker, [player_tooltip player_id='2347867' first='Sage' last='Mateo'] should very much continue where he left off last season as part of a solid scoring attack in The Hun School's dynamic backcourt. The Cornell commit is a confident outside shooter who's just as effective as a spot up shooter as he is a shot maker off the bounce that can create a little bit of space and knock down shots from three point range. Capable of impacting the game far beyond his outside shooting ability, Mateo is often times seen countering his outside shot making with strong and purposeful attacks of the basket and getting to the rim. As Mateo embarks on the start of his senior year, look for him to showcase that his scoring ability goes far beyond what he can do as a dangerous outside shooter.     A versatile, two way wing with the physical tools and a skillset that translates to being a highly effective contributing 3&D wing at the next level, [player_tooltip player_id='1630659' first='Isaiah' last='Carroll'] will look to capitalize off the opportunity of doing a prep year at Blair Academy. An effective floor spacer, Carroll is a high level three point shooter, particularly off the catch, who should see plenty of opportunity to knock down open outside looks in Blair's offense with the penetration their backcourt generates. A versatile defender, Carroll leverages his length to both guard multiple positions— both out on the perimeter against quick guards and on the inside in the painted area against bigger forwards as well as contest and block shot attempts at the rim.     Expected to provide nice depth in the frontcourt for Blair Academy this season, [player_tooltip player_id='2431506' first='Coleman' last='Elkins'] brings an interesting blend of floor spacing at his position alongside physical interior activity on the defensive end of the floor. An impactful and versatile presence as an inside outside threat, the Texas commit possesses the ability to ability to finish with both power and touch around the basket while also being a threat to stretch the floor from beyond the arc as a confident three point shooter. With intriguing size and length to be a difference maker on the defensive end of the floor, Elkins will look to use those physical tools to switch out onto guards out on the perimeter while also being a factor as a rebounder and a shot blocker on the interior.     A steady and composed ball handler with dangerous and confident outside shooting ability, [player_tooltip player_id='2731718' first='Riley' last='Gorman'] will be looking to capitalize off a breakout junior season that saw him average an impressive 18.1 PPG and 3.0 APG all while shooting it at an over 40% clip from three point range. Operating as Immaculata's lead guard, Gorman will look to pick up right where he left off last season, as a versatile and lethal lights out three point shooter who's also proven over the course of multiple different showings to be a reliable and trustworthy facilitator of the basketball, often times setting the table and finding open guys within the flow of Immaculata's offense.     Coming off a breakout junior year that saw him erupt for a number of explosive scoring performances, [player_tooltip player_id='2107955' first='George' last='Boley'] is an aggressive and assertive scoring guard that will look to pick up right where he left off at last year's season end. He's proven to be a multi level scorer— powerful downhill attacks for crafty finishes in traffic at the rim while also mixing in some mid range pull ups off the bounce. Boley has also proven to be effective from beyond the arc, especially off the catch, consistently knocking down open threes. With the skillset to produce profound scoring outings, look for Boley to continue to be one of the Shore Conference's best players and post big numbers throughout the course of his senior season.     A bright spot for this Paterson Charter backcourt throughout the course of m this fall, Julian Estrella is a confident shooter with a compact and fluid release, consistently showing he can score efficiently from both the perimeter and mid-range. He's comfortable hitting catch and shoot threes and demonstrated good rhythm off the dribble when defenders chased him off the line, flowing naturally into mid range looks. Looking to capitalize the momentum he's generated so far this fall, Estrella will also look to prove he can finish strong at the rim especially in transition—while mixing in assertive dribble drive attacks in the half court.

Preseason fall ball is fully in the rear view mirror and everyone's eyes are focused on the upcoming high school season that is right around the corner. With programs gearing up for the start of the season over the next week or so and so much basketball ahead of us this winter, let's dive into some prospects that should be on people's radars, either looking to turn heads and gain some more exposure or looking to continue to solidify their stocks, over the course of the next few months.