Top Class of 2026 Power Forwards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>PICTURED: [player_tooltip player_id='2042762' first='Tae'Shawn' last='Shelton']</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Late December, we updated the 2026 player rankings. In this feature, the third of the positional breakdown series, the focus is power forwards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/position-ranking-table {"name":"acf/position-ranking-table","data":{"class":"2026","_class":"field_65cfb7374abb9","position":"77245","_position":"field_65cfbfcb19ad6","national_rankings":"0","_national_rankings":"field_660c1d73c0e49","state":"","_state":"field_65cfb88a603fe"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6955d1d074b9b"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Five senior power forwards committed to colleges. Jackson County star forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2364080' first='Will' last='McCrary'] </strong>selected Maryville University (TN). Both Will and Beech's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2439013' first='Cutter' last='Sisk']</strong> are Mr. Basketball candidates for their respective classes. Sisk signed with Wofford University.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>State Champion <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2166129' first='Alexander' last='Leeth'] </strong>(Knox Webb) signed to Rice University. The other two signees from this bunch are <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2573837' first='Carson' last='Dismang'] </strong>(Sewanee) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1787950' first='Luke' last='Sigmund']</strong> (Lee).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2439013' first='Cutter' last='Sisk']</strong> and Beech pummeled Station Camp in the first quarter Friday night, bounding out to a 15-3 start. The guy just gets buckets. When Station Camp tried to double or triple team the talent Sisk comfortably passed to the opposing block for teammate [player_tooltip player_id='2270751' first='Champ' last='Nix']. Sisk is such an elite passer from the low block that trapping him becomes futile. Few rebound better inside their area statewide.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">On the Rise</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2043374' first='Kaleb' last='Davis'] </strong>(Houston) keeps changing schools, which makes it nearly impossible to get a good read on his game and identify his potential. Well, he looks to be settled in with Houston's Mustangs and thriving now. Always athletic with D1 size Kaleb is impacting games with rim protection, rebounding, and the occasional bucket. His game is only in the fledgling stages of its life largely because his development stagnated, improved, stagnated, regressed, and now improved dramatically. Stability needs to follow so that the talent can adapt. There is a very real chance [player_tooltip player_id='2043374' first='Kaleb' last='Davis'] gets a stray D1 offer after colleges whiff on their #1 options in April.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>State Champion <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1947455' first='Peyton' last='Applegate'] </strong>(Providence Christian Academy) climbed 10 spots in the recent update thanks to his dramatic improvement athletically. Always an accomplished shooter, Applegate fully evolved from center to combo forward in the last 12 months to the point that he can defend taller wings and even provide serviceable albeit brief guard coverage on the switch. High-character.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2880796' first='Chance' last='Whitlock'] </strong>(Warren County) fell in love with the weight room. So rarely do high school boys enjoy lifting weights. Most athletes that do lift weights do it begrudgingly whereas Chance grabbed the bull by the horns and found out he is a bull-rider. Whitlock's squad earned deep respect from opponents all year long. The team is loaded with seniors, and the playoffs generally favor veterans.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2116626' first='Ethan' last='Gatewood']</strong> (Bartlett) sat a lot for deep Bartlett Panther teams the last year+. Head Coach Dion Real figured out what role Gatewood can best play...Glass Cleaner. Gatewood is a big, strong dude and rebounding never goes out of style. For a team with legitimate State Championship aspirations Gatewood works hard and occasionally gets rewarded with key minutes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Player Comparisons</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Realize these are stylistic comparisons to NBA players. Nobody in Tennessee is ready to play in the NBA today. This is merely a fun way to help readers visualize players by associating their style with a familiar face, like a current or former NBA player.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>State Champion <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2675160' first='Bronzden' last='Chaffin']</strong> - Grant Williams (Hornets)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grant Williams is certainly best known in Tennessee for his time with the Volunteers. He surprised SEC opponents with his brutish strength and consistent rebounding. Only when he got to the NBA did he develop outside shooting. Bronzden is so physical and domineering for Upeperman like Williams. The two both have a winning attitude. That may sound trite, but the pair exhibit a contagious confidence and inspiring grit in addition to impacting the game without the basketball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2363276' first='Foster' last='Coleman'] </strong>(CAK) - Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Heat)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image --> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/nba/players/full/4432848.png&amp;w=350&amp;h=254" alt="Jaime Jaquez Jr." /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jaime Jaquez Jr. is a throwback small forward that does a bit of everything, much of it in the middle range.<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2363276' first='Foster' last='Coleman']</strong> does the same. He rebounds well, handles like a guard and often towers over all of them small schools that CAK plays.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->