2026 player rankings: A final touch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The final touch to the 2026 Tennessee player rankings is here. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A lot of prospects in this class ended their high school basketball careers on a positive note, and because of the ending, some movement took place.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are 4 highlights from the final update to the 2026 class:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pearson ends on top</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pope John Paul II's [player_tooltip player_id='1560719' first='Trey' last='Pearson'] lands back at No. 1. The 6-foot-2 point guard finishes his high school career leading the Knights to a TSSAA Division II-AA state runner-up. He was a DII-AA Mr. Basketball finalist, and the school's all-time leader in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. Pearson continued to be a really good on-ball defender. He improved his jump shot. Pearson sharpened his skills as time went along. There's no disputing that. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Perry moves up one spot to No. 11</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bartlett's [player_tooltip player_id='2083148' first='Axton' last='Perry'] moved up one spot to No. 11. Perry had a great outing in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, helping the Panthers win their first state title since 2001. In the Class 4A state title game against Knoxville Bearden, the 6-7 forward imposed his will in the paint with his length to alter shots. He was active on the boards, which has been his strength throughout his high school career. Perry finishes well around the rim, another attribute he was able to show this past season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Perry's numbers in his final high school game: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 4 steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He was the anchor of the backend of Bartlett's defense and the Swiss Army knife that could take anyone out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Leeth stays in the top 10</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like Perry, Knoxville Webb's [player_tooltip player_id='2166129' first='Alexander' last='Leeth'] was the anchor of the Spartans' defense. He moved up two spots to No. 9. The Rice commit was always active on the glass. Leeth was always looking to set the tone on both ends of the floor. On offense, he's effective in pick-and-roll action. He can glide to the basket and also pop out and knock down the 3. Leeth helped Knoxville Webb win a DII-AA state title a season ago. He helped the Spartans maintain the excellence head coach Ricky Norris has injected into the program. Leeth played winning basketball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Conley lands inside the top 15</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was going to be very difficult to look at the rankings and not see Chattanooga Prep‘s [player_tooltip player_id='1296308' first='Reid' last='Conley'] somewhere in the top 15. The 6-3 point guard moved up 16 spots to No. 13. Conley played a huge part in the Sentinels winning their third straight state title. He's difficult to guard. Conley is shifty, crafty, and twitchy. He's a 3-level scorer. Conley can get to his spots. He can get into rhythm with ease. Conley ends his career as a champion and one of the best players in the class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Perfect ending.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The rest</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1659513' first='Christopher' last='Washington Jr.'], [player_tooltip player_id='1760996' first='Fred' last='Smith Jr']., Cam Swearegen, and [player_tooltip player_id='1959161' first='Cade' last='Murphy'] round out the top 5. [player_tooltip player_id='2439013' first='Cutter' last='Sisk'] moved up one spot to No. 6. Kentucky commit [player_tooltip player_id='2955801' first='Mason' last='Williams'] sits at No. 7. [player_tooltip player_id='1572632' first='Cam' last='Blivens'] stays at No. 8. [player_tooltip player_id='1943896' first='Nickalai' last='Anderson'] sits at No. 10.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->