2026 Rankings Update: Top Newcomers

Andrew Force March 31, 2026 @ 08:23 AM

Top Newcomers

Arden Smith Arden Smith 6'7" | PF Westview | 2026 State TN [PICTURED ABOVE} led his Westview Chargers to their program's first and only State Championship game in school's 101-year history. Wesview High defeated both Gatlinburg-Pittman and Smith County before ultimately losing 61-52 to dynastic Sentinels of Chattanooga Prep.

Smith scored nine points (2-10 FG's, 4-4 FT's) in the title tilt and collected a team-high seven rebounds.

By far Arden's best career game occurred three days earlier when the senior fluttered in 21 points and earned 16 rebounds in a 61-45 state quarterfinal victory. Westview pulled away from Jayden Barton Jayden Barton 6'3" | SG/PG Gatlinburg-Pittman | 2026 State TN 's Gatlinburg-Pittman team in the fourth quarter ending their run.

Starters Zach Wallin Zach Wallin 6'0" | PG Unaka | 2026 State TN and Justius Wallin Justius Wallin 6'0" | SG Unaka | 2026 State TN ended their high school careers with a historic run to the Class State Tournament, ultimately losing 64-53 to Humboldt's Vikings in a quarterfinal game.

Unaka's Rangers (22-8), thanks in part to the Wallins, earned their way into the school's sixth State Tournament and first since 2005. Both played 32 minutes with Justius scoring six points and hauling in eight rebounds while Zach scored eight points with three assists and three turnovers.

Logan Shuttle Logan Shuttle 6'10" | C Sullivan East | 2026 State TN (Sullivan East) finished his high school career with 354 career points and 294 career rebounds as well as 54 blocks. Just this past season Shuttle managed 7.4 ppg in only 17.2 minutes nightly. Strengths were offensive rebounding, as he tucked away nearly two offensive rpg, and efficiency (53% FG). Nine times in Shuttle's senior season he recorded double-figures in scoring. Mid-January Logan played his best game by making 11 shots on 73% shooting for a season-high 25 points!

Said Sullivan East Head Coach Brandon Barnes, "Logan [Shuttle] was a huge asset on the inside and real difference maker at the rim. Above the height advantage, he had a really good outside shot and could knock down the three-pointer, which really made him a difficult challenge to guard. I think with some hard work and development with the right coaching staff he could really help a program in the future."

Jayden Thompson Jayden Thompson 6'2" | PF Tullahoma | 2026 State TN and his Tullahoma Wildcats advanced to the 3A State Tournament in 2025 and 2026. @PrepHoopsTN neglected to add him after his sterling 2025 performance but squeaked in the final 2026 ranking release.