2026 Year-End Eye Openers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The class of 2026 was a special one in terms of the amount of talent that it produced. Here are several year-end eye openers to watch at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2021880' first='JJ' last='Andrews']-Shooting Guard-Little Rock Christian-6'7”</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I am not sure what more can be said about [player_tooltip player_id='2021880' first='JJ' last='Andrews']' high school career. He has been one of the most impressive players that the state of Arkansas has seen in quite some time. Over the course of his high school career, he has earned all-conference honors four times, all-state honors four times, and all-state tournament team honors four times. Andrews has a high ceiling and will be a player to watch out for at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2021873' first='Jacob' last='Lanier']-Combo Guard-Little Rock Parkview-6'6”</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2021873' first='Jacob' last='Lanier'] is another talented prospect who will be playing at the division one level a year from now. He does an excellent job of knowing when to attack the opposing defense. Lanier shoots the ball well from all three levels of the floor and makes it a point to get his teammates involved on the offensive end of the floor. Lanier has won a state championship in Florida and has the potential to win in Arkansas before closing out his high school career.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2376832' first='Cole' last='McGarrah']-Small Forward/Shooting Guard-6'3”</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Prairie Grove prospect raised his level of play each time he stepped on the floor. McGarrah has the range to hit from all three levels of the floor. He is unselfish with the basketball and has no problem making the extra pass. To close out his high school career, McGarrah earned all-conference and all-state honors. McGarrah also closed out his career with 1,194 points for his career. He is a player to watch at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2373632' first='BJ' last='Knowlton']-Shooting Guard/Point Guard-Jonesboro-6'3”</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2373632' first='BJ' last='Knowlton'] has been a force throughout his high school career for the Jonesboro Hurricane. He handles the ball well and does a great job of getting his teammates involved on the offensive end of the floor. As a junior, Knowlton earned all-state and all-conference honors. A chance of repeating that feat would not be that surprising. He is a player to watch out for at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->