Tennessee's best '28 Small Forwards

PICTURED: Eli Peters Eli Peters 6'5" | SF Oak Ridge | 2028 State TN

Late July we updated the 2028 player rankings. The Class of 2028 players ended their 16u AAU seasons and are taking the big jump from sophomores to juniors. More will be asked of them. Leadership is now expected and production is no longer a nice surprise. Which guys are ready? Read about the best junior small forwards statewide.

Rank	Player	Height	High School
1	DJ Okoth	6'7"	Bartlett
2	Joshua Huggins	6'6"	Briarcrest Christian
3	Korajo Dickens	6'7"	Chattanooga Prep
4	Malik Sanders	6'4"	Antioch
5	Giancarlo Martinez	6'2"	Goodpasture Christian
6	Rod Lucas	6'5"	Bartlett
7	Joseph Maynard	6'5"	Upperman
8	Kendrick Cherry	6'3"	Summit
9	Jelani Barr	6'4"	Whites Creek
10	Miles Thames	6'4"	Brentwood
11	Eli Klekamp	6'5"	Brentwood Academy
12	Leyton Plummer	6'6"	Green Hill
13	Kingston Booker	6'7"	Columbia Central
14	Tyler Sigmund	6'7"	Maryville
15	Jordan Hearing	6'4"
16	Keyon Shaw	6'4"	Ensworth
17	Kai Stowers	6'4"	Maryville
18	Hollister Johnson	6'6"	Union City
19	TJ Starkey	6'1"	Marion County
20	Thomas Young	6'4"	Clarksville
21	Eli Peters	6'5"	Oak Ridge
22	Colt Ogle	6'2"	Giles County
23	Noah Woolfork	6'3"	Peabody
24	Ezra Spurgeon	6'4"	Cosby
25	Daxton Evans	6'2"	Cleveland
26	Thomas Oglesby	6'3"	Gallatin
27	Jaylon Pettigrew	6'3"	Middle College
28	Zephyn Williams	6'2"	Columbia Academy
29	Zachary Williams	6'4"	Cocke County
30	Meko Beasley	6'2"	Red Bank
31	David Peacock	6'5"	Davidson Academy
32	Peyton Smith	6'2"	Northeast
33	Pritchett Norwood	6'0"	McCallie
34	Ryan Eddings	6'3"	St. Benedict
35	Bryson Seagroves	5'11"	Greenbrier
36	Canon Moss	6'1"	Ravenwood
37	Mason Powell	6'1"	Powell
WL	Brayden Atwell	6'0"	Farragut
WL	Charlie Anton	5'10"	Father Ryan
WL	Houston Payne	6'1"	C.P.A.
WL	Kaden Godwin	6'5"	Whitehaven
WL	Lochlan Ries	6'4"	Independence
WL	Pierce Washington	6'5"	Bartlett
WL	Tazarius Burns	6'3"	Oak Ridge

Cream of the Crop

The two best college prospects in 2028 are small forwards. State Champion Joshua Huggins Joshua Huggins 6'6" | SF Briarcrest Christian | 2028 State #64 Nation TN and State Champion DJ Okoth DJ Okoth 6'7" | SF Bartlett | 2028 State #7 Nation TN flipped spots this ranking cycle. It is tough to select one over the other as both earned State Championships in the spring. Both are elite scorers at the high school level. Our thinking is that Okoth has a higher upside thanks to his agility and tenacity. He could be an elite defender at the college level. While Huggins is the more natural scorer currently his ceiling is just a smidgeon lower long-term. Okoth may or not develop his outside shooting, which he needs to improve, but his insane slashing, defense, rebounding make him our #1 prospect in the Class of 2028. And Okoth will enter his junior season as Mr. Basketball candidate for the #1 team in 4A Bartlett High.

Korajo Dickens Korajo Dickens 6'7" | SF/SG Chattanooga Prep | 2028 State TN and his brother left Montgomery Bell Academy for Chattanooga Prep this summer. Dickens is an exciting, unique wing attacker. The size sets him apart from his wing peers.

On the Rise

Eli Peters Eli Peters 6'5" | SF Oak Ridge | 2028 State TN (Oak Ridge) wrapped his final LIVE period Saturday with a blowout win. Peters passed great out of the post. He was listed as Jon Peters on the roster, but goes by Eli. Peters is a very good shooter. Needs his feet set to hit the jumper, but 18' is not too far. With Scenic City Warriors 16u he was more of a faceup "4".

In 2025-2026 Oak Ridge High was young and rebuilding. Eli believes that Oak Ridge is ready to compete again at a high level. Head Coach Aaron Green retired, and the program brought in a new coach.

Kingston Booker Kingston Booker 6'7" | SF/PF Columbia Central | 2028 State TN (Columbia Central) stepped out of his mid Tennessee comfort zone this summer and the returns were encouraging. He ran with Team Thad , a program based out of Memphis, Tennessee. Booker's sophomore season concluded with wonderful averages: 12.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.8 bpg. Booker is unusually athletic at 6-foot-7. You will see him garner more local attention in the coming season because of the competition he faced during the 2026 AAU season. Booker's upside is tantalizing thanks to his height and agility.

Tyler Sigmund Tyler Sigmund 6'7" | SF/PF Maryville | 2028 State TN (Maryville) is a unique player. Sigmund's older brother Luke Sigmund signed to Lee University (Division 2). Like his brother Tyler is quite tall. He stands 6-foot-7 inches tall and plays kind of that same faceup "4" that Luke made his own. Sigmund began carving out his own place in the basketball world in 2025 and continued that with FBC Reign 2028 all summer. His shooting touch suggests that he will enjoy stepping away from the basket. Bulking up is definitely on his to-do list.