1A-1 Conference Preview

The high school basketball season is right around the corner in the state of Arkansas. Before the season tip-offs, I wanted to preview every division of every conference in the state. These will have player breakdowns, coach quotes, and more. It should be noted that almost all the stats, such as records or returning players, are from MaxPreps/Scorebook Live. With that being said, let's hop into conference 1A-1.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Alpena</h2>   2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview    Playing up a level at 2A, Alpena went 15-19 and 5-5 in conference play. It should be noted, though, that with different rosters, they went 3-4 against this year's conference foes last year. Last year, they made it to regionals before losing to Hector. According to the roster on ScorebookLive, Alpena has six seniors. They are a veteran team who's been playing together for a long time. [player_tooltip player_id='3725064' first='Alex' last='Ragland'] is one of the best players in all of 1A, but players like Brodie Berry will also be huge for Alpena to have success this year.    Player Breakdown    The first thing you notice is that Alex is relentless in the post when it comes to positioning. Offensively, he's almost always posting up, calling for the ball. Defensively, the same, constantly working for certain angles for rebounds. The All-Conference selectee favors the mid-range area, where he can score off the dribble and over defenders. He's got good overall strength and uses it to his advantage in the post.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Deer</h2>   2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview    Suffering a big injury to Ayden Burdine early on, Deer struggled to find their way. After losing 10 out of 13, Coach Sampley was able to rally the troops. Managing to keep the year afloat, finishing .500 and solidly placing third in the conference. As stated above, Ayden Burdine played limited games last year. Deer still went 8-4 in conference play. Going into the 26/27 season, Deer brings back All-State performer [player_tooltip player_id='3725067' first='Kolby' last='Middleton'], All-Conference Dillon Young, and a healthy Ayden Burdine to form a dynamic big three. It wouldn't surprise me to see this team take a big step forward this upcoming year.    Coach Q/A   You're only losing a few seniors from last year; what benefits will this team have from a lot of them players as Sophomores and Juniors? - "With only losing one Sr., the team gains a major edge in continuity, chemistry, and long-term upside heading into the next season.  Our players have been playing together for years and tend to have better on-court communication, understand each other's tendencies, and require less time to gel compared to a roster overhauled by graduation.”   Who's one or two guys that are x-factors for this year? -  [player_tooltip player_id='3725067' first='Kolby' last='Middleton'] 6-0 guard, All State Last year as a sophomore. Sees the floor well, scores at all levels, and keeps everyone involved. Ayden Burdine 6-3 guard, ACL injury last season only played a few games. Averaged over 20 a game for the short time we had him. Team leader, scores from all levels, athletic.   Player Breakdown    Kolby is a floor general who sees the floor well. Being at the helm of the offense, he looks to play-make for teammates. Seeing the floor well doesn't mean just passing to others. Kolby attacks holes in the defense and can get to the rim. This also means he regularly gets to the free-throw line. Though only standing at six feet, he's a scrappy defender and will even get on the defensive boards.     <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Founders Classical - Rogers</h2>   2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview    The Tell of Founder's Classical season was close losses. If they could have closed out games against Kingston, Haas Hall, Deer, etc who knows what last year could've become. Under new coach Ronnie Williford, it'll be exciting to see if some of those close losses can flip to wins.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Jasper</h2>   2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview  Jasper is coming off one of the best seasons in school history, making it to the Final Four of the state tournament. On top of a deep postseason run, they had three All-State seniors: Tyson Davis, Blake Williams, and Ty Williams. With last season's core moving on, Players like [player_tooltip player_id='3725070' first='Jayce' last='Rylee'], Ty Floyd, and Jase Willis will be crucial for Jasper's overall success.    Player Breakdown    Going into his junior year, Rylee is a major contender for progression. As a Sophomore, he was one of the backbone of a talented Jasper team. All year, he made plays that didn't show up on the stat sheet, diving for loose balls or swatting balls out of bounds. Jayce is a pesty defender with active hands. On the other side of the court, he's a good playmaker on the perimeter and in the high-post for Jasper. In what maybe is his best talent, Rylee excels in multiple positions and always finds a way to impact the game    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Kingston</h2>   2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview    [player_tooltip player_id='3725076' first='Matthew' last='Huber'] is the x-factor for Kingston going forward. Alongside Huber, perimeter team shooting will be crucial, as Huber excels in driving and kicking.    Player Breakdown    Only being a sophomore last year, Huber has the potential to be one of the best players in the conference. Huber is a great playmaker, almost always dealing with pressure with ease. You can quickly tell he has a high IQ,  never forcing passes or a dribble. Matthew is a quick guard, getting past defenders regularly. Being young, he sometimes seems to be too passive. With natural age and progression, I hope to see him start attacking scoring opportunities on a more normal basis. This could really round out his offensive game and make him a must-see player within the conference.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lead Hill</h2>   2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview    Lead Hill is coming off a successful 33-7 year, in which they almost exclusively lost to Flippin and Jasper, accounting for five of their seven losses. They finished 11-1 in conference play, which was good for second place. Lead Hill made it to the state tournament before losing to Crowley's Ridge Academy. Going into this year, Lead Hill returns multiple all-conference players, including [player_tooltip player_id='3720028' first='Brett' last='Arnold'] and Hunter Rogers. Outside of those two, players such as [player_tooltip player_id='2423073' first='Logan' last=''] Henson and Tucker Middleton taking the next step forward will be crucial for their team's success.    Coach Q/A   You're coming off a very successful season. What does this year's team do just as good or maybe even better than last year? - “This year's team really defends well and plays hard. They played last year's team every day in practice and beat them some days but pushed them every day in practice. We return a couple of starters and our key reserves. I would say one thing this group does better is they shoot the ball better from the perimeter. “   Who's one or two guys that are an x-factor for you this year? - “My key players, I really have two. [player_tooltip player_id='3720028' first='Brett' last='Arnold'] and Hunter Rogers. Both are returning all-conference players, and Brett was an all-state tournament team player as a sophomore. Brett earned 3rd all-time in steals for a single season last year in the state of Arkansas. Brett averaged 9.5 PPG last season along with 4 assists and 3 steals per game” Player Breakdown    Arnold is coming off an extremely successful junior season where he had one of the most impressive defensive seasons in state history. Arnold averaged over 3 steals a game and was third all-time in steals for a single season in the state of Arkansas. He has very active hands, poking balls out from opponents when attacking the basket or even when they come down with a rebound. Arnold is more than just a defender, however. Offensively, he's a threat from the perimeter and can put the ball on the floor. Arnold seems to favor the mid-range area, where he's lethal with pull-ups. Going into his senior year, he should once again be an all-conference player and maybe the best overall player in the conference.     <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mount Judea</h2>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">2026/2027 Preview </h4>   There was not enough information or footage for me to feel comfortable breaking down their squad.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Omaha</h2>   2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview    Starting multiple Sophomores, Omaha had a lot of learning experiences last year. As a young squad, this can only help them going forward. It was all about consistency last year; in multiple games, Omaha showed what they can be, picking up wins against solid opponents. As mentioned before, Omaha returns the majority of their players this year. Their Sophomore group from last year has to take a jump for them to break through, and I believe they will.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">School for Advanced Studies - NWA</h2>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">2026/2027 Preview </h3>   Similar to Mt. Judea, there was not enough information or footage for me to feel comfortable breaking down their squad. Last year, they were at the bottom of the conference. With that, it should be exciting to see where they have progressed this year.

The high school basketball season is right around the corner in the state of Arkansas. Before the season tip-offs, I wanted to preview every division of every conference in the state. These will have player breakdowns, coach quotes, and more. It should be noted that almost all the stats, such as records or returning players, are from MaxPreps/Scorebook Live. With that being said, let's hop into conference 1A-1.