2A-5 Conference Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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. I say this because records on scorebook live are not 100% accurate. With that being said, let's hop into conference 2A-5.<br><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Bigelow</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview </strong></h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall Record - 6-17</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference Record - 4-10</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home Record - 2-9</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away Record - 3-7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Season Finish - Lost in the First Round of the District Tournament (White County Central)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Conway Christian</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview </strong></h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall Record - 10-13</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference Record - 6-7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home Record - 5-7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away Record - 5-6</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Season Finish - Lost in the First Round of the District Tournament (St. Joseph)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Player Breakdown</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":3762144,"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a9f2482579ea"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Going into his junior season, Brister's role will continue to grow for Conway Christian. He is someone you have to stay on if you're a defender. Brister moves without the ball extremely well and can hurt a defense from many areas. Isaiah is very effective on backdoor cuts and shows some craft around the basket. As soon as a defender is worried about backdoor cuts, he reminds you of his shooting abilities. With a pretty set shot, Brister is a real threat off the catch from three. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Hector</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview </strong></h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall Record - 28-2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference Record - 9-1</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home Record - 18-1</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away Record - 9-1</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Season Finish - Lost in the Second Round of the State Tournament (Sloan-Hendrix)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Coach Q/A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Who are one or two guys that will be x-factors this year for your squad?</strong> - <em>"Returners from last year: Jacob Stanek (scored 25) first round of state last year. Landon keeling, two year starter, and Landon “Dougie” Austin. Those 3 seniors will have to lead the way."</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Going into the new season, what areas has this team made the most improvements in?</strong> - <em>"We will have to be very good on the defensive end of the floor. Play with physicality and execute the game plan every night." </em><br><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Mt. Vernon-Enola</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview </strong></h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall Record - 34-6</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference Record - 12-2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home Record - 21-2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away Record - 10-2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Season Finish - Lost in the State Championship Game (Barton)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Player Breakdown</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2959981"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a9f248257a5a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The 2028 guard can get it done at all three levels. This summer with NEA Surge, Watson showed he has taken another jump forward in his shooting, athleticism, and overall development. What makes Watson such a dangerous scorer is his ability to shoot over defenders. Whether it's at the rim or from three, Watson is almost unguardable because of this. When attacking the basket, he utilizes a nice vertical to elevate and finish. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Rose Bud</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview </strong></h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall Record - 19-14</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference Record - 9-5</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home Record - 11-8</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away Record - 8-6</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Season Finish - Lost in the District Tournament (Paris)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Player Breakdown</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":3762153,"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a9f248257aa5"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Rhett is one of the best shooters in all of 2A. He's got uber confidence in his shot, which is one of the reasons he's so dangerous. Moving well without the ball, Rhett comes off screens regularly. He doesn't have to be set either; many of his shot attempts are when he's leaning to either side. Rhett is a lethal shooter who will continue to round out his game as he gets older. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>South Side Bee Branch </strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview </strong></h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall Record - 19-9</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference Record - 10-3</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home Record - 12-5</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away Record - 7-3</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Season Finish - Lost in the First Round of the Regional Tournament (England)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>St. Joseph</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall Record - 20-10</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference Record - 9-3</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home Record - 11-6</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away Record - 9-2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Season Finish - Lost in the First Round of the Regional Tournament (Barton)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Coach Q/A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Who are one or two guys that will be x-factors this year for your squad?</strong> - <em>"Senior George Heer will be an x-factor for my Sr. Boys this year. He moved up as a 9th grader and was selected as an All-State performer last year. I'm looking for him to run the show on offense and be an anchor for us on defense."</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Going into the new season, what areas has this team made the most improvements in?</strong> - <em>"Individually each guy has improved throughout the summer and the first few weeks of practice. Looking forward to watching them build off their team chemistry and play good team basketball."</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Player Breakdown</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":3762160,"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a9f248257aed"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">As a stronger guard, defenders bounce off of Heer once he gets downhill. He's a versatile finisher, though, using more than just his strength. He can pull up for a mid-range or even mix in some floaters. That being said, his bread and butter is shooting. The guard is not someone defenses want to give much space to. In his junior season, he showed the ability to both rise over defenders and create open looks for himself. He is primed to have a massive final year for St. Joseph's.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Two Rivers </strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview </strong></h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall Record - 7-20</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference Record - 4-12</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home Record - 5-8</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away Record - 2-11</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Season Finish - Lost in the First Round of the District Tournament (Atkins)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->