2026 Watch List: Top 10 Consideration (Pt. I)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first class of 2026 watch list features 60 prospects in the freshman – soon to be sophomore – class in Southern California. But a watch list is just a group of names for you to keep on your radar and not quite a true ranking yet. We like to give these young prospects a full year of high school and spring and summer club basketball to show their talents before we put them in rank order.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After picking choosing <a href="https://prephoops.com/2023/05/2026-watch-list-battle-for-no-1/">six players who could see their name in the No. 1 overall spot</a> we wanted to expand that list some more to include prospects we see breaking into the 2026 top 10.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1956520' first='Brayden' last='Kyman'], Santa Margarita</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If size, shooting ability, fundamentals and basketball IQ are things you look for in a player then Kyman might be your type of guy. The 6-foot-6 wing/forward is a dead-eye shooter when his feet are set and has time and space but it's the rest of his game that makes him an intriguing prospect and one to be considered when forming a top 10. Kyman is under the tutelage of a very good coaching staff at Santa Margarita and you can already see it paying dividends in his game on both ends of the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1956509' first='Delan' last='Grant'], Heritage Christian</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong, physical and athletic guard/wing, Grant got a ton of varsity playing time and produced on both ends of the floor when his number was called. The 6-foot-2 rising sophomore proved to be an efficient scorer in the paint and at the rim and a multi-positional defensive prospect which, as a young player, is a good attribute to have when projecting to the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1956481' first='Eli' last='Garner'], Damien</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Garner's combination of size and shooting ability are the traits that land him among the players in consideration for a top 10 spot. At 6-feet-4 with a pure and fluid shooting stroke, the Damien High product is a lethal spot shooter when given time and space from behind-the-arc. Garner should see his touches and shot attempts rise next season and we all know how well the Spartans offense plays to shooters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1956524' first='Isaiah' last='Rogers'], Corona Centennial</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's hard to place a player who didn't see a ton of valuable time at the varsity level but considering Rogers played on a talent-rich, senior-laden Centennial squad, and his opportunity to showcase his talents in his sophomore season, he has a chance to crack the top 10 when the time comes for us to rank the 2026 class. We've seen Rogers numerous times in showcases and club games over the last 10 or so months and his feel for the game combined with his modern point guard skill-set makes us think he'll be a prospect to watch in the 2023-2024 high school season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1956616' first='Jaden' last='Bailes'], St. Augustine</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bailes has the chance to make a major impact for St. Augustine next season and that's saying a lot seeing that the Saints are perennially one of San Diego's top programs and have a good amount of key players returning from their CIF-SDS Open Division championship team. Bailes is a versatile and high motor guy whose ability to do a little bit of everything on the floor earned him key varsity minutes as a freshman and has him potentially on the cusp of a top 10 spot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1956468' first='Jayden' last='Gray'], Victory Christian</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When you look at the numbers Gray had one of the more impressive stat lines of any San Diego-based prospect regardless of class. The 6-foot combo guard scored 21.4 points per game to go along with 5.5 assists and four rebounds per game. Gray is best with the ball in his hands in transition or half-court settings due to his ability to get into the lane and finish through or around defenders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1956504' first='Joe' last='Sterling'], Crespi</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we mentioned in our <a href="https://prephoops.com/2023/05/2026-watch-list-pg-positional-breakdown/">Point Guard Positional Breakdown</a>, Sterling is one of the top floor generals in all of Southern California. The 6-foot-3 Crespi High product put together an impressive freshman campaign where he averaged 18.3 points and hit 47 percent of this shots from three-point range. What's even more impressive about Sterling's performance is it came while playing in the Mission League which is regarded as one of the top high school leagues in the Western U.S.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->