2026 Rankings: Sleepers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With 270 players, there are bound to be players that fall under the radar and could make a jump in the next year or so.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here are 8 sleepers from the sophomore class to possibly make a jump over the next year:&nbsp;</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2329550' first='Jonathan' last='Dargitz'] <strong>Buckeye</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A super long quick twitched wing forward is the point forward type. He sees the game quickly like a point guard and will find the teammate in stride. He scores in transition, gets on the glass and defends multiple positions. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2367880' first='Saleem' last='Gakiza'] <strong>Pinnacle</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A bigger sized wing forward from Canada should get a big spike up in minutes next year. He does a little bit of everything from defending from inside and out on the perimeter to scoring from all levels. He can shoot it from mid to the three and attacks on the break. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2045282' first='Landon' last='Jones'] <strong>Ironwood (Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the better shooters in the class hasn't actually played in an AIA game yet. He has college size for position and comes with a super quick trigger and beyond the arc range. He unfortunately got injured but I got a chance to view him at Section-7 what he may bring to the table next year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1768199' first='Bryce' last='Neal'] <strong>Hamilton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An athletic and long power forward is just scratching the surface. He is all arms and legs and moves fluidly from end to end. He can score inside with put backs, hook shots and dunks. He makes his presence known on defense with rebounds and blocking shots. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2280482' first='Rico' last='Blassingame'] <strong>Tolleson</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A hyper athletic wing forward flies on the break with almost above the box type of athleticism. He rebounds and blocks shots way out of his area. He can score getting to the basket plus scoring from the perimeter. He is a two-sport stud and is one to track. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1875718' first='Melvin' last='Stubbs'] <strong>Catalina Foothills</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A Tucson young standout could be a breakout player next season. He has next level athleticism and has real speed in the open court. He scores in transition and will defend multiple positions. He can shoot it from the perimeter and throw it down on the break. With 11 seniors graduating from the team, he will get the opportunity.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2339789' first='Eli' last='Schlitt'] <strong>Gilbert</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A skilled combo guard with good size and a high IQ for the game. He is a star on JV and he should get a chance to play good minutes on varsity with many seniors graduating. He smartly plays well off of the pick and roll game finding a teammate and will score. He scores on floaters, mid-range J's and threes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2353009' first='Tyler' last='Anderson'] <strong>Scottsdale Christian Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Already a starter on varsity and was kind of a role player but with senior star Wales graduating, Anderson will get way more touches. He can score on rip thrus, downhill play and is active on defense. He can play and defend multiple positions. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->