Half 1: Who’s School Basketball’s Greatest In 2026?

Considered one of NCAA school basketball’s principal storylines in a 2024-25 season stuffed with them was the hotly contested battle between Duke’s Cooper Flagg and Auburn’s Johni Broome for the varied nationwide participant of the yr awards throughout the nation. In the end, Flagg swept all the pieces however the Sporting Information Participant of the 12 months Award, which went to Broome. It was an fascinating dynamic to check the 18-year-old phenom Flagg with the 23-year-old stalwart Broome all through the season.

With an incoming freshman class that features two probably generational prospects in Darryn Peterson and A.J. Dybantsa, in addition to a returning crop of gamers that features 2025 Massive Ten Participant of the 12 months Braden Smith and the highest goal within the switch portal this offseason in Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, the nationwide participant of the yr debate figures to be extra wide-ranging this yr with a superb crop of high-end expertise. 

To not point out gamers like Texas Tech’s JT Toppin, who’s recent off an Elite 8 look with the Pink Raiders, or his star ex-teammate Darrion Williams, who elected to switch to Will Wade’s operation at NC State with a hefty price ticket included. Then you could have gamers like UCLA’s Donovan Dent, who commanded a reported $3 million NIL deal throughout switch portal negotiations. Or Duke freshman Cameron Boozer, who’s arguably probably the most completed prep basketball participant of all time.

This two-part collection will break down the eight gamers in school basketball this season who’re within the working for the hypothetical “Greatest Participant In School Basketball” superlatives forward of this upcoming season.

Braden Smith, Purdue (6-0, PG, Jr.) Age: 22 

Braden Smith is presently the odds-on favourite to comb the Nationwide Participant of the 12 months Awards. Frankly, that’s onerous to argue given his significance to the Purdue Boilermakers all through his time with this system. Smith is coming off a banner marketing campaign in 2024-25 that noticed him earn Massive Ten Participant of the 12 months and first-team All-American honors after averaging 15.7 factors and eight.7 assists per recreation, the latter of which was good for second within the nation behind present Dallas Mavericks rookie level guard Andrew Nembhard (Gonzaga). 

Smith is the definition of a real level guard and is arguably the very best passer in all of school basketball, already having carved his place on the highest of the all-time assists leaderboard for Purdue’s storied basketball program. Smith’s sturdy 6’0 body additionally permits him to complete successfully on the rim and he’s virtually a profession 40 % shooter from beyond-the-arc, in addition.

Smith has one other Participant of the 12 months contender in Trey Kaufman-Renn alongside him in Purdue’s beginning lineup, however Las Vegas clearly sees that as beneficiary for his Participant of the 12 months Award odds versus the alternative.

Darryn Peterson, Kansas (6-5, CG, Fr.) Age: 18

Kansas’ Darryn Peterson goes to turn out to be a family identify amongst basketball followers sooner quite than later. The projected No. 1 total choose within the 2026 NBA Draft has been thought-about by some to be a generational guard prospect, together with coach Invoice Self, who mentioned Peterson is “the very best participant he’s recruited” since he’s been the pinnacle man in Lawrence. 

Peterson, a 6’5 combo guard, was the 2025 Naismith Excessive Faculty Participant of the 12 months, and the runner-up to Cam Boozer for Mr. Basketball USA, out of Prolific Prep in Napa, California. He averaged eye-popping numbers throughout his senior season, scoring 30.4 factors whereas grabbing 7.4 rebounds and seven.4 assists per recreation. Though Peterson has been considerably neglected in comparison with the opposite prime 2025 highschool prospects due to his late-stage emergence over AJ Dybantsa, he’s arguably probably the most polished guard prospect on this facet of the 2020s.

Peterson is a Cade Cunningham-esque jack-of-all-trades guard with elite driving and ending capability, together with a stable capturing stroke from past the arc. He makes the offensive recreation look simple and enters school as arguably probably the most gifted playmaker within the nation and may have little to no hassle placing collectively a balanced spotlight reel with the Jayhawks this season. He’s going to be requested to do rather a lot for one of the seen applications in school athletics, and all the pieces we’ve seen from him suggests he’s up for the duty.

A.J. Dybantsa, BYU (6-9, SF, Fr.) Age: 18

Peterson has emerged because the No. 1 2026 draft prospect in latest months, nevertheless it was BYU’s A.J. Dybantsa who was the quantity one-ranked recruit within the nation for a lot of the 2025 class cycle whereas being one of the wanted prep skills of the final decade. Dybantsa’s odds to win the Picket Award are literally extra favorable than Peterson’s in the mean time, and given the latest trajectory of their respective applications, it’s not onerous to see a situation the place BYU is the premier group within the Massive 12 this season with Dybantsa main the best way. 

Dybantsa is a 6’9 freak of nature wing with a guard-like deal with and a constant capability to attain in any respect three ranges. He could make photographs off the dribble, hit pull-ups, and end above the rim, and he not often forces issues or play uncontrolled. Dybantsa strikes effectively sufficient defensively to successfully guard the perimeter at his peak and he’s athletic and lengthy sufficient to successfully guard forwards, too. He’s not a rim protector by any means, however his prolonged fellow freshman,  6-11 Xavion Staton, will likely be counted on in that space for the Cougs.

Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan (6-9, PF, Sr.) Age: 22

Yaxel Lendeborg would have been a assured first-round choose if he had stored his identify within the NBA Draft this spring, however the UAB switch made it recognized he was going to play for Dusty Might’s Michigan Wolverines if he didn’t obtain a assure from a group within the prime 20. Because it seems, that assure by no means got here, as a result of Lendeborg withdrew his identify from the sphere and elected to take his skills to play for a Michigan group that gained the Massive Ten Event whereas he was nonetheless in Birmingham this previous March. 

Lendeborg’s 2024-25 marketing campaign has just one historic parallel, as he turned the second participant in Division I historical past (alongside Indiana State’s Larry Hen) to report 600-plus factors, 400-plus rebounds and 150+ assists in a single season. He averaged 17.7 factors, 11.4 rebounds (fourth nationally) and three.4 assists per recreation, main UAB to an AAC match championship recreation. Lendeborg was additionally a nuisance on the defensive finish, averaging 3.5 shares (1.7 steals, 1.8 blocks) per recreation.

One benefit he does have over the others is expertise, as this will likely be his sixth season of school basketball at some degree, having began off within the junior school ranks in 2020-21.