By Jonathan Lidskin
With the AAU season winding down, many people have come to the realization that we have some special players in the next couple of high school classes. Obviously, we are in for a treat with the 2024 class as well, but it seems like it might’ve taken until this week for many to see how bright of a future the sport has. I’m going to discuss five of those players’ games in depth and I also should mention that these rankings are based on how I would rank them as college basketball prospects. I am still a college basketball guy and it makes the most sense to evaluate how they will fare at the next level of basketball that they will play in.
Honorable Mentions:
*Not in order*
Jordan Smith - Paul VI (Team Takeover)
247Sports Ranking - #8 in 2026
I’m not going to go too much into the honorable mentions, but Jordan Smith is the most underrated player in the 2026 class even as a top 10 player. Smith is a high-level perimeter and on-ball defender regardless of his age. At Peach Jam, Smith led Team Takeover to a semifinal appearance, and overall, Takeover finished the EYBL season with just two losses. Listed at just 6’3, Smith’s elite athleticism makes him a great rebounder for his size and there are a ton of tools that will help him continue to blossom on the offensive end even though he is already a good player there.
Koa Peat - Perry (Compton Magic)
247Sports Ranking - #5 in 2025
Koa Peat will not be the last player in this article who played on the Adidas Circuit, but Peat is a player that I’ve watched for quite a while now. Peat’s skillset at his height isn’t super rare based on where basketball is nowadays, but what is rare is finding a forward that has the body type of a linebacker and has guard skills. Peat averaged 23 points and 7 rebounds at the Adidas Finals in a semifinal run for Compton Magic and at points of the tournament looked completely unguardable. Peat is a transition threat and will often make plays to get himself in transition. You could, and I would definitely argue he is in the top tier of 2025 players.
Brandon McCoy Jr. - St. John Bosco (Arizona Unity)
247Sports Ranking: #2 in 2026
I absolutely love how the top guards in the 2026 class defend. Brandon McCoy does so many things well for a point guard going into a junior season and that starts on the defensive end. At Peach Jam, McCoy had 11 steals in six games to help Arizona Unity to the quarterfinals. His anticipation and hands defensively are ridiculous for a player his age. That’s not all either as his offensive output at Peach Jam was nothing to look away from. McCoy averaged 17 points and 4 assists as well as 5 rebounds in the six games and while his outside shot is a work in progress, he does too many things well to not get excited about him as a prospect.
#5 Caleb Wilson - Holy Innocents (Nightrydas)
247Sports Ranking: #6 in 2025
I’m very glad that Caleb Wilson ended up getting the recognition that he did this week at Peach Jam because I think he’s grown a lot as a player over the last year and whatever college coach gets him is going to be very happy. Wilson is a 6’9 wing who can play a little on-ball, but what really makes him special is I believe that even as a non-shooter, he will fit on any college roster in the country.
Nightrydas was already arguably the best team in EYBL before Wilson started playing with them and then when he did, he just completely elevated them to a different level. This past week at Peach Jam, Wilson averaged 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.9 steals and 2.8 blocks. Besides outside shooting, there isn’t a single thing in Wilson’s game that he doesn’t do well. The 2.3 assists obviously aren’t eye-popping, but it is a little more when you realize he only had 8 turnovers.
What makes Wilson so translatable is his ability on the defensive end. His numbers earned him Peach Jam Defensive MVP, but the film backs that up as well. He can guard multiple positions and has a really good wingspan that scouts will love even past the college level. Wherever Wilson ends up playing in college, he will completely change his team’s defense while also being a tremendous finisher around the rim (62% field goal % at Peach Jam).
#4 Darryn Peterson - Huntington Prep (Phenom United)
247Sports Ranking: #3 in 2025
I’m going to be 100% honest here: I didn’t really get a full look at Darryn Peterson until a couple of weeks ago at Palmetto Road. However, Peterson’s ranking at #3 is more than justified from what I have seen on tape. While he might not get the attention of a couple of the guys above him, there’s no doubt in my mind that Peterson is on that level and would be the #1 prospect in 80-90% of high school classes.
When watching Peterson, he’s not a player who has superb athleticism, but despite that, he’s still noticeable right away as an elite player for a couple of different reasons. The first of those reasons is his frame. Peterson has great size for a point guard at 6’5 and I’d bet his wingspan even makes him play bigger. The next thing and maybe his best trait is that he has one of the highest basketball IQs I’ve ever seen in a top prospect.
Peterson’s feel for the game is simply unbelievable. It seems like he is always making the right decision in ball screens and can perfectly calculate his isolation opportunities. Many times on drives I noticed Peterson being able to attack his defender’s top foot and when a player does this well, it means it is really tough to force him in a direction.
Peterson finished Palmetto Road averaging 28 points, 7 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks to be named both the offensive and defensive MVP of the tournament. This is a guy to keep an eye on especially given that he plans to commit before the high school season starts.
#3 Cameron Boozer - Columbus (Nightrydas)
247Sports Ranking: #2 in 2025
So if you can’t tell yet, I think the guys over at 247Sports have nailed the top players in this class and how to rank them. Cameron Boozer is also my #2 player in the 2025 class and the first thing I notice when watching him is you don’t need to know who his dad is to tell that he is the son of an NBA power forward.
Boozer and his brother Cayden (also a very good 2025 prospect) just wrapped up their third straight Peach Jam title, winning the tournament at the 15u, 16u and 17u levels. That right there is an instant green flag with Cam. No matter what level of basketball you are at, coaches want dudes that win and that’s all Cam and his brother have done since getting into the national spotlight.
Now, even though Cam has won a ton, his actual skills and how they will translate to college basketball might be even better. Boozer is a 6’9, high IQ forward with a really high motor. He has a willingness to go get a bucket on one end and go grab a board on the other end. The rebounding is especially promising when it comes to how he scales up because I think even at 6’9 he could play some center at the college level.
The next thing I want to mention with Boozer is his consistency and coordination and I think they go hand-in-hand. In eight games at Peach Jam, Boozer scored between 19-23 points in six of them and grabbed double-figure rebounds in five games (his Peach Jam low was 7). To go along with that, Boozer has a great ability to be able to catch the basketball no matter where it’s thrown to him. This will serve him well as a lob threat and in ball screens as he gets into college. Lastly, to go back to his high IQ, Boozer is not a high-volume shooter, but he understands what is a good and bad shot so well. At Peach Jam, he never shot worse than 33% (1-3) from three in a game and has proven that you can’t leave him open out there.
#2 AJ Dybantsa - Utah Prep (Oakland Soldiers)
247Sports Ranking: #1 in 2025
As many people’s top prospect in prep basketball, AJ Dybantsa is well on his way to being the second straight re-class to be the #1 player in his class. Typically when that happens, you know the player is special and Dybantsa is no different.
For the second straight year, Dybantsa led Peach Jam in scoring (listed at #2, but the top guy played in PIT). He averaged 23 points to go along with 5 rebounds in the eight Peach Jam games he played. To me, there are a couple of different things that Dybantsa does that make him such an elite scorer and it starts with his frame.
Dybantsa is listed at 6’9 and 200 pounds, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he weighs more. He is ridiculously strong for a kid who won’t even turn 17 until over halfway through the high school basketball season and when watching him, he knows really well how to use that strength. While his best zone might be in the midrange, Dybantsa’s size allows him to draw a ton of contact in the lane and get to the line. He also does a great job using secondary bumps to create a shot when he gets into a tough spot.
Dybantsa isn’t quite the defensive prospect yet of some of the guys I’ve mentioned, but his tools make him intriguing as a prospect on that side of the floor. As I said above, Dybantsa has the ability to be both physical and has a very good wingspan so while the production in terms of numbers isn’t quite there yet, I could see a world where we’re talking about Dybantsa in a year as a potential all-conference level defender wherever he ends up.
In terms of his recruitment, it’s been mentioned that a cutdown to either three or five teams is coming soon. Dybantsa has taken official visits to Auburn and USC and has unofficially visited BYU, but a lot of the typical powerhouses are involved heavily as well.
#1 Tyran Stokes - Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) (Oakland Soldiers)
247Sports Ranking: #1 in 2026
I don’t care if I’m alone on this. Tyran Stokes’ game is more translatable to the college level than any prospect that will play high school basketball next season. After playing with Dybantsa both at the same prep school and in AAU, the two #1 prospects will split up with Stokes heading to Notre Dame in Sherman Oaks for next season.
The main thing with Stokes that I like so much is I genuinely cannot find a single weakness in his game. He’s not a volume shooter, but he makes a respectable amount of outside shots and has good mechanics so as a projection, I am all in on him being at worst a solid college shooter. He could be better in the halfcourt, but I’d already call him good in that aspect and he does a great job playing off other ball-dominant teammates (Dybantsa).
Now let’s go to the good (and there’s a lot). What stands out about Stokes initially is his athleticism. Once he gets downhill with space, there’s no stopping him. This allows him to play above the rim more than anyone else not just in his class, but in prep basketball. However, it isn’t just athleticism that is to like. I said earlier that it’s tough to find a legitimate weakness with Stokes and I genuinely meant it. At Peach Jam, he averaged 20.6 points, 10 rebounds, 4.6 assists and just around 1 block and steal per game. That line included a 25-point, 10-rebound, 12-assist Triple Double.
The great thing about Stokes is you find so many prospects that have elite-level athleticism and either don’t know how to use it or aren’t at a point when they enter college where they can’t use it effectively. With Stokes, not only does his athleticism add to a lot of his tools, but he has other great traits on top of that. You need him to handle the ball? He can do it. You need him to be a creator for his teammates and take a step back from scoring? He will. His shot isn’t falling and you need him to impact the game on the other end? He’s more than capable of it.
Stokes, unlike his former teammate Dybantsa, did not re-classify so he’ll get an extra year of high school ball to get better. I am extremely excited to see what he can do at a non-prep school this year. The team will obviously be good, but this will be the first time in his high school career that he’s far and away the number one option on the team.