It is June. And no ranking of teams should matter.
But….we like to look ahead, we like to talk about basketball during the summer as much as we can. And Bounce, well I like to get all the keyboard warriors and barstools on X and Facebook chatting, even if I am just riling you up for the sake of it.
The banter is fun, but so is some thought into what next season could look like, at least when we tip off boys season at the end of November. So here we are in June, five months ahead of time: my current Top 20 girls teams for the 2026-2027 season. Will it change before Thanksgiving week? Undoubtedly.
1. Homestead – The Spartans were probably the frontrunners for this list anyway, but then came the early June news that standout junior to be Bryce Lacross was joining the already stacked lineup that includes Mack Welker, Jake Coolman and Ryder Imel.
2. New Haven – Don’t expect the Bulldogs to take too many steps back. They lost some guys to graduation but Tarvar Baskerville, Lavell Ledbetter, Shane Rogers-Smith, Marquaylon Johnson and company aren’t going to be too keen on going in reverse.
3. South Side – Terrance Jordan’s injury last year was unfortunate, but by all accounts he came this spring as good as ever. South doesn’t lose much, they are right back in the SAC title conversation.
4. Westview – Austin Schlabach was our Player of the Year for a reason. The Warriors will miss Kaden Grau, but all of the other pieces from a state finals run are back and Westview will remain a hard out every single night.
5. Snider – The Panthers’ run last season wasn’t a fluke. Once they click on cylinders, this team has so many weapons. As good as he has been at parts of his career, is this a Trell Hogue major breakout senior season?
6. Huntington North – Something about this Vikings team is super intriguing. As Bounce has already said previously, they may not be able to play as big but their guard play is pretty multi-dimensional.
7. North Side – Questions will await the Legends, who were a hair away from a Sectional title. The biggest ones: which of their D1 football guys will be on the court. But let’s throw this out there for the first time: freshman Jase Brooks is a stud and he will likely be a primetime guy immediately.
8. Blackhawk Christian – The Braves will have to make some adjustments but now is the time for Drake Sefton to step into a massive role while players like Ryker Knox and Kyler Wood have shown glimpses that they will help keep the Braves more than relevant.
9. Jay County – Things stay consistent at Jay County a lot, don’t expect that to change with Jayden Comer back and Gabe Overton primed for a breakout.
10. Angola – Experience lost doesn’t mean experience doesn’t exist. Some of these guys have played in big minutes and Niles Knox could be the area’s best big.
11. Carroll – Is Jack Van Order the best player who isn’t talked about enough in the SAC? This group will be younger, but still efficient.
12. Warsaw – This is going to be a pretty big team, how will others match up inside with them? Time will really tell, but this is Warsaw so don’t expect them to slack.
13. Bishop Luers – A recent transfer loss hurts, but the Knights have experience back with some guys who got to play early in their careers.
14. Bellmont – The Braves have possibly the area’s most prolific scorer in Daniel Selking. But it doesn’t end there, does it?
15. Fairfield – Whoever ends up in this job as a coach is acquiring a good group, headed by Parker Smith, who’s offensive growth last year shouldn’t hide what a high level defender he is.
16. Leo – The Lions are never dead to rights but they needed another scorer and they get it with transfer in Jayden Moore. Alongside fellow junior to be Jonah Lagrange, Bounce’s interest is piqued.
17. Norwell – McBride and McBride and McBride says Norwell isn’t falling off. They may actually even be higher than this. We will see, but we know that their style and intensity doesn’t waver.
18. Bluffton – The Tigers too have some losses, but return one of the area’s best juniors to be and one of the area’s best sophomores to be. The Tigers will be just find, especially in the ACAC.
19. Garrett – This was a top 10 team last preseason before injuries derailed them. Whats to say that they can’t be again with most of that group back healthy?
20. East Noble – Can the Knights keep their prime football guys? How does a really good young group develop? All questions, but with Carson Waltke at the forefront, East Noble could be a real problem.
These opinions represent those of Bounce and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Bounce on Twitter at Bounce_OTH
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