In the three months since our May watch lists, we’ve tracked the Class of 2026 through its final grassroots season. Along the way, I’ve sought to better understand what colleges are looking for in top prospects by monitoring both the offers they’re giving out and having my own conversations with coaches.
One theme: size and skill in the frontcourt are at a premium. Fortunately, 2026 has a particularly stellar cast of post players, and that’s reflected in this August watch list update.
Seven of the 10 members are forwards or bigs (including two new additions), and six could feasibly play center at the Division 1 level. In my mind, there’s a 12-player elite tier in this class — but we’re strict on 10-player limits for the watch lists, which made some of these picks excruciating. Differing opinions are expected and welcome.
In my view, these are the 10 best college prospects in the 2026 class, plus five honorable mentions, listed alphabetically. One note: Athena Thompson was on our May watch list but has since transferred to Blair Academy; with no more ties to New England, she has been removed from this list.
How I approached building my 2026 watch list
The best high school basketball players and the best college prospects are two very different categories. The latter, which is what we’re collecting here, involves projection and potential. My approach is also constantly evolving and builds off of the philosophy I wrote about in our May watch list.
Athletic tools like size, length, speed and explosiveness can be separators. But we also want to see consistent skill and production, particularly later into high school. College coaches and other evaluators I respect have repeatedly noted they watch for leadership and good teammate attributes as well.
Most importantly, when I look to project players’ talent, I’m often wondering: Will their high school and grassroots impact translate in a role that’s likely smaller at the next level? It's rare for colleges to hand go-to responsibilities to a freshman, so how else can they make an impact? These questions are especially fascinating with a 2026 class that has few pure bucket-getters at the top. Instead, several stars seem capable of impacting winning as complementary pieces.
With those thoughts in mind, let’s get to the watch list.
Izzy Adams
Dexter Southfield/MCW Starz, 5-8 guard
Hometown: Walpole, Mass.
With guard spots being so selective, Adams made the cut because she has a truly elite, translatable trait in her passing. We saw her do more facilitating and transition playmaking with MCW, which is probably what she’ll be asked to handle to start her college career. But Adams also scored a bunch moving without the ball when I watched and is a stellar rebounder for her position. She's a true point guard but doesn't slow the offense down running it. Adams holds a few mid-major offers and I think she can scale her impact up or down to what a college rotation asks.
Fope Ayo
Austin Prep/Rivals, 6-5 center
Hometown: Methuen, Mass.
Ayo has taken significant leaps forward in each subsequent season dating back to AAU in 2024. She’s the top-ranked prospect in this class and ranked No. 34 nationally by ESPN. She’s a much better inside finisher, her size remains a matchup nightmare on the glass and protecting the rim, and she has worked to become a center who can hold her own switching onto the perimeter. Ayo averaged 11.9 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 60.2 percent from the floor in Adidas 3SSB action.
The discussion for years with Ayo has been about potential, and it’s been fun to watch that transform into noticeable on-court impact. She’s got her pick from dozens of high-majors (with some more big offers potentially coming).
Bela Cucuta
Tilton/iBelieve Elite, 5-10 guard
Hometown: Newington, Conn.
NCAA: George Washington
Cucuta îs one of the exceptions to my earlier statement; she is a certified bucket-getter and the most dangerous perimeter player in this class. My past assertions about Cucuta remain true: she’s deadly because she can rain 3s off the dribble or off the catch. She also continues to make strides as a driving threat to score with short runners or make the correct pass. I’m excited to watch Cucuta return to Tilton with a year of NEPSAC experience under her belt.
Brooke Golden
Tilton/MCW Starz, 6-3 center
Hometown: Chester, N.H.
Golden (who also goes by the last name Muller) is the first of two new post players on this watch list and one of the AAU season’s breakout names. She is a standout run-and-jump athlete for a center with tremendous length and shot-blocking prowess. Despite being more slender, Golden can hold her own battling post players because she competes with obvious effort and emotion. My go-to take is still that she’s one of the more underrated post passers around. Golden swept up a ton of mid-major offers with MCW Starz this spring and summer.
Morgan Jenkins
Newman/Bay State Jaguars, 6-2 forward
Hometown: Higganum, Conn.
Jenkins fits the adaptable trait perfectly, and it’s why she’s amassed more than 30 offers (including some high-majors). She’s still at her best in the post with sharp footwork, a nose for the boards and smart team defense around the basket. But Jenkins has stretched out to become a serious threat behind the 3-point arc, and she can drive into open space. She has excelled as both a standalone center and in two-big lineups between prep school and AAU, which makes me even more confident in her college transition.
Serenity Lancaster
New Hampton/CBC, 6-1 forward
Hometown: New London, Conn.
Like Jenkins, Lancaster has played as both a perimeter-oriented forward in AAU and as a true center at New Hampton. She’s a solid 3-point shooter with a great handle for her size, but I’ve lately appreciated her eagerness to seek contact and score around the rim. Lancaster is naturally quicker than a lot of post players, but the strength and efficient finishing will go a long way at the next level. She’ll also look to back up her NEPSAC Class AAA Defensive Player of the Year honor this winter as she sorts through more than 20 Div. 1 offers.
Daniella McLean
Darrow/iDream, 6-2 center
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The second new watch list member is McLean, another rapid riser from AAU with iDream. She is a monster shot-blocker and defensive presence who also dominates on the boards. McLean has improved her footwork and finishing around the basket in my observation, and she’ll tease an open-floor handle and spot-up 3-ball on occasion too. She’s reached high-major territory with her offers, including schools like Boston College, Providence, Xavier and Davidson.
Elyse Ngenda
New Hampton/Rivals, 5-9 guard
Hometown: Bedford, N.H.
Ngenda latched onto the 2026 ESPN rankings at No. 100; she’s also got the backing of several opposing NEPSAC coaches and some high-major and Ivy League offers. Her case for a smooth college transition is easy: Ngenda just doesn’t make bad decisions with the ball. Her mid-range pull-ups are like butter and they fit in the flow of good offense. Ngenda is also physically stronger than her size indicates, helping her power to the basket and defend tougher guard assignments. She averaged 12.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists on the Adidas circuit this season, including a notable 40.7 percent clip (24 for 59) behind the arc.
PROSPECT WATCH: Why Ngenda is one of the best in the 2026 class
Caterina Ravosa
Wilbraham & Monson/iBelieve Elite, 6-2 forward
Hometown: East Longmeadow, Mass.
NCAA: Fairfield
I think Fairfield is an awesome fit for Ravosa. She provides a post presence that the Stags still need, but she also fits with their versatile forwards (Fairfield calls them “Road Runners”) who can knock down threes and make plays in the open floor. Ravosa has outplayed some of the other top post players on this list in previous matchups and is such a skilled offensive talent. I’m really excited to see her dominate in her last prep school season.
Jae Scott
Wachusett/Bay State Jaguars, 6-0 forward
Hometown: Holden, Mass.
Scott may be quiet herself, but her game continues to speak loudly as one of the biggest names in the Jags program this spring and summer. People love to throw out the “guards 1-through-X” praise, but Scott is the best guard and wing defender on this list and I don’t think it’s close. She’s fantastic in help with her length and timing, which also comes into play on the boards. Scott fits extremely well as a secondary scorer with smooth drives and a capable 3-point shot. She’s got offers working up to the Big East tier of schools.
Five more names to know: Lauren Bousquet (Moses Brown/West Warwick, R.I.), Abby Casper (Northwest Catholic/Cromwell, Conn.), Olivia Fleming (Northfield Mount Hermon/Windham, N.H.), Ella Getz (Worcester Academy/Wayland, Mass.), Selah Prignano (Wilbraham & Monson/Newington, Conn.)
