The “best” is always going to be subjective. But it’s fun to dissect and debate.
While there will be three-plus months worth of basketball to determine who is the best, here is a preseason “best of” primer to get the 2025-26 season started.
Best team: DePaul Prep
The three-time defending state champs are the consensus No. 1 team. Why? With what’s returning and the winning culture that’s been established, there really shouldn’t be any wrangling over which team is the best as the season tips.
Best player: Jaxson Davis, Warren
There is no debate here. The best player in the state is also ready to take a significant step in his development from his sensational sophomore season. As much as fans have appreciated his talents and production the past two years, Davis is even better.
Best scorer: Cole Kelly, Neuqua Valley
The combination of size, skill and shooting prowess makes the sophomore a matchup nightmare. This do-it-all scorer has the ability to put the ball in the basket from anywhere on the floor. He averaged over 17 points a game as a freshman.
Best young prospect: Brady Pettigrew, Bolingbrook
There is blossoming talent and upside. And the backcourt size he brings at 6-4, along with his length and athleticism, make him the most intriguing young prospect in the state. He has such an impressive tool kit that will be showcased this season.
Best rebounder: Rashaun Porter, DePaul Prep
The edge and tenacity he plays with sets him apart from so many others. The 6-7 big man also has powerful hands and overall strength. He gobbles up rebounds at both ends of the floor.
Best versatility: Lincoln Williams, Kankakee
The wide variety of things he can offer — playmaking, ballhandling, slashing, rebounding, defending and scoring — make the 6-6 Williams a tantalizing prospect. The versatility is his calling card.
Best defender: Jordan Williams, Fremd
This a definite toss-up with Williams getting the edge over DePaul’s Rashaun Porter. Williams seems to enjoy the smaller details that create impact on the defensive end while being able to guard multiple positions. The size, body type, strength and willingness to do whatever it takes to help his team win is what makes Williams tick.
Best shooter: Michael Nee, Glenbard East
The range and efficiency are elite. So are the numbers. He’s a proven commodity, both in the high school season and during the travel circuit this past offseason.
Last season he made 98 three-pointers while shooting at a ridiculous 47 percent. He continued his high-level shooting this past spring and summer, shooting 80 of 178 (45 percent) from beyond the arc in AAU play.
Best in the open court: Marquis Clark, Young
A very good ballhandler with a relentless downhill mentality. Clark is strong and powerful with just enough burst that when he does get downhill, going to the basket, it’s an awfully difficult task for any defense to contain him.
Best shooting range: Jayden Wright, Benet
There might be a few better overall shooters than Wright, who is a darn good one. But no one over the past couple of years has shown the ability to shoot as effortlessly and consistently from 25-plus feet.
Best point guard: Jaxson Davis, Warren
When the best player in the state plays the most pivotal and impactful position, you just go with it again. He’s a high-feel orchestrator who is blessed with unteachable playmaking instincts.
Best feel for passing: Mason Lockett, Oswego East
He’s such a connective piece on offense. Even at 6-6 the ultra-smooth, savvy-sensed Lockett is best with the ball in his hands as a bonafide point guard. That’s because he brings a dictionary-thick passing vocabulary, setting up teammates and zipping passes that are effective and put others in position to succeed.
Best player no one knows: KJ Miller, Plainfield East
If you’ve heard of KJ Miller, congratulations. You are a true high school hoops junkie. Simply put, this 6-6 long-limbed, late-blooming guard has hardly been seen. He’s coming off a stat-sheet-stuffing sophomore campaign while knocking 76 three-pointers.
Best athlete: Stephen Brown, Marist
Brown is not only a two-sport star with Division I offers in both basketball and football, but he’s a gazelle when running up and down the floor at his 6-7 size. Brown, who plays above the rim and showcases powerful dunks, brings the type of physical profile you would find at the highest level of college basketball.
Best late bloomer: Matt Szafoni, Lane
He didn’t even play second fiddle for a strong Lane team last year while putting up very modest numbers. But he keeps growing –– now up to 6-8 and will likely end up 6-9 –– and has vastly improved his overall game. He’s poised for a big senior year and is an ideal down-the-road developmental piece for Illinois State.
Best downstate team: East St. Louis
The Class 3A favorites are a team to watch with the addition of Jamison White, the 6-8 Penn State-bound versatile big man who moved in from St. Louis. He’s currently the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s top-ranked prospect in the senior class.
Best matchup of the year: Warren vs. Benet
It’s a rematch of last year’s Class 4A final in Champaign and a battle of the preseason No. 2 and No. 3 teams. Plus the state’s best player (Jaxson Davis) will be on display.
Throw in the fact there will be a full gym and raucous crowd at this year’s When Sides Collide at Benet, and it’s shaping up as the regular season Game of the Year — at least at this early juncture.