Six Names to Watch in the Class of 2026
It comes as no surprise to anyone remotely following college basketball that high school recruiting has dramatically changed since the explosion of the transfer portal and elimination of the no-sit transfer rule.
As someone who spent a majority of his fandom obsessed with recruiting and projecting out rosters two-three years out it’s been an unwelcome shift, to say the least.
There was no better example of how high school recruiting has changed than when McDonald’s All American Darius Adams decommitted from UConn in April. Husky fans barely batted an eye because their backcourt was looking crowded with portal additions this spring.
Losing a McDonald’s All American would have been devastating just a few years ago. Now? No biggie.
Let’s be honest, it’s hard to get overly-invested in the decisions of 17 and 18 year olds when the vast majority of them will end up playing for at least one other school at some point in their careers.
Regardless, hitting on high school recruits (and retaining them) remains important for Providence. The Friars have five potential rotational pieces on next year’s roster who committed to Kim English and Co. out of high school, and a sixth in Corey Floyd Jr. that is truly a program player with next season being his fourth in Friartown.
Realistically, Providence is looking at two- or three-man high school recruiting classes going forward. Both 2024 commits, Ryan Mela and Oswin Erhunmwunse, made the Big East All-Freshman team last season. English also welcomes a pair of top 100 recruits in Jamier Jones and Jaylen Harrell to campus this summer. The Friars looked to add a point guard in the class of 2025, but essentially filled that void this spring with the addition of Florida State freshman transfer Daquan Davis.
If this is the formula going forward, the staff can choose to be selective in the high school ranks. They have players they’ve tracked for years, but you never know when a Mela (who PC fell for in July before his senior year of high school) might pop.
It’s also important to build relationships with boomerang prospects who could hit the portal in a year.
There figure to be more players who emerge this spring and summer now that grassroots play in the Nike, Under Armour, and Adidas circuits are underway, but here are six names to keep an eye on over the next three months:
Ryan Moesch, Cushing Academy (MA): There’s a lot to like about this 6’1 point guard out of Chittenango, NY. He’s elusive off the bounce, a tricky finisher at the rim, and has range well beyond the arc. Moesch took off this year at Cushing Academy, averaging 17 points, six assists, and four rebounds per game, according to Steve Hewitt of the New England Basketball Journal. He’s a lot of fun to watch and has very good upside as both a scorer and creator.
Moesch recently cracked 247 Sports’ top 150 and has offers from the likes of Rhode Island, Siena, and Towson. His stock will take off this summer playing for Middlesex Magic — the program that helped develop Tyler Kolek, Mela, and several other productive high majors that went under the radar for too long. Underrate this point guard at your own peril.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Aiden Derkack, Colonia High School (NJ): The 6’5 shooting guard currently sits at #68 on 247 Sports’ class of 2026 rankings after averaging 24.7 points and 8.1 rebounds last season. Xavier, Providence, Miami, Rutgers, Villanova, and TCU are among the teams to have shown the most interest in him.
Derkack will get serious exposure this summer playing for powerhouse Team Final on the Nike EYBL Circuit.
Abdou Toure, Notre Dame High School (CT): The 6’6 wing won MaxPrep’s Connecticut Player of the Year after putting up 25.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.3 steals per game. A top 25 player in the class of 2026, UConn is expected to be tough to beat for Toure. Alabama, Oregon, Providence, Louisville, Syracuse and others have also offered.
Formerly with Expressions Elite, Toure is playing with BABC this spring.
Jermel Thomas, Overtime Elite: The 6’3 point guard from the Bronx ranks #118 on 247 Sports 2026 rankings. “Magic Mel” transferred to OTE last year from Our Savior Lutheran in New York and visited Providence during the season.
Here’s what he had to say to Adam Zagoria about his PC visit late last year: “That [visit] was a blessing. I was happy to meet all the players. I met Corey Floyd, he’s a great player, he taught me everything: be mature, stay focused and keep working for what I want.”
Thomas can really score, averaging 13.9 points in 25.4 minutes per game at Overtime Elite last year. He peaked with a 27-point, seven-assist performance in early February. He had seven games of seven assists or more last year and shot 36% from three at OTE. He’ll play with Riverside on the Under Armour Circuit this spring/summer. With his size, he could potentially swing between either guard spot in college.
Marcis Ponder, West Oaks Academy (FL): Both Ponder and fellow center recruit Collins Chidera Onyejiaka possess a terrific combination of size and athleticism. Ponder is a Miami native who now plays at West Oaks Academy in Florida.
Two things stand out when watching clips of Ponder: the athleticism for a young player his size and the ferocity with which he plays. Ponder is a traditional center in that he owns the paint — a “get out of the way” dunker and a solid rebounder, with signs of shot blocking ability.
Ponder dropped 40 pounds prior to last season (he was coming off injury) and his athleticism pops.
Collins Chidera Onyejiaka, Newman School: A former teammate of Ryan Mela at the Newman School and a close friend of Oswin Erhunmwunse, introductions aren’t necessary when it comes to this center prospect.
Ranked #57 by 247 Sports, Chidera Onyejiaka is massive at 6’10, 270 pounds and he received offers from the likes of Alabama, Illinois, and Iowa last fall.
While he was just a sophomore when he teamed with Mela at Newman, the potential was impossible not to see. He’s an athlete and obvious brings terrific frame.
No Amir Jenkins? Do we still have a chance with him?
I saw Cushing Academy play at RIC at the National Prep School Invitational in February. Ryan Moesch was terrific. He has a very quick first step and often beats his man to the hoop. He complements that with a nice touch from deep. I was already pretty impressed with the kid when on a fast break near the end of the game, he went up and and dunked it! When I got home, I googled him. I learned that he led the state of NY in scoring for the 2023/2024 year (36 ppg). He doesn't appear to have a Big East type of body (at least not yet), but the kid can definitely hoop!