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Highest-rated Class of 2026 men's basketball recruits from Tennessee
From the roaring crowd to squeaking sneakers on the hardwood, high school basketball is a beloved American pastime.
The sport's school roots date back to its 19th-century beginnings. After all, James Naismith invented basketball as a physical education activity. The concept of a state championship for high school basketball soon followed. Illinois, for example, held a state championship as early as 1908. Other states with early high school basketball championships include Indiana (first championship in 1911) and Wisconsin (1916).
Now, the sport is etched into the ethos of the American high school. Almost 900,000 student athletes play on their high school basketball team, according to 2024-25 school year data compiled by the National Federation of State High School Associations. That figure represents over 18,000 schools competing across all 50 states, grinding out games in high school gyms on dark winter nights.
Stacker compiled a list of the highest rated Class of 2026 basketball recruits from Tennessee using data from 247Sports. Athletes are ranked by their 247Sports Composite ranking.
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#8. Martechio Hayes (SG)
- National rank: #255 (3 stars)- Position rank: #46
- College: uncommitted
- Offers: California, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Little Rock
- High school: First Assembly Christian School (Cordova, TN)
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#7. Mason Williams (PG)
- National rank: #176 (3 stars)- Position rank: #20
- College: uncommitted
- Offers: Ole Miss, Texas Tech, Washington, East Carolina, Louisiana
- High school: Tennessee Collegiate Academy (Millington, TN)
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#6. Josiah Sanders (PF)
- National rank: #162 (3 stars)- Position rank: #27
- College: uncommitted
- Offers: California, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Rutgers
- High school: Tennessee Collegiate Academy (Millington, TN)
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#5. Malachi Brown (SF)
- National rank: #154 (3 stars)- Position rank: #48
- College: Michigan
- Offers: Michigan, UC Santa Barbara
- High school: Knoxville Catholic (Knoxville, TN)
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#4. Trey Pearson (PG)
- National rank: #121 (4 stars)- Position rank: #11
- College: High Point
- Offers: High Point, Arkansas State, Middle Tennessee, Murray State, Ball State
- High school: Pope John Paul II (Hendersonville, TN)
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#3. Fred Smith Jr. (PF)
- National rank: #83 (4 stars)- Position rank: #14
- College: uncommitted
- Offers: Saint Louis, Ole Miss, Memphis, Missouri, West Virginia
- High school: Briarcrest Christian (Memphis, TN)
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#2. Christian Gibson (SG)
- National rank: #64 (4 stars)- Position rank: #7
- College: UCF
- Offers: UCF, Saint Louis, Houston, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss
- High school: Tennessee Collegiate Academy (Millington, TN)
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#1. Christopher Washington Jr. (SF)
- National rank: #42 (4 stars)- Position rank: #20
- College: uncommitted
- Offers: Florida A&M, Villanova, Cincinnati, Alabama, Ole Miss
- High school: Providence Christian Academy (Murfreesboro, TN)
