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 Texas using data from 247Sports. Athletes are ranked by their 247Sports Composite ranking.

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#10. Donovan Criss (SF)

- National rank: #159 (3 stars)

- Position rank: #50

- College: UTEP

- Offers: UTEP, Arizona State, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech, New Mexico State

- High school: Brennan (San Antonio, TX)

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#9. Cam Lomax (CG)

- National rank: #156 (3 stars)

- Position rank: #19

- College: SMU

- Offers: SMU, LSU, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Houston

- High school: Frisco Heritage (Frisco, TX)

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#8. Steven Reynolds (SG)

- National rank: #138 (4 stars)

- Position rank: #22

- College: uncommitted

- Offers: Purdue, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State

- High school: Arlington Martin (Dallas, TX)

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#7. Gallagher Placide (PF)

- National rank: #111 (4 stars)

- Position rank: #20

- College: Wake Forest

- Offers: Wake Forest, Mississippi State, LSU, NC State, California

- High school: Faith Family Academy of Oak Cliff (Dallas, TX)

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#6. DaKari Spear (SG)

- National rank: #70 (4 stars)

- Position rank: #8

- College: Texas Tech

- Offers: Texas Tech, Vanderbilt, Syracuse, Alabama, Arizona State

- High school: Dynamic Prep (Dallas, TX)

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#5. Gavin Placide (PF)

- National rank: #54 (4 stars)

- Position rank: #10

- College: Wake Forest

- Offers: Wake Forest, Mississippi State, LSU, NC State, California

- High school: Faith Family Academy of Oak Cliff (Dallas, TX)

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#4. Bo Ogden (SF)

- National rank: #38 (4 stars)

- Position rank: #18

- College: Texas

- Offers: Texas, Tennessee, Purdue, Kansas, SMU

- High school: Austin Westlake (Austin, TX)

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#3. Elijah Williams (SF)

- National rank: #32 (4 stars)

- Position rank: #14

- College: Baylor

- Offers: Baylor, Arizona, California, Missouri, Notre Dame

- High school: TMI Episcopal (San Antonio, TX)

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#2. Austin Goosby (CG)

- National rank: #25 (5 stars)

- Position rank: #5

- College: Texas

- Offers: Texas, BYU, Baylor, Duke, Miami

- High school: Dynamic Prep (Dallas, TX)

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#1. Bryson Howard (SF)

- National rank: #13 (5 stars)

- Position rank: #5

- College: Duke

- Offers: Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, Baylor, Houston

- High school: Frisco Heritage (Frisco, TX)