It’s about time for some basketball! We present you with a team-by-team preview to get you up to date on where each school stands heading into the 2026-27 season. Team Previews are presented by My GA Credit Union!

Head Coach: Austin Thompson (2nd Season)
2025-26 Record/Results: 18-10; Region RU; RND 1; #7 Rank

Last year was supposed to be a rebuild – but for Jefferson and new coach Austin Thompson, they shrugged off the notion that you can’t simultaneously rebuild while also contending. What’s in store for an encore?

PERSONNEL & STYLE OF PLAY

# of Returning Starters: 2

Key Players: Alayah Johnson, Karlee Law, Elle Johnson (Hebron Christian transfer), Olivia Speringo (Hebron Christian transfer)

“We’ll rely heavily on Alayah and Karlee, along with our new addition, Elle Johnson, who will play an important role for us this season,” says Thompson.

Key Departures: Reagan Hays, Sara-Grace Worley, Abbie Kinlaw

“We’ll certainly miss the leadership, experience, and contributions of Reagan Hays, Sara-Grace Worley, and Abbie Kinlaw. All three played important roles in our program, and their impact will be felt beyond the stat sheet.”

Offensive Style: Fast and free.

“We want to play fast and free offensively. Our focus will be on attacking the rim, creating high-quality scoring opportunities through layups and free throws, and taking plenty of in-rhythm threes.”

STRENGTHS & CHALLENGES

Strengths: “We have a talented group with quality depth. While we’re young and relatively inexperienced, we have eight players who we believe can make significant contributions this season.”

Biggest Challenges: “Without a doubt, our biggest challenge will be our youth and inexperience, particularly when it comes to leadership. We lost three important players, but their leadership may be what we miss most. Finding a way to fill those shoes will be a key part of our development this season.”

EXPECTATIONS

From the Coach: “I try not to focus too much on outcomes, but rather on the process of getting better every day. I believe we’ll be a much better team at the end of the season than we are at the beginning, and our goal is to be playing our best basketball in February.”

From BLITZ: The couple of returning starters give a solid base for Jefferson, but moving up two classifications while trying to get some younger players acclimated to the varsity level might prove to provide some early bumps in the road. Nevertheless, Jefferson will be competitive and should still make a playoff push with the talent they have on the roster. Sophomore Hebron Christian guard transfers Elle Johnson and Olivia Speringo should be huge additions, and will add valuable experience as players from a state championship team.