The season is off to a fast start for a lot of players across the regions. Here’s our first Stars of the Week article for the 2025-26 high school season.

Already this early in the season, Deven Marshall set the scoring record in a game for Rock Island. In a dominant win, the junior guard scored 53 points.

In just the opening days of the season, there was another player putting up 50+ points, This came from Brayden Thiele-Hahn of Rossville. The junior guard scored 52 points in a win.

The emergence of Cooper Knowles continues in his senior season. The big man of West Hancock High School earned first team all-tournament honors at the prestigious Kevin Brown TOC while averaging 25.3 points and 13 rebounds versus top teams from around the nation.

Not only did junior forward Evan Ploeckelman have 37 points for Mukwonago but recorded a double-double grabbing 14 rebounds.

Otis Powell has had a couple of monster stat lines to start this season for Willowbrook. This included a game of 36 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 steals. The senior also recorded another double-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.

Jalen Brown did it all in a win for Wauwatosa West. The star junior put up 27 points, 17 rebounds, 7 assists, and 6 steals.

Lance Edison had one of the top games in the opening week of the Indiana season. The junior two guard went for 34 points, 4 steals, and 3 assists for LaVille.

Another of the top performances out of Indiana came from Brennan Miller. The SIUE commit had 30 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals for Lawrence North.

Amare Hereford has put up some serious points to start off his senior season at Beloit Memorial. The guard already has games of 40 points and 39 points.

KJ Miller continues to show he’s one of the top juniors in all of Illinois. The 6’7” wing of Plainfield East had a near triple double with 24 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals. He also put up another all-around stat line of 18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks to start off the season.

SIUE commit Jayden Riley had one of the top scoring performances in Illinois of the early season. The senior point guard not only scored 38 points but also added in 8 assists and 5 steals.

For Neuqua Valley, 2027 guard Mason Martin had one of the top scoring performances of the early season with 41 points while hitting 11 threes in a single game.

Also for Neuqua Valley, Cole Kelly continues to prove he’s one of the top 2028’s in all of the Midwest. The 6’7” wing forward put up a stat line of 33 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Another top 2028 in Illinois putting up some huge stat lines is Ethan Vahl. The point guard had 31 points, 17 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4 assists for Oswego. In another game earlier in the season Vahl also had 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 steals. Plus, games of 30 points and 28 points.  

Aiden Crane is picking up right where he left off last season. The senior dropped 37 points while knocking down 9 threes.

Few players have impressed as much in the opening week as Downer Grove South’s Adam Flowers. The available senior had games of 39 points and 6 rebounds followed by one with 33 points and 10 rebounds.

Kellen Donnelly did it all for Somerset in a win. The point guard recorded a stat line of 32 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.

For future considerations for our Stars of the Week column, please email us at midwesthoopsspotlight@gmail.com