Last night, the 2026 basketball season officially kicked off. Area teams range from having some of the top rosters in the region to being in the middle of rebuilds. Here’s a look at what to expect from each team.
Apollo: A year ago, the Eagles fell to Owensboro Catholic in the first round of the 9th District Tournament by one point, and enter this season with their eyes on returning to the Owensboro Sportscenter.
They only lost two seniors from last year’s core and return forward Kayden Green, center Landon Henning and guards Tate Powers and Eli Williams. Joining them is transfer student Carlos Cruz Figueroa, a member of the Puerto Rican national team and a deep sophomore class that Head Coach Ryne Tinsley acknowledged will provide plenty of depth.
“We want to get to the regional tournament, and we want to make some noise,” Tinsley said. “I think we are going to have a really good team. It is a day-by-day process. If we just continue with our process of what we have been doing, we’re right there. I think we have a chance to be pretty good this year.”
Daviess County: The reigning 3rd Region champs, Daviess County enter the season looking to repeat and go on a run at the State Tournament. Despite losing three starters from a year ago to graduation, the Panthers return the star duo of Jonathan Moss and DeAaron Watkins, as well as key contributor Caden Payne.
They are joined by a trio of transfers in Davyn Randolph, Michael Acton, and Lemontae Ratcliff. With sophomores Silas Goebel, Landon Johnson, and Wyatt Roby, and freshmen Aidan West, Max Kizer, and Kade Powell all in the fold, the Panthers can go eight to ten players deep, depending on the situation.
“I understand what the outside expectations are, with the preseason rankings of regional and state,” Daviess County Head Coach Neil Hayden said. “But we want to win the district and then put ourselves in a position to be successful.”
Hancock County: A new look roster after losing six seniors to graduation, the Hornets plan to be more guard-oriented in 2026.
“We will have quickness and speed,” Head Coach Josh Roberts said. “Stuff we didn’t have last year.”
The Hornets return last years leading scorer in Keegan Wilson, as well as Seth Hunt, Taylor Payne, Tyce Boiling, Noah Maxwell, and Cooper Jones. The trio of Jack Roberts, Jacob Shultz, and Mekhel London all played on the team a few years ago and return after a short reprieve.
“We want to compete at a high level, perform at our standard,” Roberts said. “The big thing for us this year is togetherness and unity. We want to compete in the district, and we want to compete in the region. I feel like we are always the underdog, so we are going to play that role well.”
McLean County: Since Darren Lynam took over as Head Coach for the 2019-20 season, McLean County has had a winning record every year, a school record. The Cougars are looking to make it seven consecutive seasons and return the majority of last year’s core including seniors Camden Baird, Braxton Floyd, Layden Bozarth, and Jaelin Groves.
They are joined by juniors Gavin Mosey and Zach Albin, as well as a deep crop of sophomores that includes Brooks Lynam, Reid Gatton, Will Gatton, and Luke Coleman.
Lynam and the Cougars want to win the All A and advance to the All A State.
“We want to get out of our district and get back to the 3rd Region Tournament and the Sportscenter,” McLean County Head Coach Darren Lynam said. “We think our chances are as good as any, especially in the district, to get back to the Sportscenter.”
Owensboro: Having missed out on advancing to the 3rd Region Tournament the last few years, Owensboro enters the year with an eye on returning to the Owensboro Sportscenter.
A junior-laden roster, the Red Devils return Kade Arnold, Kayden Skaggs, Camreon Day, Zeke Beehn, Kalil Shemwell, and Daveon Hinton. Joining them are transfer student and quarterback DaMarcus Ganaway and a deep crop of freshman.
It will be a similar style of play to years past for the Red Devils, with an emphasis on being fast paced on both sides of the ball.
“We just need to get better,” Owensboro Head Coach Rod Drake said. “We haven’t been to the regional tournament in the last couple of years, and that is one of our goals to make it back.”
Owensboro Catholic: After a decade of Tim Riley being at the helm, the Aces enter the year with a new head coach in Tabor Shadowen. Shadowen is well-versed with the current roster, having spent the last few years as an assistant under Riley.
“It has been nice to have a little time with the guys to be able to put my own twist on some things,” Shadowen said.
Despite losing five key players from a year ago, the Aces return their 2025 second-leading scorer, Ronald Smith, and leading rebounder Dre’mail Carothers. The duo is joined by Hudson Ebelhar, Jake Johnson, and Dylan Hagan, as well as Braylon Coots and Gavin Brasher.
Shadowen acknowledged that the team’s plans haven’t changed and they expect to compete for a 9th District title and a 3rd Region Championship.
“We still expect to be competing for a chance to go play at Rupp Arena,” Shadowen said. “We know that the district and region are in a really good place as far as talent goes. It has been a long time since this district and region have been this deep and talented. But we still think we have a place in the conversation of being the best of the best.”
Trinity (Whitesville): The Raiders enter the season with a deep roster, as head coach Nathan West plans to go 10 players deep. Ian Roby is the team’s returning leading scorer, and he is joined by Harrison Barnett, Thomas Payne, Mason Smith, Grant Howard, and Cale Boarman. Kayin Howard, Levi Hall, Jacob Aud, and Easton Howard will all be leaned on for quality minutes.
“A lot of those sophomores, you are going to see a lot,” West said. “Especially defensively. We can do some things with them and press a little bit more than we have in the year. We can kind of run a little bit more.”
West wants to see his team improve on their win totals from a year ago, reach the post season and to teach the kids the game.
