Brandon McCoy holds on to No. 1 ranking in expanded 2026 On3 150

On Monday, On3 updated its 2026 rankings and expanded the list from 100 names to 150. And for the first time in this recruiting cycle, a player repeated in the top spot. Brandon McCoy, the 6-foot-5 guard from Bellflower (CA) St. John Bosco, remains the No. 1 player in the class. 

McCoy joins No. 2 ranked Tyran Stokes of Napa (CA) Prolific Prep and No. 3 ranked Caleb Holt of Huntsville (AL) Buckhorn High as the three five-star prospects in On3’s 2026 ranking update. 

Let’s dive into what makes Brandon McCoy the No., 1 prospect in the 2026 cycle. 

On3’s updated top 150 in 2026

McCoy has intriguing positional size

Listed at 6-foot-5, Brandon McCoy has excellent positional size to play on or off the ball. These are both rolls that he has toggled between over the past couple of seasons, between high school, travel ball, and the camp circuit.

At the USA Basketball U17 Training Camp, McCoy was actually at his best as a connecting guard. Playing off the ball as a secondary ball handler, but still taking on some initiation duties within the offense. McCoy has a crafty, yet decisive handle that gets him into the paint and his feel in traffic is nice as well, knowing when to attack, when to pull up, and when to distribute.

With that said, with his lengthy 6-foot-5 build and a projectable frame, McCoy has the desired size to play as the lead guard, secondary guard, or off ball guard at the highest levels.

He is a premier two-way player

Brandon McCoy’s offensive upside puts him in this conversation, however, it is his defensive presence that keeps him at the top of this list. McCoy has long arms and quick feet which helps him guard all three perimeter positions with a purpose.

Throughout the course of a game, you will find McCoy pressuring the ball for 94 feet, pestering and turning the opposing ball handler in the back court. In the half-court, McCoy can then switch off the ball and guard perimeter based forwards and off ball guards, cutting down/off angles with his aggressive play in the passing lanes.

He has quick feet and active hands, with excellent length. He also has a want-to and a determination to guard, capable of quickly turning defense into easy, attacking offense. McCoy will need to continue adding strength, as you would expect any rising junior in high school to do, to hold up in the half court, but his nose for putting pressure at the point of attack and his toughness and willingness to make plays on the defense end keep him at the top of the conversation in this class.

Projecting Brandon McCoy long-term

There is a lot to like with Brandon McCoy, both with his current production and his projected upside as a player. Certainly, there are things he will need to continue tightening up, like his handle, his reads, and his shooting off movement, but at this point, those are not concerns but nit-picking a high-level prospect.

Looking at the position-less nature of today’s basketball landscape size, length, and skill are all things that are a necessity at the highest levels of play. Not only does a player need the the adequate positional size, but they also need the requisite athelticism, and the processing skill at their position – unless a unique outlier – to fully make it into the conversation.

Currently, according to research done by Casino (dot) org, the average height for a point guard in the NBA is 6-foot-2.5 and the average height for a shooting guard is 6-foot-4.5. McCoy being measured at a lengthy 6-foot-5, has more than enough size whether his archetype path takes him as a lead, complimentary, or off ball guard.

He also has the necessary athleticism, both carrying burst and twitch, to hold up at the point of attack as he continues to progress levels. The reads are coming along as he is currently able to make the basic and elementary reads when he gets downhill toward the rim.

Naturally, as with any 16-year-old player, he is not a finished prospect. McCoy will need to continue tightening the handle and the ball skills, developing the reads, and nail down his shooting off movement. However, already with a gold medal under his belt and a summer of playing 17u on Nike’s EYBL Circuit, the production is becoming noticable. The projection, with his frame and skill set are also glaringly obvious. This is On3’s second update of the 2026 class, and its first with a full 150 players listed. There are still six or seven updates to come in the 2026 recruiting cycle. McCoy has been identified early, along with Stokes and Holt. Now, it’s time see how the group continues to develop as they continue to progress.