The first Coaches Ranking Poll of 2026 is officially released, and the top-five basketball teams of each classification have been voted on. There are a few surprising jumps from the pre-season rankings.
All the rankings for every classification can be found at https://wyomingfivestar.com/rankings/
Boys Basketball is heating up ahead of conference play. Here are the official rankings, voted on by Coaches and Media Members of Wyoming:
4A Boys
#1 Sheridan (7-1)
The Broncs were unanimously selected as 4A’s top team. Nate Miner leads the team with 18.8ppg. The Broncs are very deep — they’ve deployed 9 players in eight games, who all are seeing minutes. Although Miner is the only double-digit scoring average, the Broncs are beating very good programs by an average of 22.8 points. 4A Play starts soon, and we’ll see how things shake out in conference play.
#2 Rock Springs (8-1)
After Sheridan’s unanimous selection as #1, the only team to receive multiple votes for #2 is Rock Springs. They’re coached by Lennon Spence, and have played a bunch of 4A East teams already. The Tigers have beaten East, Central, Cambell County, Laramie, and South. This rotation is beginning to solidify, so we’ll see how the Tigers translate to 4A West play, which is traditionally a gauntlet.
#3 Star Valley (3-5)
The Braves overall record is not the prettiest, but given their strength of schedule, the Braves appear to be very competitive this season. The word around 4A is that Cooper Lancaster is a legit scoring threat (23.4ppg). However, we can’t say for sure the Braves are a top-Wyoming team, as they still have not played any Wyoming teams through eight games. Their first 4A matchup will be against Natrona County (Jan 16th), who did receive a couple top-5 votes.
#4 Green River (8-1)
The Wolves boast an impressive record with big victories against good Wyoming teams. However, the Wolves have fallen to #4 after the Rankings Poll. They fell to unranked-Laramie, and only beat unranked-Campbell County and 3A Wheatland by three. 4A West is looking tough this year with three teams in the top-5, so we’ll see how the Wolves shake out in conference play.
#5 Thunder Basin (5-4)
The Bolts recently entered the top-5, with 4A Coaches nodding to Thunder Basin after a pair of dominant victories over the Casper schools. The Bolts feature the top scorer in 4A, Gibson Williams, who’s scoring 24.3ppg. He’s also #2 in 4A Assists, with 4.9 per game.
3A Boys
#1 Lovell (6-1)
The Bulldogs were selected the unanimous #1 team in 3A. They dropped one game to #2 Douglas two weekends ago in Lander Valley, but responded with impressive wins over Wheatland, Burns, and Rocky Mountain. They are led by bigman Owen Walker (18.9ppg) and Kaeson Anderson (16.0ppg). They are defending champions, and appear to be just as solid again in 2026.
Coaches Report:
“Lovell continues to be the powerhouse of 3A.”
#2 Douglas (6-4)
The Bearcats posted an impressive win over new #4 Lander Valley last weekend in Pinedale. Douglas is a very competitive team — they handed #1 Lovell their only loss of the season so far. Although the Bearcats have four losses, they’re to top-5 3A teams (which is likely the most competitive class in all of Wyoming). The Rankings Poll revealed this week that 2/3 of 3A coaches agree that Douglas deserves the #2 spot.
#3 Powell (7-0)
Powell is still undefeated, earning a near-unanimous #3 ranking. The Panthers have been extremely physical, and tough to play over the last few years, and it doesn’t look like that’s changed in 2026. The Panthers have beaten #5 Wheatland by 12, and #4 Douglas by 17. Powell might be the most interesting team in 3A — they play a very good Thermopolis team this weekend, and #1 Lovell on Jan. 29th. Stay tuned, as this classification could see weekly-changes in the rankings.
#4 Lander Valley (7-3)
Lander Valley is an intriguing team in a very tough 3A Class. They’ve played streaky through 10 games, but it’s very clear that when the Tigers shoot well from outside, they’re as competitive as anyone in 3A. The Tigers have beaten both #5 Wheatland and #2 Douglas so far, but Douglas just returned the favor last weekend. The Tigers play fast, alternating between full-court zone and man presses, paired with a slashing dribble-drive offense They play all non-ranked teams to begin conference play, until February 7th (Lovell).
#5 Wheatland (4-4)
Wheatland was selected as this week’s #5 team in 3A after receiving a handful of top-5 votes. The Bulldogs are led by Jacob Miller, a junior averaging 16.5ppg. Tate Nichols is also in double-figures with 14.6ppg. The Bulldogs have played four games against 3A teams, losing to Powell, Lovell, and Lander Valley.
2A Boys
#1 Wyoming Indian (11-1)
The Chiefs are looking back to their familiar self. HeeyeiNiitou Monroe-Black is heating up, scoring 30 points in an overtime thriller with #2 Thermopolis. The Chiefs have recently beaten three very good teams — Thermop, Lame Deer Montana, and Greybull. Their rotation is starting to surface, and I really don’t see this team slowing down in 2026.Wyoming Indian is extremely deep this year, with excellent guard-play from Jordan Black, Parlayne Ferris, and Julius Robinson. Bigmen Adriano Brown and Mitchell C’Hair have been very productive. The Chiefs were unanimously voted as #1 team in 2A.
#2 Thermopolis (5-3)
The Bobcats are the defending champion, and have retained a solid-core of players from last year’s title team. Cody Bomengen and Zak Hastie are two of the top players in 2A, and over the last few weeks, Ellis Webber has emerged as an excellent guard. The Bobcats recently lost to #1 Wyoming Indian in overtime, but responded with impressive wins over 4A Laramie, and 3A Wheatland last weekend in Cheyenne.
This team is clearly competitive enough to take down anyone in 2A, and having only played eight games so far, it’s too early to sound any alarms. The Bobcats play a gauntlet of 3A West teams this weekend — #1 Lovell, #2 Powell, and Cody — proving how confident this program is, and their commitment to playing tough opponents.
#3 Big Horn (7-4)
The Rams are looking very tough in 2026. Head Coach Cody Ball has fostered a deep team with lots of underclassmen. Although, this may not be a title-season for the Rams, I would not count them out. They’re led by Boone Reno (freshman) with 12.4ppg, but feature two more players in double-figures (Chase Garber, Caleb Adsit). This will be a fun team to watch grow over the next few seasons.
#4 Pine Bluffs (7-6)
The Hornets are looking competitive again in 2026. Led by senior guard Carsten Freeburg, one of the best players in 2A, with 18ppg. Colby Lerwick throws in 11ppg. The Hornets have played six games out-of-state, with a mixture of wins and losses. But over the last few weeks, they beat Wright, Tongue River, Sundance. Their last game was a 41-47 loss to #3 Big Horn.
#5 Wright (8-3)
The Panthers are an intriguing team in 2026 — led by Mitchell Stroschein with 24.4ppg (most in 2A). Their only losses are to Pine Bluffs, and #1 Wyoming Indian (twice).
1A Boys
#1 Lingle-Ft. Laramie (10-0)
The Doggers are looking to be clear-favorites in class 1A. They’ve bumped their winning streak to 38 games, and look poised to defend their title. The Doggers have an impressive combination of size, speed, and toughness. To take down the Doggers, it will take a heroic effort.
Coaches Report:
“LFL is clearly the team to beat. Brady Cook may be the best player in 1A.”
#2 Lusk (12-2)
Lusk is looking very competitive this year. They are a unanimous #2 in this week’s Rankings Poll. Led by senior Corbin Matthews, and junior Raynce Brott, the Tigers will play 1A #1 Lingle-Ft. Laramie on Jan. 16th — foreshadowing a potential matchup we’ll see in March.
#3 Cokeville (5-6)
The Rankings Poll revealed Cokeville as the most-voted #3 team in 1A. Although the Panthers have a losing record, they’ve played a tough schedule. Games against 3A Lyman (W), 2A Shoshoni (L), 2A Rocky Mountain (L) prove they aren’t afraid to play against bigger schools. In 1A play last weekend, the Panthers beat #5 Saratoga and #4 Little Snake River by 10, and 9 points.
Coaches Report:
“Cokeville has the best tandem of guards in 1A with Ammon Hatch and Joey Thomas.”
#4 Upton (5-4)
The Bobcats have solid wins through nine games, including Dec. 20th victory over #5 Snake River. This week’s Rankings Poll saw Upton receiving many top-5 votes, including one #3 vote. They don’t play again until Jan. 24th against Kaycee, so we’ll see what 10 days of practice does for the Bobcats.
Coaches Report:
“Upton is not flashy, but they play hard, disciplined, basketball.”
#5 Little Snake River (6-2)
The Rattlers have star-power with Granit Ready, Tymber Cozzens, Quin Sheaman — all three averaging double-figures. However, they’ve lost to #4 Upton and #3 Cokeville so far this year.