2026 Clutch Sports Media All-Area Boys Basketball Team: 53 Central Illinois athletes earn honors

The competitive depth of Central Illinois high school basketball was on full display in the 2025-26 season.

Twenty-five of the 39 teams in the Clutch Sports Media coverage area finished .500 or better, 11 won regional titles and four won sectional titles. Manual ended up reigning above them all by securing the Class 2A state championship for its sixth state crown and its 18th state trophy in program history. The Rams won 11 straight games to close the season, dominating for most of the playoffs and holding off Tolono Unity and Quincy Notre Dame down the stretch in their state games.

Richwoods, Morton and Tremont all won sectional titles and nearly tasted state berths, several squads, including Morton and East Peoria set new program records for wins in a season and others such as Canton and Dee-Mack rattled off their best season in a decade or more. 

Individual talent was on display in many different gyms and the future has proven to be bright with many stars set to return next season. Many of the area’s best players earned spots on Clutch Sports Media’s 2026 Boys Basketball All-Area Teams, which are made up of 53 players from the 39 schools in the CSM coverage area.

Clutch Sports Media will also have a Boys Basketball Coach of the Year and Player of the Year, both of which will be announced shortly.

Clutch Sports Media All-Area First Team 

Josh Humbles, senior, Manual - Guard

Humbles etched his name into Manual lore by leading the Rams to a Class 2A state championship. He put up 17 points, five rebounds, two assists, 1.8 steals and 0.7 blocks a game and was the Illinois media’s Class 2A Player of the Year. Humbles, who surpassed 1,000 career points this season, was an IBCA Class 2A first team all-state and Big 12 first team all-conference player. Humbles holds offers from Millikin, Augustana, ICC and Monmouth.

Chase Kasten, sophomore, Normal Community - Forward

One of the top sophomores in the state, Kasten led Normal Community to its fifth straight regional title and fifth consecutive season of 20 or more wins. The latest in a strong pedigree of Normal Community forwards, Kasten averaged 17.1 points and 17.8 rebounds per game and made 69 three-pointers for the 26-8 Ironmen. He was a unanimous first team all-Big 12, IBCA Class 4A third team all-state and State Farm Holiday Classic all-tournament team selection.

Quinton Kitt, junior, East Peoria - Forward

Kitt dominated all season for East Peoria and the Illinois commit led the Raiders to their winningest season of all time (29-5) and their first regional title since 1997. Kitt brought a top-notch ability at all three levels and put up 22 points, eight rebounds, 1.5 assists, two steals and one block per game while shooting 50 percent from the field, 33 percent from beyond the arc and 77 percent from the deep. The IBCA and Illinois media made him a Class 3A first team all-state selection and Kitt was an Illinois Mr. Basketball nominee as well. Kitt earned first team all-Mid Illini honors for the second straight season. 

Ke’shaun Manney, junior, Bloomington Central Catholic - Guard

Manney was a lightning bolt of a player for Bloomington Central Catholic, which went 20-13 against a difficult schedule. The junior and multi-sport athlete averaged 23 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals per game to earn IBCA Class 2A first team all-star honors. Manney was also an Illinois media Class 2A second team all-state and unanimous first team all-Illini Prairie selection as well. He surpassed 1,000 career points during the season and earned a spot on the State Farm Holiday Classic all-tournament team.

Amarion Smith-Holley, sophomore, Richwoods - Guard 

Smith-Holley put on a dazzling sophomore campaign leading the 27-8 Knights to a Class 4A sectional championship. He averaged 21.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game and was the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year. Smith-Holley put himself on the statewide radar by being an Illinois Mr. Basketball nominee and a Class 4A first team all-state selection by the IBCA and the Illinois media. The star sophomore led the Knights to winning the Pekin Holiday Tournament, where he was the tournament MVP and was an all-tournament selection at Rockford Boylan’s Thanksgiving Tournament as well. He holds offers from Arizona State and Illinois.

Clutch Sports Media All-Area Second Team

Cole DuBois, junior, East Peoria - Guard

DuBois fashioned a great junior campaign and was a big part of the Raiders’ winningest season of all time and first regional championship since 1997. The junior guard averaged 18 points, three rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game, shooting 54 percent from the field and 47 percent from three-point range as well. DuBois was an IBCA Class 3A second team all-state and Illinois media Class 3A all-state honorable mention, as well as a first team all-Mid Illini Conference player. He holds an offer from Eastern Illinois.

Jerry Hahn, senior, Dee-Mack - Forward

Hahn was the catalyst behind Dee-Mack’s first regional title since 2018 and the team’s winningest season since then too. He averaged 16.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.9 blocks and could stretch the floor, draining 67 threes during the season. He ranks second all-time at Dee-Mack in rebounds and blocks, fourth in three-pointers made and fifth in scoring. He notched 10 double-doubles during the season Hahn earned Class 1A second team all-state honors from the IBCA and was an honorable mention on the Illinois media’s Class 1A all-state team. Hahn has an offer from Monmouth.

Cameron Johnson, senior, Normal U-High - Guard

Johnson was a master of doing it all for Normal U-High and led the Pioneers to a 27-7 season and a Class 3A sectional championship berth. He averaged 15.1 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game and earned first team all-Central State Eight Conference honors. Johnson was an all-state honoree as well, picking up a spot on the IBCA Class 3A all-state second team and the Illinois media’s Class 3A honorable mention group. He was a State Farm Holiday Classic all-tournament team selection and holds offers from Illinois Wesleyan, Illinois College and McHenry College. 

Alex McKie, senior, Morton - Guard

The Morton sharpshooter led the Potters to a Mid-Illini Conference title and their first Class 3A sectional title since 2011. McKie averaged 15.3 points. 2.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals while leading his team to a 30-5 record and a 23-game win streak during the year. McKie was an IBCA Class 3A second team all-state selection and an Illinois media Class 3A all-state honorable mention in addition to being a first team all-conference player in the Mid-Illini. 

Reggie Postlewaite, senior, Manual - Guard

Postlewaite energized Manual on both sides of the ball throughout the Rams’ Class 2A state championship season. The senior averaged 15.8 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals per game and was a starter on two straight Manual teams that reached state. He surpassed the 1,000 career points mark and was an IBCA Class 2A third team all-state and Illinois media Class 2A all-state honorable mention. He earned first team all-Big 12 honors and delivered a great all-around game in Manual’s state semifinal with 13 points, eight rebounds, seven steals and six assists.

Clutch Sports Media All-Area Honorable Mention

Jackson Ahrens, senior, East Peoria - Guard

Tamarius Berry, freshman, Peoria Heights - Guard

Trey Birditt, senior, Normal Community - Guard

Jack Blunier, junior, Eureka - Forward

Tony Bradford, senior, Richwoods - Guard

Trae Brickner, senior, Peoria Christian - Guard

Hudson Briggs, sophomore, Delavan - Guard

Jaquan Brown, senior, Manual - Forward

Briggs Bucy, junior, Metamora - Guard

Collin Burns, senior, Morton - Forward

Malachi Carroll, junior, Midwest Central - Guard

Landon Crawford, senior, Farmington - Guard

Brady Day, senior, Princeville - Guard

Connor Doe, senior, Brimfield - Guard

Kendall Farmer, junior, Dunlap - Guard

Fenix Foy, senior, Peoria High - Forward

Maliq Givens-Smith, senior, Normal West - Guard

Braden Hayes, junior, El Paso-Gridley - Guard

Ayden Jensen, senior, Tri-Valley - Forward

James Johnson, senior, Washington - Forward

Brady Jones, sophomore, Metamora - Forward

Kash Klendworth, senior, Fieldcrest - Guard

Sam Koch, sophomore, Metamora - Guard

Dallas Marshall Jr., freshman, Bloomington - Guard

Griffin Meeker, senior, Tremont - Forward

Anfernee Moore, sophomore, Richwoods - Guard

Nigel Moore, sophomore, Peoria High - Guard

Dylan Nowaskie, senior, Olympia - Guard

Lakon Otto, senior, Canton - Guard

Grady Read, senior, IVC - Guard

Miller Reynolds, senior, Tremont - Guard

Chase Ruppert, senior, Heyworth - Guard

Crayton Schnierle, junior, Bloomington Central Catholic - Guard

Boston Smith, senior, Farmington - Guard

Silas Steffen, senior, Morton - Forward

Sivante Stokes, junior, Canton - Guard

Ben Thoma, junior, Bloomington Cornerstone - Guard

Dawson Traphagan, senior, Brimfield - Guard

Kayden Turner, sophomore, Peoria High - Guard

Brady Ward, senior, IVC - Forward

Garrett Webster, senior, Elmwood - Guard

Griffin White, junior, Illini Bluffs - Guard

Myles Zimmerman, senior, Peoria Christian - Guard