- Sixteen SC Next Top 25 ranked boys and girls teams to participate, including:
-
- The top nine ranked boys teams in the country
- Four girls teams ranked top 10 in the country
-
- 53 boys and girls ESPN ranked players
- Twelve games on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, including the boys’ championship on ESPN and the girls’ championship on ESPN2
Chipotle Nationals returns to Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers, Ind., April 1-4. The 17th annual tournament features the best high school basketball teams in the country competing in post-season play. Twelve games will be presented on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU starting Thursday, April 2, including the boys’ championship game airing on ESPN. Sixteen teams in the boys’ and girls’ fields are ranked in the SC Next Top 25. The top nine ranked boys teams in the country will compete, while four of the girls teams are ranked in the top 10 in the nation.
The tournament will showcase 36 ESPN ranked boys players and 17 espnW ranked girls players, including 14 total All-Americans.
The four-day tournament begins Wednesday, April 1, with the boys’ opening round starting at 6 p.m. ET. Coverage on ESPN tips off with the girls’ opening round at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 2, followed by the boys’ quarterfinals starting at 2 p.m. The girls’ semifinals are set for Friday, April 3, starting at 10 a.m., followed by the boys’ semifinals starting at 2 p.m. The tournament culminates on Saturday, April 4, with the girls’ championship at 10 a.m. on ESPN2 and the boys’ championship at noon on ESPN. Ted Emrich and Paul Biancardi will call the boys’ tournament, while Matt Schick and Brooke Weisbrod will announce the girls’ tournament; Lindsey Pallares will be the sideline reporter.
“Chipotle Nationals is the premier high school basketball tournament in the nation,” said Paul Biancardi, ESPN National Recruiting Director. “With an exceptional showcase of talent, it serves as a platform for the country’s most elite teams to compete for a championship. The tournament has been littered with All-Americans, future college stars, and NBA lottery picks including the No.1 pick last year in Cooper Flagg. This year’s field of teams has won games against the country’s best competition which makes the race wide-open for a championship. The national stage, intensity and excitement surrounding Chipotle Nationals has the attention of NBA front offices and college coaches and it is the ultimate destination for fans to witness the crowning of a champion among the nation’s best teams.”
2026 Chipotle High School Basketball Nationals Schedule:
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Where to Watch |
| Thu, Apr 2 | 10 a.m. | Girls’ Opening Rd. Game 1 – No. 14 DME Academy (Fla.) vs. No. 8 Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.) | ESPN2 |
| Noon | Girls’ Opening Rd. Game 2 – No. 23 Bishop Gorman (Nev.) vs. No. 7 Bullis School (Md.) | ESPN2 | |
| 2 p.m. | Boys’ Quarterfinal 1 – No. 3 Montverde Academy (Fla.) vs. No. 5 Prolific Prep (Fla.) | ESPN2 | |
| 4 p.m. | Boys’ Quarterfinal 2 – No. 8 Paul VI (Va.) vs. No. 1 CIA Bella Vista (Ariz.) | ESPN2 | |
| 6 p.m. | Boys’ Quarterfinal 3 – Game 1 Winner vs. No. 2 AZ Compass Prep(Ariz.) | ESPNU | |
| 8 p.m. | Boys’ Quarterfinal 4 – Game 2 Winner vs. No. 6 Dynamic Prep (Texas) | ESPNU | |
| Fri, Apr 3 | 10 a.m. | Girls’ Semifinal 1 – Game 1 Winner vs. No. 4 The St. James Academy (Va.) | ESPN2 |
| Noon | Girls’ Semifinal 2 – Game 2 Winner vs. No. 6 Westtown School (Penn.) | ESPN2 | |
| 2 p.m. | Boys’ Semifinal 1 | ESPN2 | |
| 4 p.m. | Boys’ Semifinal 2 | ESPN2 | |
| Sat, Apr 4 | 10 a.m. | Girls’ Championship Game | ESPN2 |
| Noon | Boys’ Championship Game | ESPN |
2026 Chipotle Nationals Participating Boys Teams:
Boys team rankings are from the SC Next Top 25
Boys player rankings are from the ESPN 100 (class of 2026), ESPN 60 (class of 2027) and ESPN 25 (class of 2028)
CIA Bella Vista (Ariz.) SC Next No. 1
Tournament History: Second appearance
Coach: Derek Wright Jr.
ESPN Ranked Players: No. 27 Miles Sadler (West Virginia); No. 41 Vaughn Karvala (Indiana); No. 3 junior Paul Osaruyi
AZ Compass Prep (Ariz.) SC Next No. 2
Tournament History: Fifth appearance (Runner-Up in 2023)
Coach: Pete Kaffey
ESPN Ranked Players: No. 56 Kaden House (Maryland), No. 57 Quincy Wadley, No. 64 Kalek House (Xavier); No. 10 junior Demarcus Henry, No. 47 junior Jimmie Haywood
Montverde Academy (Fla.) SC Next No. 3
Tournament History: 15th appearance, Champions in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2024
Coach: Steve Turner
ESPN Ranked Players: No. 45 Lincoln Cosby (Michigan), No. 52 Joe Philon, No. 86 Jayden Hodge (Northwestern); No. 41 junior O’Neal Delancy
Spire Academy (Ohio) SC Next No. 4
Tournament History: First Appearance
Coach: Kevin Boyle
ESPN Ranked Players: No. 33 Tarris Bouie (Alabama), No. 35 Alex Constanza (Georgetown), No. 65 Aiden Derkack (Providence); No. 11 junior King Gibson, No. 55 junior Darrell Davis
Prolific Prep (Fla.) SC Next No. 5
Tournament History: Sixth appearance
Coach: Ryan Bernardi
ESPN Ranked Players: No. 4 Caleb Holt (Arizona), No. 6 Bruce Branch III (BYU), No. 62 Davion Adkins (Kansas); No. 6 junior Nasir Anderson
Dynamic Prep (Texas) SC Next No. 6
Tournament History: Second Appearance (Runner-Up 2025)
Coach: Jermaine O’Neal
ESPN Ranked Players: No. 16 Austin Goosby (Texas), No. 26 Dakari Spear (Texas Tech); No. 1 junior Marcus Spears Jr.
Wasatch Academy (Utah) SC Next No. 7
Tournament History: Sixth appearance
Coach: Paul Peterson
ESPN Ranked Players: No. 43 Junior County (UConn), No. 58 Katrelle Harmon (Creighton)
St. Paul VI Catholic High School (Va.) SC Next No. 8
Tournament History: Third appearance (Runner-Up 2024)
Coach: Glenn Farello
ESPN Ranked Players: No. 2 Jordan Smith (Arkansas)
Link Academy (Mo.) SC Next No. 9
Tournament History: Fourth appearance, Champion in 2023 (Runner-up in 2022)
Coach: Chad Myers
ESPN Ranked Players: No. 36 Tajh Ariza (Oregon), No. 40 Ethan Taylor (Michigan State), No. 47 Carlos Medlock Jr. (Michigan State), No. 51 Luca Foster (Gonzaga), No. 66 Tristan Reed (Mississippi State), No. 85 Trent Perry (Kansas); No. 24 junior Davion Thompson
Archbishop Stepinac High School (N.Y.) SC Next No. 14
Tournament History: First appearance
Coach: Patrick Massaroni
ESPN Ranked Players: No. 15 Adonis Ratliff (USC), No. 25 Jasiah Jervis (Michigan State), No. Darius Ratliff (USC)
2026 Chipotle Nationals Participating Girls Teams:
Girls team rankings are per the SC Next Top 25
Girls player rankings are per the espnW 100 (class 2026), espnW Super 60 (class of 2027), espnW Terrific 25 (class of 2028) and espnW Watchlist (class of 2029)
The St. James Academy (Va.) SC Next No. 4
Tournament History: First appearance
Coach: Tamika Dudley
espnW Ranked Players: No. 7 Jordyn Jackson (Maryland); No. 4 junior Jezelle Banks, No. 46 junior Ashley MacCalla, No. 56 junior Jayda Dixon
Westtown School (Penn.) SC Next No. 6
Tournament History: Third appearance
Coach: Fran Burbidge
espnW Ranked Players: No. 74 Atlee Vanesko (Ohio State); No. 6 junior Jordyn Palmer; freshman Jordan Jones
Bullis School (Md.) SC Next No. 7
Tournament History: First appearance
Coach: Justin Leith
espnW Ranked Players: No. 2 junior Ivanna Wilson-Manyacka
Long Island Lutheran High School (N.Y.) SC Next No. 8
Tournament History: Third appearance (Runner-up in 2023)
Coach: Christina Raiti
espnW Ranked Players: No. 14 Olivia Jones (Vanderbilt), No. 19 Savvy Swords (Kentucky), No. 23 Emily McDonald (Kentucky), No. 25 Sanai Green (Duke); No. 22 junior Cece Arico, No. 33 junior Taylor Brown
DME Academy (Fla.) SC Next No. 14
Tournament History: Second appearance
Coach: Michael Panaggio
espnW Ranked Players: No. 32 Gigi Battle (Indiana), No. 51 Chikae Desdunes (Penn State); No. 54 junior Timani Harris
Bishop Gorman High School (Nev.) SC Next No. 23
Tournament History: First appearance
Coach: Shery Krmpotich
espnW Ranked Players: No. 20 Aaliah Spaight (Texas)
Tickets are available for purchase online, along with brackets and further event information at chipotlenationals.com
SportsCenter Next:
For in-depth coverage of the Chipotle High School Basketball Nationals, including highlights and exclusive content, follow @sportscenternext on Instagram and @SCNext on X.
About Chipotle
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) is cultivating a better world by serving responsibly sourced, classically-cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. There are over 4,000 restaurants as of December 31, 2025, in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the Middle East and it is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants in North America and Europe. With over 130,000 employees passionate about providing a great guest experience, Chipotle is a longtime leader and innovator in the food industry. Chipotle is committed to making its food more accessible to everyone while continuing to be a brand with a demonstrated purpose as it leads the way in digital, technology and sustainable business practices. For more information or to place an order online, visit CHIPOTLE.COM.
ABOUT PARAGON SPORTS MARKETING
Paragon Sports Marketing, acquired by Playfly Sports in 2025, is a corporate consulting agency specializing in sports, entertainment and cause related sponsorships. Paragon has collaborated with ESPN for over 22 years to deliver more than 1,300 live high school sports telecasts featuring many of the top teams and players in the nation.
ABOUT PLAYFLY SPORTS
Playfly Sports, the sports industry’s leading revenue maximization company, drives growth for its partners across the sports ecosystem – including 2,000+ brands, 100+ professional teams, 65+ college athletic departments, all U.S. local sports networks and associated streaming platforms, and other marquee properties. Its fan engagement platform allows its partners to reach and engage over 85% of all U.S sports fans. Playfly builds and implements custom strategies across media, sponsorship, premium experiences, ticketing and fan engagement offerings through proprietary data, innovative technology and compelling storytelling. Playfly operates an expansive portfolio of services with a data-driven and fan-focused approach to maximize revenue yield in key growth areas, such as media, sponsorship, ticketing, premium experiences and fan engagement offerings. Founded in September of 2020, Playfly Sports is now home to approximately 1,000 team members located across 43 U.S. states and internationally dedicated to maximizing the impact of highly passionate local sports fans. The company has been named a Best Place to Work in Sports by Sports Business Journal, Front Office Sports, and Newsweek. To learn more, follow Playfly Sports on social media platforms or visit www.Playfly.com
All of ESPN. All in One Place.
ESPN offers its full suite of networks and services directly to fans on the ESPN App with an ESPN Unlimited subscription, providing more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, including more than 47,000 live events per year, on-demand replays, industry-leading studio shows and original programming, and more. The ESPN App gives fans a unique viewing experience that includes multiview and synchronized two-screen viewing options, swipe-able shortform vertical video and a personalized SportsCenter For You, as well as integrated game stats, ESPN Fantasy sports, betting odds and information from DraftKings, sports merchandise, and more. These features are available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a pay TV package from certain providers. Bundling options available for fans include a Disney+, Hulu, ESPN offering that provides a one-of-a-kind streaming package combining sports with branded and general entertainment. For more visit stream.espn.com.
-30-
Chipotle Nationals Media credential request application: https://form.jotform.com/260674534914159
