St. Mary's Cameron Williams ranked No. 3 hoops player in '26 class by ESPN

Phoenix St. Mary's senior forward Cameron Williams continues to see his recruiting stock skyrocket with his latest ranking.

ESPN 100 has the 6-foot-11 Williams listed No. 3 overall boys high school basketball player in the nation in the 2026 class.

Williams, who weighs 200 pounds, led St. Mary's to the 4A state championship last season, showing an ability to knock down 3-pointers and dominate in the paint. He's always been one of the top defenders since his freshman year with his shot-blocking abilities. But in the past three years, Williams' offense has developed. He is also a tremendous rebounder who keeps his teammates involved.

His list of college offers includes Arizona, USC, Duke, Kentucky, Purdue and Texas, according to 247Sports, which has him rated a 5-star prospect in the 2026 class.

Other Arizona high school basketball players in the ESPN rankings:

• Miikka Muurrinen, a 6-9 center from Chandler AZ Compass Prep at No. 15 overall.
• Miles Sadler, a 5-11 points guard from Phoenix CIA Bella Vista Prep at No. 23.
• Ikenna Alozie, a 6-2 point guard from Glendale Dream City Christian at No. 27.
• Goodyear Millennium 6-5 guard Cameron Holmes at No. 34.
• AZ Compass Prep guard Kaden House at No. 47.
• AZ Compass Prep guard Quincy Wadley at No. 74.
• AZ Compass Prep guard Kalek House (Kaden's twin brother) at No. 92.
• In the 2027 class, ESPN ranks former Gilbert Perry guard Bruce Branch III, who is 6-7, as the No. 2 overall prospect in the nation. Since the end of last season, after Koa Peat's four-year run of state championships ended and coach Sam Duane Jr., stepped down, Branch moved to Florida to play for Prolific Prep. CIA Bella Vista 6-9 forward Paul Osaruyi is ranked right behind Branch at No. 3. And Phoenix Sunnyslope 6-10 center Darius Wabbington is ranked No. 20 in the 2027 class. Javon Bardwell, a 6-4 guard at PHH Prep, is ranked No. 40. Bardwell and the House twins started their high school career at Scottsdale Desert Mountain before taking the prep academy route.

Williams had a strong summer with impressive performances in the Section 7 in Mesa and the NBA Top 100 Camp in South Carolina.

"I have to step up to a bigger role," Williams told The Republic in June during the Section 7. "I've got to do more, not just scoring-wise, but defensively, just impacting the game in a more effective manner."

St. Mary's coach Damin Lopez told The Republic in June that Williams has made tremendous strides every year since his freshman season.

"Cam has been working so hard on his fundamentals, preparing for his athleticism to kick in," Lopez said. "That's happening now and you're seeing a different player.

"He has great length and where he really bought in was his defensive presence and how to change games on that end."

Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. He also covers Grand Canyon University athletics and the Arizona Rattlers. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: St. Mary's Williams No. 3 overall in 2026 class by ESPN