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Tuesday, May 5th 2026

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2026 Mr. and Ms. Basketball of Illinois: Warren’s Jaxson Davis and Naperville Central’s Trinity Jones

Warren’s Jaxson Davis, left, and Naperville Central’s Trinity Jones have been named 2026 Mr. and Ms. Basketball of Illinois. (Mark Ukena and Jon Cunningham/for the Chicago Tribune)
Warren’s Jaxson Davis, left, and Naperville Central’s Trinity Jones have been named 2026 Mr. and Ms. Basketball of Illinois. (Mark Ukena and Jon Cunningham/for the Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Tribune
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Jaxson Davis and Trinity Jones have put their names among some of the greats in the state’s rich high school basketball history.

Davis, a 6-foot-1 junior guard from Warren, is just the third player to be named Mr. Basketball of Illinois twice — and he has a chance to become the first three-time winner.

Jones, a 6-2 senior guard, is the second Naperville Central player to win Ms. Basketball of Illinois — and the first one recently was selected for the Hall of Fame.

The prestigious awards, voted on by high school coaches and media, are given to the top players in the state and presented by the Chicago Tribune in conjunction with the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association. Mr. Basketball has been handed out since 1981 and Ms. Basketball since 1986.

Players received five points for a first-place vote, three for second and one for third.

Warren's Jaxson Davis scores past Rockford Auburn's Champ Parker after a steal during a Class 4A sectional semifinal March 3, 2026, in Rockford. (H. Rick Bamman/For the News-Sun)
Warren's Jaxson Davis scores past Rockford Auburn's Champ Parker after a steal during a Class 4A sectional semifinal March 3, 2026, in Rockford. (H. Rick Bamman/For the News-Sun)

Davis, who last year became the first underclassman to win Mr. Basketball, repeated in a runaway. He received 53 first-place votes, appeared on 89 of 129 ballots and finished with 361 points. Young’s Marquis Clark, a 6-1 guard, took second with 176 points, appearing on 52 ballots and getting 22 first-place votes. Kankakee senior Lincoln Williams, a 6-5 forward, took third with 135 points, receiving 16 first-place votes.

Simeon’s Jabari Parker in 2012-13 and Belleville West’s EJ Liddell in 2018-19 are the only other boys players to win the award twice — both in their junior and senior seasons.

Davis averaged 23.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.5 steals for the Blue Devils (30-4). Warren lost in the Class 4A sectional semifinals this year after advancing to the state championship game in 2025.

Davis, who has multiple offers from major Division I programs, is the top player in the state, the No. 12 point guard in the nation and the No. 51 player overall in the Class of 2027, according to the 247 Sports composite rankings.

Naperville Central's Trinity Jones powers to the basket against Waubonsie Valley's Taylnn Heard on Feb. 10, 2026. (Sean King/For the Naperville Sun)
Naperville Central's Trinity Jones powers to the basket against Waubonsie Valley's Taylnn Heard on Feb. 10, 2026. (Sean King/For the Naperville Sun)

Jones, who signed with Clemson in November, won in a much closer race with 219 points, beating out senior Avery Tibbs of downstate Washington (192) and Waubonsie Valley senior Danyella Mporokoso (183). Jones received 23 first-place votes — six fewer than Tibbs — but appeared on 71 of 107 ballots compared with Tibbs’ 52. Mporokoso was listed on 55 ballots and received 22 first-place votes.

Jones is the second Naperville Central player to win Ms. Basketball; Candace Parker three-peated in 2002-04. Parker, who helped the Chicago Sky win their first WNBA title in 2021, on Saturday was named to the 2026 class of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be inducted in August. The Sky retired her No. 3 jersey last year.

Jones averaged 27 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.4 steals for the 4A regional champion Redhawks (26-7) and set the program’s single-game scoring record with 44 points. She was the second player in Naperville Central history after Parker to be named a McDonald’s All-American, scoring 10 points for the West team in last week’s game in Glendale, Ariz.

Jones is ranked the No. 7 player overall and No. 2 shooting guard in the nation in this year’s class, according to the 247 Sports composite, and is the top-ranked player in the state.

Davis and Jones will be honored at an IBCA luncheon May 2 at Illinois State University in Normal.

Mr. Basketball of Illinois winners

Ms. Basketball of Illinois winners

Complete voting for the 2026 awards will be listed later this month.

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