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2026 Mr. and Ms. Basketball of Illinois winners Jaxson Davis and Trinity Jones are enjoying the ride

Naperville Central High School senior Trinity Jones, at left, is the 2026 Ms. Basketball of Illinois winner along with Warren Township High School junior Jaxson Davis who was named the the 2026 Mr. Basketball of Illinois. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Naperville Central High School senior Trinity Jones, at left, is the 2026 Ms. Basketball of Illinois winner along with Warren Township High School junior Jaxson Davis who was named the the 2026 Mr. Basketball of Illinois. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
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By | For the Chicago Tribune
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For Naperville Central senior Trinity Jones, all the honors she has achieved are humbling moments.

Whether it’s setting a program record with 44 points in a game, becoming the second Redhawk to earn McDonald’s All-American honors or being named the 2026 Ms. Basketball of Illinois, she is grateful.

“All the accolades, they’ve meant a lot to me,” Jones said. “They’re not given to everybody. They’re given to people they believe in on the court and also off the court, which means a lot to me. It’s a big blessing.”

Jones won a close battle with Avery Tibbs of downstate Washington and fellow DuPage Valley Conference foe Danyella Mporokoso of Waubonsie Valley to win the award, as voted on by coaches and media statewide.

The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 27 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.4 steals in her senior season.

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Naperville Central's Trinity Jones (10) is guarded by Waubonsie Valley's Arie Garcia-Evans during a Class 4A East Aurora Sectional semifinal on Feb. 24, 2026. (Sean King / for the Naperville Sun)
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Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum coached both Jones and Candace Parker, a recent Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame electee, as Naperville Central Ms. Basketball winners. Parker won it three times from 2002-04.

“I wondered what it would be like, and I got the best of them,” Nussbaum said. “To get a second Ms. Basketball, I’ve been very fortunate.”

To bring it full circle, Jones is friends with Parker’s daughter, Lailaa Williams, whom she met at a camp at Naperville Central a few years ago. When Jones visited Parker’s alma mater, Tennessee, Parker was there as part of the pitch.

“Lailaa is my friend,” Jones said. “She started coming to summer camps with her mom and we got very close.”

With the travel itinerary of Jones, it feels like she’s almost already in college. Jones, who signed with Maryland last week, recently went on a trip that would make anyone dizzy.

Jet-setting between college visits, the McDonald’s All-American Game in Glendale, Ariz., and prom in a two-week span, she has been all over the place.

“I’m a suburban kid,” Jones said. “That’s why I love traveling. It’s very eye-opening for me.”

As one of the nation’s top players, that is about to be commonplace.

“It’s honestly a blessing,” Jones said. “I try not to hype myself up about it. I really try to stay calm, cool and collected. I know I always have to get better. The job is not done, like Kobe (Bryant) said.”

Mr. Basketball winner Jaxson Davis of Warren admits he has taken notes of Jones’ travels. The two are friendly, and he has seen her activity.

“She’s on a different level right now,” Davis said. “That’s what it’s going to look like for me too. All we can do is enjoy the ride.”

As one of three two-time Mr. Basketball winners, the 6-foot-1 guard has a chance to make history as a senior. Only Simeon’s Jabari Parker and EJ Liddell of Belleville West have won two Mr. Basketball honors. Davis was the first sophomore to do so.

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Warren’s Jaxson Davis brings the ball up the court against Waukegan on Dec. 13, 2025, in Waukegan. (Mark Ukena/for the News-Sun)
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“It means a lot,” Davis said. “It shows how last year wasn’t a fluke with me winning it and I was capable of winning it again. It’s just a huge honor that the coaches and media believe that I’m the best player in the state of Illinois.”

Davis averaged 23.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.5 steals for the Blue Devils. He dominated the voting for Mr. Basketball, outpacing Young’s Marquis Clark and Lincoln Williams of Kankakee to repeat.

“Being Mr. Basketball twice puts him in pretty elite company,” Warren coach Zack Ryan said. “I knew how good he was before high school, but what he’s been able to do over his first three years and what our team has been able to do is pretty special. He’s on a pretty good trajectory to be one of the best ever in our area and the state.”

Davis is in the middle of something that Jones is all too familiar with: high-level college recruiting. He’s hoping to have a decision made before he starts his senior season.

“It’s extremely exciting knowing that colleges are interested in me and know I can help them,” Davis said.

Ryan knows that Davis is a loyal person, so that will factor into his decision. In the age of the transfer portal and NIL, recruiting has become far more complex, but Ryan is confident Davis will find the right fit.

“He wants to go to a place that has a culture of success and not shipping guys in and out,” Ryan said. “Those are the places he likes the most. He’s kind of old-school in that way. He wants to win and be with a coach that will be there for a while.”

Before going to college, however, Davis has some history to make.

“I would say that is a goal of mine next year, to be able to three-peat, try to make history,” Davis said. “The main goal is to win state. But I want to do that too.”

The prestigious awards, given to the top boys and girls players in the state, are 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.

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

2026 Mr. Basketball of Illinois voting

129 ballots cast; five points for a first-place vote, three for second and one for third; first-place votes in parentheses

Top 10

  • 1. Jaxson Davis, Warren, 361 points (53)
  • 2. Marquis Clark, Young, 176 (22)
  • 3. Lincoln Williams, Kankakee, 135 (16)
  • 4. Jamison White, East St. Louis, 97 (7)
  • 5. Rashaun Porter, DePaul, 56 (4)
  • 6. Jayden Wright, Benet: 42 (3)
  • 7. Quinton Kitt, East Peoria: 40 (4)
  • 8. Brady Pettigrew, Bolingbrook, 38 (10)
  • 9. Rykan Woo, DePaul, 33 (1)
  • t10. Amarion Smith-Holley, Richwoods, 32 (3)
  • t10. Cole Kelly, Neuqua Valley, 32

Others receiving multiple votes: Nathaniel Marlow, Webber Twp., 18 points (3); Marshawn Cocroft, Kaneland, 10 (2); Amir Danforth, Rockford Auburn, 8 (1); Charles Barnes, Marist, 7; Gage Peterson, Waltonville, 7; Maddox Ritzel, Nashville, 4.

Receiving one vote: Jayden Goff, Lawrenceville, 5 (1); Josh Humbles, Manual, 5 (1); Brody Landgraf, Columbia, 5 (1); Jayden Riley, Yorkville Christian, 5 (1); Zander Cessna, Lawrenceville, 3; Brandon Chatman, Rockford Guilford, 3; Archie Goewey, Centralia, 3; Jeffrey Hassan, Kaneland, 3; Markese Peoples, St. Laurence, 3; Eddie Smajic, Columbia, 3; JaQuan Brown, Manual, 1; Tishawn Clemmons, MacArthur, 1; Kyle Cooper, Waltonville, 1; Darrius Hawkins Jr., Homewood-Flossmoor, 1; Keison Peoples, Bismarck-Henning, 1; Gavin Peppenhorst, Mater Dei, 1; Jake Pollack, Deerfield, 1; Colin Stack, Benet, 1; Ethan Vahl, Oswego; Noah Wilson, Lawrenceville, 1.

2026 Ms. Basketball of Illinois voting

129 ballots cast; five points for a first-place vote, three for second and one for third; first-place votes in parentheses

Top 10

  • 1. Trinity Jones, Naperville Central: 23-28-20—219
  • 2. Avery Tibbs, Washington: 29-12-11—192
  • 3. Danyella Mporokoso, Waubonsie Valley: 22-20-13—183
  • 4. Stella Sakalas, Nazareth: 15-19-23—155
  • 5. Alexis Neumann, Chatham Glenwood: 2-4-3—25
  • 6. Landrie Callahan, Providence Catholic: 2-3-4—20
  • 7. Xyanna Walton, Butler Prep: 1, 3, 5—19
  • 8. Danielle Brooks, Kenwood: 1-3-3—17
  • 9. Dalia Dejesus, Deer Creek Mackinaw: 1-3-1—15
  • 10. Lexi Baer, Peoria Notre Dame: 0, 1, 8—11

Others receiving multiple votes: Josie Christopher, O’Fallon: 8 points (1); Liv Johnson, Carmel, 4; Emma Briggs, Benet, 2. 

Receiving one vote: Aniyah Wiggins, Intrinsic: 5 points (1); Anna Weber, Pleasant Plains, 5 (1); Camryn Engelman, Nokomis, 5 (1); Essence Haynes, Elverado, 5 (1); Heidi Rathmann, Antioch, 5 (1); Karmon Grohmann, Gibault Catholic, 5 (1); Kennedy Quinn, Abingdon-Avon, 5 (1); Nyanna Payton, Peoria Manual, 5 (1); Taylor Trame, Breese Central, 5 (1); Jadyn Climer, West-Hancock-Warsaw-Hamilton, 3; America Escalera, Intrinsic, 3; Breyasia Grayson, Peoria Manual, 3; Macy Groharing, Byron, 3; Stella Lopp, Chatham Glenwood, 3; Emily Naraky, Loyola, 3; Kinley Stolte, Nokomis, 3; Ava Bobb, Chatham Glenwood, 1; Summer Brinkmann, Nashville, 1; Cloey Dirks, Nokomis, 1; Lazara Franklin, Intrinsic, 1; Aubrey Heck, Waterloo, 1; Ma’Kya Maxwell, Peoria Manual, 1; Lily Sizemore, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, 1; Sophia Towne, Nazareth, 1. 

Mr. Basketball of Illinois winners

Ms. Basketball of Illinois winners

Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.

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