Alcoa High School freshman guard Harper Stinnett is the 2025-26 5Star Preps Girls Underclassman of the Year, presented by North Knox Siding & Windows.
BY JESSE SMITHEY
En route to his team’s 2026 Class 3A state basketball championship in March, even Dyersburg girls basketball coach Tim Strayhorn took a second to pause and appreciate what he saw in Harper Stinnett shortly after a tightly contested state semifinal win over Alcoa.
“No, she doesn’t play like a freshman,” he said of Stinnett, a 5-foot-8 combo guard.
Strayhorn wasn’t surprised by Harper’s 22-point, six-rebound, four-assist, three-steal effort against Dyersburg.
He had and his staff had seen her make an impact on Alcoa’s quarterfinal win.
But their scout on her went way back.
North Knox Siding & Windows is the proud sponsor of the 2025-26 All-5Star Preps Basketball Teams and Awards. Celebrating their 30th Anniversary in 2026, North Knox Siding & Windows has served Knoxville well by creating value for its customers through professionally installed products that the company stands by.
“She put our middle school team out (of the playoffs) a year ago,” Strayhorn added, referencing a 2025 TMSAA state semifinal game won by Alcoa 62-29.
While Dyersburg High got the better of Alcoa in the 2026 state semifinals, the stage still allowed Stinnett to open the eyes of those watching that she and Alcoa just might be have to be reckoned with in Murfreesboro for the next three seasons to come.
“It really gave me a confidence booster to know that I can do it and I can contribute a lot,” said Stinnett, the 2025-26 5Star Preps Girls Underclassman of the Year.
“It just helps me and makes me want to work harder and get better and better.”
Stinnett entered the high school ranks with expectations circling about her. Her father, Travis, was one of Alcoa’s all-time greats who went on to play for four years at Alabama. She had the all aforementioned middle school successes to her credit.
How would all that fit in with a veteran squad that had reached three consecutive state sectional rounds?
Just fine.
When Stinnett joined Alcoa for summer camps and performed well against premier programs, Alcoa coach David Baumann said that his rising seniors realized quickly that Stinnett would be able to help them reach their goal of making it to state.
“I think she handled it (the jump to high school) unbelievably. I say that because: we had three senior starters who had started for two years coming back,” said Baumann. “The thing that she was able to do was: she led us in scoring while, at the same time, fitting in. That’s a tough balancing act, especially with someone with the expectations she had coming in.
“She did that seamlessly. She led us in scoring. She was second in assists. She was second in rebounding. She was first in steals. She did a lot of things to impact winning besides just scoring. I think that’s one of the things I love about her game the most. Yes, she’s known as a scorer and a shooter. But if you really watch her play, she rebounds and she’s a very under-rated passer.”
Stinnett led a well-balanced and deep Alcoa team with 13.6 points per game but also adding 5.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.
After being named All-District 5-3A, Stinnett captured Region 3-3A Tournament MVP honors.
She also landed on the TSSAA State Tournament Team for Class 3A for compiling 32 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks in her two state tournament games combined. She also went 6-for-12 from the 3-point line, combined, in those two contests.
Harper Stinnett drives against the Dyersburg Trojans in a TSSAA Class 3A state tournament semifinal on March 13, 2026, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Photo by Danny Parker)
Stinnett finished the season with a 40-percent clip from 3 and 85-percent success rate at the free throw line. At Middle Tennessee State’s Murphy Center — the host site of the TSSAA state tournament — she showed effortless range but also an ability to finish near the basket against bigger and older defenders.
“She inherited a lot from her dad, for sure. But she has great body control. My daughter is the same age, so I’ve seen (Harper) since she was 5. … she’s always been special,” Baumann said. “But the way she finishes — she’s such an under-rated finisher. And it’s because such great body control. She’s not the biggest or the strongest right now — although she’s really working hard and that and understands that’s something she’ll have to work on the next three years — but she has such great body control. She can handle getting bumped in the lane and not lose her balance.”
Alcoa finished 28-8 this past season and will lose a senior starting point guard in Halle Bailey (who signed to play softball at Tennessee), a senior starting forward in Gwen Carroll (who signed to play basketball at Carson-Newman) and a senior starting forward in Maddy Stewart (an All-District athlete in three sports who signed to play softball for Chattanooga State).
Expect Stinnett’s scoring responsibilities to increase, as well as leadership and ball-handling duties alongside backcourt mate Kadie Bremer.
Stinnett also is working to be a more disciplined defender, knowing when to gamble and when not to as her knowledge of the game enhances. Keeping her out of foul trouble will be a must next season, Baumann added.
“I just want to try and stay well-rounded with all of it,” Stinnett said of her improvement plan.
“I really want to help scoring, too, a lot more.”
PREVIOUS WINNERS
2025 — Skylar Walden, The King’s Academy
2024 — Natalya Hodge, Bearden
2023 — Natala Hodge, Bearden
2022 — Sydney Mains, Catholic
2021 — Sydney Mains, Catholic
2020 — Sarah Burton, Clinton
2019 — Denae Fritz, Maryville
North Knox Siding & Windows is the proud sponsor of the 2025-26 All-5Star Preps Basketball Teams and Awards. Celebrating their 30th Anniversary in 2026, North Knox Siding & Windows has served Knoxville well by creating value for its customers through professionally installed products that the company stands by.