Resilient might be the best way to describe Jesuit’s basketball team in 2026.
The Rangers overcame numerous obstacles en route to a second-place finish in District 7-6A and berth in the area round of the playoffs.
No hurdle was bigger than the 0-3 hole the Rangers found themselves in to open district, but Jesuit rallied to win 11 of their next 12 games before ultimately suffering defeat in the playoffs to a Little Elm team competing for the state title Saturday in San Antonio.
Much of the credit for Jesuit’s turnaround goes the way of its senior class, which recently had five players named to the 7-6A all-district team.
Leading the way with first-team selections were Pierce Popelka, Justin Fern, and William Alexander.
Popelka made his way to the top squad after leading Jesuit in scoring (14.4) and rebounding (4.3) while shooting 71 percent from the field.
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Head coach Chris Hill credited Popelka for his work ethic throughout his four years at Jesuit for setting the stage for his dynamic senior season.
“He just had a great offseason,” Hill said. “He really simplified things. He came and lifted and worked out and played in the open gyms. He knew he was a good rebounder and cutter, so he decided to try and get as good at those things as he could.”
Fern, a guard, was another player Hill credited for his rapid improvement in the offseason.
Jesuit’s second-leading scorer at 11.6 points per game, Fern contributed 3.3 rebounds while shooting a team-high 36 percent from 3-point range.
“He went from not playing a ton last year to being one of the top vote-getters for the first team,” Hill said. “That’s a credit to the work he put in to improve. He went from being just a great shooter, to a great shooter and ball-handler and finisher. He came back from last year a different player.”
Fern also spent some time playing point guard for Jesuit, as did Alexander.
“We didn’t really have a true point guard, so they were both kind of playing out of position a bit,” Hill said. “I was glad to see William named to the first team because he is such a subtle player and I wasn’t sure a lot of coaches would take note of that.”
The consummate teammate according to Hill, Alexander led Jesuit with 91 assists (29 more than any other player) while chipping in 3.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
Seniors making the second team for Jesuit included Cooper Jensen and Cade Kirby.
Jensen was one of Jesuit’s top defenders, including leading the team with 2.1 steals, and was not only accepting but grew to relish a role as Jesuit’s sixth-man.
Kirby, meanwhile, developed into Jesuit’s defensive stopper following a shift to a box-and-one defense late in the season.
While the leadership and experience of Jesuit’s seniors went a long way in earning a playoff berth, it was actually a sophomore who garnered a superlative award for the Rangers as Andrew Eakes was named Newcomer of the Year.
For the season, Eakes averaged 5.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.
“I knew Andrew was going to be a good player, but even I was surprised a little bit by the year he had,” Hill said. “He’s a gym rat, though, and was one of our top minutes guys. He’s a really good kid, too, and I think that’s why a lot of our seniors really accepted him right away and embraced him.”
While Hill is certainly happy to have Eakes back in the fold next season, he knows it will be a different feel for the Rangers on the court after graduating such a large and experienced senior class.
“There was a point where we were 0-3 going into a game against Berkner,” Hill said. “I was thinking if we don’t win this next one and we’re 0-4, making the playoffs might be really tough. I don’t think the kids knew it, but I was a little worried. But I came into practice the next day and they were all in there relaxed and raring to go. They really pulled us out of it. It was just a great group of kids. They showed their resilience all year long.”
