Excitement entering the unknown for 2026-27 Pioneers
The next era of Pioneer basketball is arriving with a whole lot of unfamiliar faces and Danny Fish couldn’t sound more excited about it.
For the first time in years, Warren County will enter a season without a roster loaded with proven varsity stars and battle-tested seniors. Instead, the Pioneers are preparing to lean on competition, chemistry and one of the deepest young groups the program has assembled during Fish’s tenure.
And after wrapping up tryouts Friday and posting a new roster, Fish believes the foundation for the future is already in place.
“(It's) Always tough to decide who moves forward because we have many good players in the high school,” said Fish. “The things we look at are skill set and how does that skill help the team: size, athleticism and intangibles like energy, communication and work ethic."
The senior class will be counted on to lead the transition into the new season.
Maddox Baker, Eli Davis, Camron Holder, Canaan Parris, Kristopher Robledo, Noah Santana and Jaustin Herron make up the senior group. Parris and Robledo already gained valuable varsity experience last season, while Baker gives the Pioneers another scoring option on the wing. Davis and Holder provide frontcourt size and Santana - a newcomer from Japan who transferred in last semester - could be in the guard rotation early. Herron also add depth and physicality.
The junior class may ultimately determine the ceiling for the Pioneers this winter.
"We have a heavy junior class and with that being said it is probably our strongest class overall,” said Fish.
Brent Carden photo - Maddox Baker could be a big scorer for the Pioneers in 2026-27.
Anden Green, Kiptyn Medley, Christian Munoz, Silas Murphy, Alex Perez, Dom Robertson, Luke Simpson, Isaac Smith and Tylan Adams form the largest upperclass group on the roster. Simpson already saw varsity action last season and Perez gives Warren County another physical body around the basket, while the rest of the group enters the summer battling for expanded opportunities.
The sophomore class features Wesley Romzek, Baylen Brewer, Ethan Williams and Aiden Carter as Warren County continues trying to build depth throughout the program.
Fish and his staff are equally excited about the incoming freshmen.
“The freshman class this year may be as good as the junior class or the senior class that just graduated so we are very excited for the future,” said Fish.
Walt Boon arrives after a standout run at Centertown, where he earned Warren County Elementary Basketball Association Tournament MVP honors while helping lead the Warriors to a county championship. Waylon Duggin played alongside Boon and emerged as another key contributor on the wing during Centertown’s title run.
Dibrell’s Kendal Womack enters the program known for his ability to heat up offensively in a hurry, while teammate Jullian Torres built his reputation doing the dirty work and bringing toughness every night.
The freshman group also includes Jesiah Rippy, Aiden Contreras, Daniel Cook, Lucas Baxter, Aiden van Vuuren, Kingston Judkins and Austin Breedlove, all members of a Warren County Middle School team that spent much of last winter establishing itself as one of the toughest groups in the area before narrowly missing a TMSAA sectional berth.
Judkins and Breedlove are listed with the reserve/JV squad following tryouts, giving the Pioneers two freshmen who could potentially pull double duty early in their careers.
The summer will now serve as the first evaluation period for Warren County as players begin settling into new responsibilities and roles.
“We start workouts next week and will start moving the pieces around while defining roles,” said Fish. “We will see how they respond in the summer to their new roles and the staff we will work hard to promote their growth as player and a young man.
“Summer camps are more like a three-week evaluation for the staff and an introduction for the freshman to how we go about things.”
The Pioneers will begin summer workouts soon before Warren County’s June schedule heats up. It includes team events at Coffee County, Tennessee Wesleyan University, Van Buren County, Covenant College and BCAT as the Pioneers continue building chemistry heading into the 2026-27 season.
“I like this year’s team as much as any that we have had,” said Fish. “They compete hard, they carry themselves the right way and they are ready to prove themselves. We are ready to get it rolling.”
