Bruce Branch III

Last updated
Bruce Branch III
Prolific Prep
Position Guard
Personal information
Born (2008-10-24) October 24, 2008 (age 17)
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school Perry
(Gilbert, Arizona)
Prolific Prep
(Fort Lauderdale, Florida)

Bruce Branch III (born October 24, 2008) is an American basketball player who currently attends Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. A five-star prospect, he is one of the top recruits in the class of 2026, after having reclassified from the class of 2027.

Early life

Branch was born on October 24, 2008, and grew up in Gilbert, Arizona. [1] [2] He first attended Perry High School in Gilbert, where he helped the Perry Pumas to consecutive state championships, including helping them to a 27–2 record and a national fourth-place ranking as a sophomore. [3] In June 2025, he announced a transfer to Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for his junior year. [4]

In 2025, Branch competed for the Adidas 3SSB circuit, playing for team Compton Magic while averaging 15.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 blocks. [5] He was also a top performer at the Adidas Eurocamp in Treviso, Italy, where he was received the Rising Star award and received All-Camp Team honors, despite playing against some players up to two years older than himself. [5]

Branch, a five-star prospect, was initially ranked the number-one player in the recruiting class of 2027. [6] However, in November 2025, he announced his reclassification to the class of 2026. [7] [8] After his reclassification, he was ranked the eighth-best recruit in the 2026 class by 247Sports. [9]

References

  1. Dixon, Jalon (November 24, 2025). "Reclassified 5-Star Recruit Drawing Interest From Kentucky, Duke". Newsweek .
  2. "Bruce Branch III". ESPN.
  3. Obert, Richard (June 5, 2025). "Perry basketball's top prospect Bruce Branch III may be moving on". The Arizona Republic .
  4. Villamarzo, Andy (June 21, 2025). "Top '27 basketball recruit Bruce Branch transferring to Prolific Prep". On3.com .
  5. 1 2 Bass, Tobias (November 22, 2025). "Top 2027 recruit Bruce Branch III reclassifies to 2026, reshaping early NBA Draft race". The Athletic .
  6. Geoghegan, Zack (July 15, 2025). "Now the top prospect in 2027, Bruce Branch III is hearing from Kentucky "almost every day"". On3.com .
  7. Borzello, Jeff; Biancardi, Paul (November 22, 2025). "Bruce Branch III, No. 2 hoops prospect, reclassifying to 2026". ESPN.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. Giles, Matt (November 25, 2025). "Top-Ranked Duke Basketball Recruiting Prospect Decides to Reclassify". Sports Illustrated .
  9. McDonald, Ryan (November 22, 2025). "A major high school basketball recruit just made national headlines. Could BYU land him?". Deseret News .