SHE’S A ‘TOP 10 COLLEGE PROSPECT’ FOR 2026
At five years old, Addison Bjorn unwittingly jumped into training for a career as a professional basketball player.
Growing up, she and her twin brother habitually shot hoops and played one-on-one games in the driveway of their Parkville home. Although at 17 and a high school junior, Bjorn today knows of her aspirations to eventually play professionally for the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA,) her younger self thought she was just having fun with a sport that seemed exciting, yet the more she played, relatively easy.
Park Hill South High School women’s basketball coach Josh Dorr first became acquainted with Bjorn when she was in fifth grade and attended his annual youth basketball camps. Dorr, who’s in his 24th year as a coach, said her exceptional qualities, even at a young age, made her shine as a standout.
“Just her athleticism with small, simple things like running,” Dorr said.
Today, at six foot two, her jumping range, speed and agility on the court combine to make Bjorn among the top ten college prospects for 2026, Dorr said.
Bjorn, who has narrowed her college offers from 50 down to about 15, describes her strengths as “being versatile with fast play and running the floor.”
Bjorn said her on-court relationship with her twin brother, Carson, both encouraged her and also “brought out competitiveness.”
The Bjorn family is packed with athletes, including her twin brother who also plays baseball and plans to attend college as a baseball player; older brother, Jack, 21, who plays football at Iowa State and often joined his younger siblings on the family’s basketball “court.” Their father, Darren, ran track in college.
Because Bjorn soon realized she couldn’t get enough of the sport, she started playing on school teams and eventually secured a spot on the traveling, competitive Team USA, a tournament team that feeds into the Olympics, and the All-Iowa Attack, a high-level club team for which she has played two years after having been invited by the coach.
The team was undefeated going into the district championship, but their winning streak ended there. Bjorn described the team as being made up of “a great group” and really appreciates that the coach pushes her “to the max.”
Bjorn said her personality leads her to her love of winning but also makes her prone to help and encourage others. Dorr described Bjorn’s style as “like a guard,” adding that she plays “all over the court.”
Bjorn said her timing embarking on a career in the field of professional women’s sports is coincidentally spot-on. She’s preparing to enter the professional court at an exciting time, following a lot of female basketball players, such as Kaitlynn Clark and Angel Reese.
“Even though they’re babies in the league, they still have a name for themselves,” she said, explaining how some of those playing in the WNBA have been the focus of the spotlight.
Dorr described Bjorn as a humble player, not focused on her personal score numbers.
“If somebody is open for a good shot, she’s going to give them the ball,” he said and added, “It’s all about the team.”
