Next Up: Replacing Top 2020s (Regions 11-16)

<p>The 2020 class is out the door but their high school teams are left to try and replace the production of players who have had a massive impact for the last several seasons. Here’s a look at how teams will look to replace the top players in the departing Senior class.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Eleventh Region:</strong></span></p> <p>Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id="783031" first="Marques" last="Warrick"], Henry Clay</p> <p>Next Up: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="801604" first="Kanye" last="Henderson"] (2022). </strong>I feel like I’ve been driving the [player_tooltip player_id="801604" first="Kanye" last="Henderson"] bandwagon for a while now but I do think he is going to burst on the scene next season. He’s a lot like Warrick with his length and smooth scoring ability. Marques eventually became a go-to scorer who could take over games. I’m not sure Henderson has that amount of dog in him but I do think he can be Ques-lite at worst.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Twelfth Region:</strong></span></p> <p>Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id="915111" first="Brayden" last="Sebastian"], Garrard County</p> <p>Next Up: <strong>Montavin Quisenberry (2024). </strong>Garrard is likely to go right back to rebuilding mode with Sebastian graduating and Coach Ryan Young resigning. Quisenberry showed some flashes of his future potential as he started this past season as an 8th grader. He doesn’t shoot the ball especially well but he can penetrate the defense and make plays happen. Senior <strong>Hudson Cornett </strong>is likely to lead the Lions in scoring but Quisenberry is the better long term prospect.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thirteenth Region:</strong></span></p> <p>Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id="783035" first="Matt" last="Cromer"], South Laurel</p> <p>Next Up: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="939115" first="Jordan" last="Mabe"] (2024). </strong>Senior <strong>Micah Anders</strong> is the leading returning scorer for the Cards but Mabe is likely to play with the ball in his hands the majority of the time. Long and skinny, Jordan looks like your typical freshman but he does flash some serious potential with his length and guard skills. Time will tell how tall he gets and if he ever fills out his skinny frame but Mabe has a chance to be a top player in the 2024 class.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Fourteenth Region:</strong></span></p> <p>Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id="915133" first="Joe" last="Benton"], Estill County</p> <p>Next Up: <strong>Landon Napier (2022). </strong>Any coach in the 15th region would tell you they’re thrilled to see Benton gone from Estill County after a long career that included a regional title in his Junior season. Napier was the second leading scorer for the Engineers last season and likely to be the leading scorer this year as he’ll get the lion’s share of the shots but won’t have Benton’s dynamic passing to get him open looks. Landon will do his best to keep Estill from facing a total rebuild.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Fifteenth Region:</strong></span></p> <p>Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id="915106" first="Cody" last="Potter"], Shelby Valley</p> <p>Next Up: <strong>Kaden Robinson (2021). </strong>Cody is not going to be replaced by any one player because his lethal shooting opened up everything else for his teammates. Robinson is a good shooter and solid all around player but Shelby Valley will need him and teammates [player_tooltip player_id="923054" first="Keian" last="Worrix"] and Elijah Sykes to all be prepared to step up and shoulder the load as Cody’s graduation costs the Wildcats 25 points per game.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Sixteenth Region:</strong></span></p> <p>Player of the Year: Sam O’Keefe, Lewis County</p> <p>Next Up: <strong>Kolby McCann (2021). </strong>McCann was basically O’Keefe lite this season as he was second in scoring and rebounding behind Sam and they shot the exact percentage (53.6%) from the field for the season. With the 16th having more talent next season, Kolby will really need to elevate his game to keep Lewis in contention next season. If he can add some stretch to his game and knock down perimeter jumpers, it would go a long way towards making his team (and his game) more dynamic.</p>