Season Preview: Top 10 Rankings

<p>With the season starting on Monday, let’s take a look at the top 10 teams in the state heading into the year. At this point, we are assuming Jefferson County public schools will be allowed to play at some point in the near future. If not, all bets are off.</p> <ol> <li>Male - Yes they graduated a ton of talent but their 2023 class could be better in the long term than their 2020 class was. With Seniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="923001" first="Cam" last="Pope"] and [player_tooltip player_id="922999" first="Dez" last="Lindsay"]</strong> along with Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="932764" first="Kaleb" last="Glenn"] </strong>returning to form a talented core, these Bulldogs are looking to win the 7th region and get a shot to cut the nets at Rupp after missing the opportunity in 2020.</li> <li>Fern Creek - Yes Zek Montgomery is gone but there is still a surplus of talent at the Creek and they’re hungry for a shot at Rupp after having their season ended abruptly in March thanks to Covid. Seniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="922990" first="Jaden" last="Rogers"], [player_tooltip player_id="1038878" first="Darrius" last="Washington"] and [player_tooltip player_id="922998" first="Cearius" last="Warren"] </strong>get the headlines but Juniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="926893" first="Darien" last="Lewis"] and [player_tooltip player_id="926899" first="Andru" last="Markham"] </strong>can be difference makers in the 6th region.</li> <li>Covington Catholic - Another reigning regional champion, Cov Cath returns several key pieces from last season and added an impact transfer in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="926898" first="Mitchell" last="Rylee"]. </strong>The 9th region is not going to be a cake walk but the Colonels have a lot of talent and consistently guard really well, which makes a difference in March. </li> <li>Lexington Catholic - The clear 11th region favorite and led by potential Mr. Basketball <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="604116" first="Ben" last="Johnson"], </strong>the Knights are a very talented and deep team that is built around Johnson’s scoring and playmaking. Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="926891" first="Jack" last="Gohmann"]</strong> and Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1043605" first="Hudson" last="Sparks"]</strong> can be difference makers this season.</li> <li>Ashland Blazer - The only team to finish 2020 undefeated, the Tomcats added a post player in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="977523" first="Sean" last="Marcum"]</strong> and return the rest of their impact players from last year. They’ve bulked up their schedule and should be battle tested by the time regional tournaments start in March.</li> <li>Bowling Green - A Senior heavy roster has hopes of finally beating Warren Central and getting to Rupp Arena after falling short the last few seasons. Across the board, the Purples have as much talent as anyone but with DG Sherrill back coaching the team, you can expect the offense to play inside then out so a lot of pressure falls on Seniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="793779" first="Jacobi" last="Huddleston"] and Jordan Dingle</strong> inside.</li> <li>Ballard - If the Bruins reach their ceiling, they could win the state title and be the last team standing in March. With <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="926882" first="Maker" last="Bar"], [player_tooltip player_id="932766" first="Gabe" last="Sisk"] and [player_tooltip player_id="932772" first="Jack" last="Edelen"], </strong>the Bruins have enough firepower to beat anyone on a given night but I worry about their overall depth, especially in the post behind Bar. They’re going to need some size to counteract [player_tooltip player_id="932764" first="Kaleb" last="Glenn"] when they play Male.</li> <li>Oldham County - These Colonels return almost every contributor from last season’s 8th region runner up and have a lot of experienced depth. Coach Z runs a good offensive system and doesn’t rely on any one player to carry the scoring. With <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="923005" first="Tyler" last="Slone"] and [player_tooltip player_id="923036" first="Deaton" last="Oak"]</strong> leading the way, I think Oldham can be a sleeper to make a run at Rupp and maybe even win the title.</li> <li>Elizabethtown - Yet another 2020 regional champion who returns most of their roster, the Panthers are looking to make a deep run behind a strong Senior class. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="530678" first="JaQuais" last="Franklin"] </strong>is the best player in the state that nobody talks about and should have E-town in position to get back to Rupp and possibly win a couple of games when they get there.</li> <li>George Rogers Clark - As detailed this week in a practice report, GRC has a lot of weapons on offense and are probably a year away from being on the short list for state championship contenders. If <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="923008" first="Jared" last="Wellman"] and [player_tooltip player_id="692930" first="Jerone" last="Morton"]</strong> can be a dynamic 1-2 punch and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="926892" first="Aden" last="Slone"]</strong> settles in at the point guard spot, these Cardinals should be back at Rupp in March.</li> </ol>