KOB Players to Watch on Friday

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The prestigious King of the Bluegrass tips off on Friday and runs through Monday at Fairdale. The slate is loaded with talented teams from across the state. Here's a look at players to watch on Friday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>North Oldham vs Trinity:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mustangs have 4 players averaging double figures but the key cog in the offense is Senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='932769' first='Dallas' last='Roberts']. Dallas is one of the best unsigned Seniors in the state and will certainly sign at the scholarship level in the spring. Fellow Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='932778' first='Ian' last='Higdon'], [player_tooltip player_id='1346651' first='Jack' last='Scales'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1346652' first='Luke' last='Anderson'] are all potential scholarship players. Anderson is an X factor that could help propel North on a deep run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Trinity has a loaded backcourt and one of the best wings in the state. [player_tooltip player_id='1258402' first='Drae' last='Vasser'] is a D1 guard who is leading them in scoring while Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1359139' first='Jayden' last='Johnson'] holds high major D1 offers already. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='932781' first='Cam' last='McClain'] and [player_tooltip player_id='932795' first='CJ' last='Walls'] are versatile guards who are both capable of scoring 20+ in any game. McClain has scholarship offers at the NAIA and D2 level and will be a steal at that level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>LaRue County at Fairdale</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hawks come into Louisville with a 4-2 record and a pretty good start to their season. Their scoring is balanced as [player_tooltip player_id='1543598' first='Jagger' last='Mardis'], Daniel Allen, Carson Childress and Luke Trumbo all average 9 points per game or more. They lack size but shoot the ball well and that can keep them in games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The host team, Fairdale has some good Junior guards with [player_tooltip player_id='1355176' first='Dalton' last='Hicks'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1148614' first='Jacob' last='Tucker'] combining for over 40 points per game. That duo does the majority of the scoring for the Bulldogs and Tucker had a 40+ point game at the KOB last year. Both are future scholarship level players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DuPont Manual vs Woodford County</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1085488' first='Damone' last='King'] is a lot like Roberts for North Oldham in the sense that he makes the offense go for the Crimsons and he is surrounded by some nice complimentary pieces on the roster. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2115231' first='Justice' last='Decker'] has a ton of long term potential as a big wing/forward. Senior Brady Hurley is a tough forward who can mix it up down low. Malachi Coleman and [player_tooltip player_id='1229147' first='Josh' last='Darst'] both play roles for Manual.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Woodford starts and ends with [player_tooltip player_id='1110315' first='Jasper' last='Johnson']. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1118821' first='John' last='McCrear'] is out until early 2023 with injury so a lot of the offense has fallen on Johnson's shoulders. Riding a 3 game win streak into this game, the Jackets have been getting good contributions from [player_tooltip player_id='1418231' first='Santonio' last='Waide'], Aden Nelson and [player_tooltip player_id='1123569' first='Makhi' last='Smith'] in the winning streak.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Warren Central vs DeSales</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Dragons are one of the best teams in the state and enter the contest at 5-0. [player_tooltip player_id='1493243' first='Chappelle' last='Whitney'], [player_tooltip player_id='939716' first='Kade' last='Unseld'], Izayiah Villafuerte, [player_tooltip player_id='1493244' first='Damarion' last='Walkup'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1493242' first='Omari' last='Glover'] are all scholarship level players (Unseld has 2 D1 offers currently). Last year's state runner up, Warren Central has their sights set on winning the KOB but has a stiff test on Friday night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DeSales has lost multiple players to transfer in the last month but have played a brutal schedule to start the year and survived and are more battle tested. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1123571' first='Brady' last='Cummins'] is off to a hot start for the Colts but they will go as far as [player_tooltip player_id='1221418' first='Crew' last='Gibson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1228481' first='Will' last='Gibson'] will take them. [player_tooltip player_id='1288934' first='Tyler' last='Klein'] is a good role player for them as well. [player_tooltip player_id='1228481' first='Will' last='Gibson'] has already committed to Liberty and his brother holds multiple NAIA and D2 offers already.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->