Week 2 Takeaways
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With the season underway, there is a lot to talk about. Here are some of my big takeaways of the second week of the 2022-23 season. Warren Central is the best team I’ve seen And it’s because of their ability…
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Continue ReadingWith the season underway, there is a lot to talk about. Here are some of my big takeaways of the second week of the 2022-23 season.
Warren Central is the best team I’ve seen
And it’s because of their ability to defend. Please note that I haven’t seen all the “top teams” yet. Notably, I haven’t seen GRC yet. While Central doesn’t have an elite rim protector or any particular “lock down” guard, the Dragons switch almost everything and have interchangeable parts. An opposing guard may have a 6’4 guard on them and get a screen only to have another 6’4 guard take them in the switch. With their ability to switch and shrink the court on defense, the Dragons are going to be hard to beat. Not to mention all 5 starters are averaging double figures and the ball is moving on offense constantly.
Western’s 2025 Class has all the pieces to be GREAT
Against Warren Central it was the least heralded Sophomore Josiah Lawson Josiah Lawson 6'0" | PG Trinity | 2025 State KY who did the most scoring and shot making on a day when the Warriors struggled to score. Fellow Sophomore Julius Edmonds Julius Edmonds 6'6" | SF Trinity | 2025 State #253 Nation KY is an effective scorer in the midrange and a killer on the low block with his fundamentals. Elijah Clinton Elijah Clinton 6'6" | CG Western | 2025 FL aka Musa does some athletic stuff that you just don’t see often around here. He had a chase down block on Saturday that would have made Tayshaun Prince proud. The X Factor remains big man Jayden Miles. He makes “wow” plays like when he snatched a shot out of midair on Saturday. But then he does things like settle for a long 3 or pout instead of get back on defense. If he figures it all out (and he’s made HUGE strides in the last 2 years), Jayden will be a Power 5 recruit with a legitimate chance to play basketball for a living when he’s older.
The 2024 Class is off to a great start to their seasons
While the names at the top of the class rankings are almost all off to hot starts, the next tier of players are also playing at a high level. Guards like Max Green Max Green 6'6" | CG Oldham County | 2024 State KY , Kaydon Custard Kaydon Custard 6'2" | PG Harrison County | 2024 State KY , MJ Wardlow, Christian Doerr Christian Doerr 6'3" | SG Evangel Christian | 2024 State KY , Taveon Smith Taveon Smith 6'2" | CG North Hardin | 2024 State KY and Blake Reed Blake Reed 5'10" | PG Mason County | 2024 KY are all off to strong starts and their teams are playing well. Wings and posts like Dayton Williams Dayton Williams 6'4" | CG Butler | 2024 State KY , Elijah Decker Elijah Decker 6'5" | SF Ohio County | 2024 State KY , Abram Stinebruner Abram Stinebruner 6'5" | SG Oldham County | 2024 State KY , Antonio Williams Antonio Williams 6'7" | SF Hopkinsville | 2024 State KY , Derrell Bateman Derrell Bateman 6'4" | SF Christian County | 2024 State KY and Breland Morrison Breland Morrison 6'3" | SF George Rogers Clark | 2024 State KY are all playing at a high level already this season. The class is starting to show it has some true depth to it with upwards of 30+ future scholarship level players.
So is the 2026 Class
Players like DeMarcus Surratt DeMarcus Surratt 6'3" | CG Frederick Douglass | 2026 State KY , Walker Craig Walker Craig 6'7" | SF Rockcastle County | 2026 State KY , Luke Fawns Luke Fawns 6'6" | SF Montgomery County | 2026 State KY , Jeremiah Jackson Jeremiah Jackson 6'4" | SF Saint Xavier | 2026 State KY , Jacob Spurlock Jacob Spurlock 6'3" | CG Boyd County | 2026 State KY , Kendall Phillips Kendall Phillips 6'5" | PF Wayne County | 2026 State KY , Jonathon Moss, Reece Davidson Reece Davidson 6'7" | PF North Laurel | 2026 State KY and Gavin Lightning Gavin Lightning 6'5" | PF Hilliard Bradley | 2026 State OH have already had big games and/or are averaging double figures early in their freshman seasons. Not to mention players at the top of the rankings like Jayden Johnson Jayden Johnson 6'5" | SG Trinity | 2026 State KY , Taylen Kinney Taylen Kinney 6'1" | PG Newport | 2026 State KY , James Turner James Turner 6'6" | PF Newport | 2026 State KY , Cole Edelen Cole Edelen 6'2" | PG Male | 2026 State KY and DeAaron Watkins DeAaron Watkins 6'8" | PF Daviess County | 2026 State KY are all starting and playing big roles for good teams. They’re just getting started but the class has a lot of long term upside for sure.