Kentucky 17 U standouts from Queen City Clash
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The Queen City Clash saw a handful of Kentucky programs make the short trip across the Ohio river into Cincinnati to compete in a spring Prep Hoops Circuit event. In this article we’ll break down the top 17 U Kentucky…
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Continue ReadingThe Queen City Clash saw a handful of Kentucky programs make the short trip across the Ohio river into Cincinnati to compete in a spring Prep Hoops Circuit event. In this article we’ll break down the top 17 U Kentucky performers from Saturday’s action.
The motor of Harward was running on Saturday morning. Attacking the glass on both ends of the court was key for Harward as his offensive rebounding got himself and his teammates extra chances at the rim and his defensive rebounding helped start the fast break. Also able to attack a hard closeout off the dribble, Harward had a nice move going baseline on a dribble drive. Liked the motor that Harward played with and that he knew what his role was.
Highlights
Coffman’s team stole a victory on Saturday morning as a Jerrod Roark Jerrod Roark 6’1″ | PG Clay County | 2025 State KY game-winner propelled Kentucky Future Elite White to a stunning comeback. Before Roark could pull off the heroics, it was Coffman making play after play down the stretch to lead his team back, Coffman had a team-high 18 points. Knocking down shots from the perimeter, Coffman nailed a pair of triples from the top of the key. With a good frame, Coffman wasn’t pushed off his spots and a late drive and finish with his left hand cut the deficit to just one point. Great effort by Coffman and the rest of his team to fight back and get a good win to open up play at the Queen City Classic.
Bethel attacked the rim with aggression on Saturday afternoon. Not caring if the defense was in front of him Bethel was looking for a way to get around and get to the basket. His strength and quickness made him tough to stop with a head of steam and Bethel used a variety of finishes at the rim once he got there. A steal that led to a breakaway layup were the easiest points of the day for Bethel, who impacted the game with his slashing ability.
Highlights
One of just two teams to go 2-0 in the 17 U Division of the Queen City Clash on Saturday, Ky Rise showed a lot of potential. Rondon was dominant in the second half of their 10 point win over Charging Elite. The game changed when Rondon was put in the middle of the zone and his teammates got him the ball in the teeth of the defense and watched him go to work. With soft touch in the paint and the confidence to hit bank and mid-range shots, Rondon diced up the zone defense when he caught it in the middle. Once he gained that confidence, you saw Rondon hit shots like a DHO 3-pointer off a BLOB, a slow euro-step finish and a rhythm pull-up off the bounce. For defenses, don’t let Rondon see one or two go in the hoop, he might break out for another six or seven buckets if you aren’t careful.
I could’ve gone with a handful of players as my second spotlight from the Kentucky Rise team, but I went with Griffin who came out the gates firing. A nasty drive and finish through contact early in the game led to a wing 3-pointer and his confidence grew as the game progressed. Griffin has some real creation juice on the ball, best when he can attack a closeout against defenders who are already in motion. A dagger 3-pointer was knocked down by Griffin after one of his teammates came up with a loose ball after a broken play. Hoping to see more of this Ky Rise team tomorrow and the rest of the spring, they have some talented pieces from northern Kentucky.