WinCity Holiday Classic Standouts

I attended Friday night of the WinCity Holiday Classic and in this article will break down the standout performers I caught during the double-header hosted at George Rogers Clark High School.    Gay has taken some clear strides since the last time I saw him in the summer. I thought Gay has slimmed down and improved his lateral quickness and mobility. Starting to transition into more of a perimeter oriented player, Gay had a couple spot-up 3-point attempts and flashed some grab and go ability after rebounds and steals on the fast break. Gay also did a nice job finishing plays after his teammates broke the trapping defense East Jessamine threw at them. His best play of the game was when he exploded for a dunk from a standstill, showing off his impressive explosiveness. While I was encouraged by the developments in his game, I want Gay to dominate these types of games even more as a physical force, he has the frame and ability to be unstoppable in the paint against less talented Kentucky squads.     Bartelson was probably the most valuable player on Friday night in the blowout victory. To open the game East Jessamine did a nice job of moving the ball and getting to the rim. Once they got there, they were almost always met by Bartelson contesting shots straight up and forcing wild misses or blocking the shot entirely. I was impressed with his ability to contest shots without fouling at the rim, a tough skill to master. Offensively, Bartelson did most of his damage 3 feet and in as a play finisher on the block and rim runner. Bartelson will definitely get a lot of regional recruiting attention this summer due to his size, length and production.     The freshman was confident and knocked down some early perimeter shots off the catch, mostly from the corners. Duke also flashed the ability to drive baseline and finish at the rim. The flashes I saw from Duke were very intriguing for a freshman and he's a prospect I'll be monitoring as he grows and continues to expand his game.     In crunch time, Lyons flat out refused to lose for Taylor County in their opening game against Daviess County. In the fourth quarter, Lyons hit a mid-range pull up, a wing 3-pointer to take the lead, had a left to right crossover to finish at the rim and helped ice the game with rebounds and free throws. Lyons was solid throughout the first three quarters, but when the game was on the line, he elevated his play to give his team the win and move on to the championship of the four team holiday tournament.     Watkins is one of the more impressive and dominant forces on the interior in Kentucky high school basketball. On Friday after a slow start, Watkins was dominant in the second half for a Daviess County squad that has the talent to compete with just about anybody from their region of the state. Watkins also has the ability to pick and pop from downtown, knocking down a couple of time and space 3-pointers. Taylor County didn't really have anybody close to Watkins' size and he had a big day finishing at the rim and using his size and strength to his advantage. Look for Watkins to get plenty of Division I looks playing for Midwest Basketball Club on the 3SSB circuit this upcoming spring and summer.

I attended Friday night of the WinCity Holiday Classic and in this article will break down the standout performers I caught during the double-header hosted at George Rogers Clark High School.