Xavier Team Camp: Saturday Kentucky / Michigan Standouts

I attended both days of the Xavier Team Camp and while most of the teams were from Ohio, there were a couple of teams from neighboring states that stood out at the event. In this article I'll break down the Kentucky and Michigan Standouts from the event.    Louisville Trinity graduated a lot of depth from last season but their two leading scorers return and form one of the better wing guard duos in all of Kentucky. Gilvin has been a standout on the Prep Hoops Circuit in the spring and continued his impressive play with his high school program in June. Gilvin does an excellent job of using pump fakes and playing off balance. Gilvin also was impressive finishing in traffic, using his strong frame to get a couple and-1 layups.     While I didn't get to see Newport against some of the top teams they played this weekend, I did see Starks against Taylor and he was absolutely dominant on both ends of the floor. Defensively is where Starks can be one of the top players in Kentucky with his quick feet on the perimeter and length, Starks had a handful of blocks and steals. Starks even forced a five second count on a Taylor guard by getting into the ball handlers chest and not letting him escape. Starks highlight of the day came when he had a pickpocket steal that led directly to a transition slam dunk. Few players at Starks size move like he does with the ball in his hands as he shows flashes of being a jumbo creator with the ball in his hands. For Starks to take that next step he'll need to continue to show toughness and make shots consistently off the catch, those would be the two areas of focus heading into his junior season.     One of the top shooters in Kentucky's 2026 class, Keene was shooting the ball with confidence from the perimeter and does a lot of primary creating for his team at the high school level. Able to get around defenders easier off the dribble, Keene had a couple floaters thanks to his soft touch on both floaters and jump-shots. With a decent core returning, Pikeville should be one of the favorites in the 15th region this season.     I was really impressed with Slone's slashing ability, getting to the paint off the dribble and putting a lot of pressure on the rim. Quick and decisive moves off the bounce helped him beat the primary attacker and Slone did a nice job using spins and crossovers to get back to his preferred right hand to finish at the rim. After scoring just under nine PPG as a Sophomore, Slone could be a breakout player in the 15th region this season.     Kemp has made the transfer to Ferndale and forms one of the top duos in Michigan alongside Eden Vineyard. Kemp was getting busy in a high scoring game Vs Cincinnati Winton Woods as he was creating offense for himself efficiently. I've always wanted to see Kemp fire away from 3-point range with a little more frequency and he hit a pair of triples off the dribble when the screener's defender didn't come up quick enough. When Kemp gets to the 5-15 foot range he is very tough to stop. I've been impressed with how Kemp impacts winning at both the high school and grassroots level and earned an offer from Xavier in the process.

I attended both days of the Xavier Team Camp and while most of the teams were from Ohio, there were a couple of teams from neighboring states that stood out at the event. In this article I'll break down the Kentucky and Michigan Standouts from the event.