Knoxville-area Players Certain to Climb in Rankings

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>PICTURED: [player_tooltip player_id='2281200' first='Jay' last='Kirk']</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It is always fun to see dramatic growth in players. Enjoy these improving Knoxville-area gentlemen. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2550772' first='Travis' last='Martin'] / '28 G / Knoxville Catholic</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When Travis made his first impression on PrepHoops back in October the worry was, 'Can he move quickly enough to defend the arc?' In just two months he is already quicker than he was. Keep in mind the young man is merely a sophomore and capably defending senior guards. That hints at his potential. Is he an elite defender? Not yet. But the physical maturity is coming and few work harder away from the team than Travis. His outside shooting and passing are constants and never in doubt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2281200' first='Jay' last='Kirk'] / '27 SF / Alcoa</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What a game [player_tooltip player_id='2281200' first='Jay' last='Kirk'] played against Knoxville Catholic Friday December 19th.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He scored so many different ways. From the free throw line. Posting up. Pulling up in transition. Coming off of a screen. Amazing shot-creator. Kirk was kind of a catch-and-shoot forward when younger. He still defends a lot of the forwards because Alcoa lacks traditional bigs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kirk's high motor is what draws you in as a viewer. The guy never stops moving. Flashing for the ball or hunting misses off the glass...Kirk is moving and making plays.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kirk did foul out in the game. He finished with 34 points and 12 rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Maryville (TN) offered [player_tooltip player_id='2281200' first='Jay' last='Kirk'] just last week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2349746' first='Carson' last='Asbaty'] / '26 G / Bearden</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2349746' first='Carson' last='Asbaty'] left Knoxville Catholic for Bearden and the change appears to have helped him blossom. He has more offensive freedom and gets to showcase some of his abilities with and without the basketball. Because Catholic is largely run by [player_tooltip player_id='1959161' first='Cade' last='Murphy'] and transfer [player_tooltip player_id='2634289' first='Malachi' last='Brown'], perhaps Asbaty saw his role diminishing there. Whatever the reason for the transfer Bearden became the beneficiary. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Getting to play with Carson...I am so grateful," said [player_tooltip player_id='2358333' first='Justin' last='Nordin']. "He spreads the floor out. He is the best guard rebounder I have ever played with. He attacks the glass. He shoots the ball. He has a good attitude. He plays defense. Really a great teammate. He works his ass off. Having him on the team makes me confident that we can accomplish a lot this year."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2640155' first='Kamden' last='Lanxter'] / '26 SG / Alcoa</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After last year Kamden dropped off here because his early career potential appeared to be a wistful dream. Blessed with wonderful guard height and modest athleticism, Kamden was simply not developing the skills to become a legitimate college basketball prospect. While he remains an unfinished product, Lanxter turned a corner offensively. He can get to the rim against future college guards. Large strides. Confident. Needs to bulk up though.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1683902' first='Parker' last='Lane'] / '26 G / Farragut</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What a senior year <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1683902' first='Parker' last='Lane'] </strong>is off to with Farragut High. Friday's shooting performance demanded some @PrepHoopsTN attention.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/J_Burris_1/status/2002164301700718719?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/J_Burris_1/status/2002164301700718719?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Parker scored in double figures in 10 of his 11 games this season and entered Friday averaging 18.7 points per game. With those 10 made three-pointers he is now up to 41 makes from deep for 2025-2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->