Lex Cath Holiday Classic: 2027 Standouts

The White Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic brought 16 teams from Kentucky to compete in a four day, bracket style event at Lexington Catholic High School, in this article I'll break down my 2027 standouts from the opening day of the event.    Despite a tough loss for West Jessamine to open their weekend in Lexington, I had a couple college coaches at the baseline express how impressed they were with Tut on both ends of the court. Coming out the gates aggressive, Tut had a finish off a spin move to open the game and threw down an early slam dunk off a pick and roll. Add in a couple turn and scores where he simply shot over the defender and Bryan Station was trying to figure out how to defend him in the early stages. Add in a couple of blocked shots and Tut showed why he's regarded as one of the better bigs in Kentucky's 2027 class.     In a grind it out game, Shearer and North Oldham ended up having just enough to squeak out a tight win over Taylor County in the first round. Shearer tied for a team lead with seven rebounds and defended multiple players at a high level for North Oldham. Add in a time and space 3-pointer, a nice skip to the corner and a strong lefty finish at the rim and Shearer was one of the more impactful players on the court for his team in the win.     Woodford County gave Daviess County all they could handle in the opening round, falling just short of pulling off the upset. Jointer is one of the best downhill athletes in Kentucky and has the positional size and strength to overpower other guards. A force in transition, when Jointer gets a head of steam he is tough to stop from getting downhill. The biggest thing for Jointer as a basketball prospect will be developing a consistent 3-point shot so defenders can't go under screens and force him to beat him with a jumper. While he's also an extremely talented football player, Jointer has the talent to be a Division I basketball player as well.     I was really impressed with both Woods and fellow 2027 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='3272027' first='Anderson' last='Lauffer'] on Paintsville. Woods is a stretch big who can get hot from downtown in a hurry. With a bigger frame, Woods can use his size to get position on the interior against skinnier post players and find teammates when double teams come. Besides his perimeter shooting ability, Woods best skill might be his vision. I liked the way he scanned the court and didn't force the issue Vs traps. One of the better bigs in Kentucky's 2027 class, expect Woods recruitment to really pick up in the summer.     I knew all about [player_tooltip player_id='1571421' first='Miles' last='Woodfork'] on McCracken County after setting him in the summer but I ended up enjoying a handful of players on their team including Miller. A wing guard with a suddenness to his game, Miller is explosive as a straight line athlete and can blow by players in transition. With a quick first step, Boyd County had trouble staying in front of him when he was in transition, curling off screens or attacking closeouts. Add in a pair of 3-pointers and some tough lefty finishes at the rim and Miller is a prospect who boosted his stock this weekend.     One of the top names in the 2027 class from Kentucky, Coffman had a bounce back performance after I saw a tough loss at the King of the Bluegrass tournament just over a week prior. It seemed like Lyon County came out with a different focus on Saturday and were the aggressors against Collins. Coffman knocked down a couple 3-pointers and was physically dominant against the Collins forwards, skying for numerous offensive rebounds. In a game I expected Coffman to dominate, he did just that and helped Lyon County have a nice weekend in Lexington against some teams from much bigger towns.

The White Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic brought 16 teams from Kentucky to compete in a four day, bracket style event at Lexington Catholic High School, in this article I'll break down my 2027 standouts from the opening day of the event.