Lex Cath Holiday Classic: 2028/29 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 2028/29 standouts from the opening day of the event.    Bryan Station is known for their 2026 duo that averages around 50 points per game, but I was impressed with Sanford, an undersized lead guard who hit three 3-pointers from the corners alone and competed on both ends of the court. Sanford also took care of the basketball when it was in his hands and forced a couple turnovers. With the star power Bryan Station has, they don't need much more from their role guys to win games and Sanford did enough to fuel them to a victory in the opening round of the Lex Cath Holiday Tournament.     Taylor County is led by their 2028 duo of Stone and [player_tooltip player_id='2360943' first='Bryce' last='Vernon'] as they are extremely top heavy this season with a majority of their scoring coming from two or three players. Stone caught fire in this one as he just has a natural feel as a scorer that stands out. Able to hit tough shots off the dribble from 3-point range, Stone also displayed the ability to hit floaters and mid-range shots despite not being the most gifted athlete in terms of size or burst. To score the way Stone does at his size, you need to be extremely skilled and Stone is. I think the future is very bright for Taylor County as they were unlucky to not come away with a victory in the opening round.     The host Lexington Catholic dominated on Saturday as Stuart was one of the top players on the court. With excellent positional size in the zone defense Lexington Catholic plays, Stuart jumped a couple passes in the full court press which led to quick layups at the other end. Stuart has long strides which help him in transition extend past the defense. I also was encouraged by his ball handling in the half-court, making some PNR reads to his forward teammates rolling to the rim. After missing badly on his first 3-point attempt of the day, Stuart knocked down a nasty one dribble pull-up from above the break that shows his perimeter shooting potential. One of the more talented 2028 prospects in all of Kentucky, Stuart is a name who should be on Division I radars this summer.     North Laurel found a way to win a grind it out game in the opening round of the tournament thanks to strong play from Cunagin off the bench. The sophomore big made a strong catch and lefty finish early in the game, hit a fallaway jumper and even knocked down a corner 3-pointer. Cunagin did have a chance to win the game at the end of regulation but missed his corner 3-point attempt but the Jags were able to hold on in overtime to move on.     Burnham wasn't scared of the moment at all for a Marshall County team that was playing without star [player_tooltip player_id='2127277' first='Matthew' last='Langhi'] on Saturday. Burnham shot the ball with a lot of confidence off the catch, hitting some key 3-pointers to keep his team in the game. While he is limited off the bounce right now, he did have a nice right to left crossover that led to his only bucket off a drive in the game. A name to build on for the future, Burnham and Langhi could be a dynamic duo next season if his body starts to add strength in the summer.

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 2028/29 standouts from the opening day of the event.