Kentucky All A: Thursday Stock Risers

The Kentucky All A state tournament got underway on Thursday with eight round of 16 games at the Owensboro Sportscenter, in this article I'll break down some stock risers from the opening day of action.    One of the more productive eighth graders in Kentucky, Dotson Jr was extremely impressive as a scorer on Thursday morning. Able to slow down on the ball when he's attacking, many older guards struggle to play at different speeds like Dotson Jr already does. With soft touch on shots, Dotson had a couple 8-10 foot pull-ups and hit a floater above a shot blocker. Expect to hear a lot more about Dotson over the next four years, he's already scoring double figures per game.     Back eligible, Lightning has added to Caverna's depth of talent with another player with skill, size and length. Lightning had a handful of putback layups in this contest, creating extra shots at the rim. Also able to make shots Vs the zone defense, Lightning had a baseline jumper and a wing 3-pointer to open the game. One of the top available seniors in Kentucky, Lightning provides a major boost to a Caverna team that already had a lot of talent.     One of the top football prospects in Kentucky's 2027 class, Carothers is a talented athlete on the hardwood as well. His quarterback skills are shown with some impressive passes with a lot of zip from one end of the court to the other. Add in his strength and ball handling ability, allowing Carothers to drive and finish through traffic. I loved that Carothers played hard till the final whistle, getting some transition buckets in the fourth quarter with his team down double-digits.     Coming out the gates on fire, Dials airballed his first 3-pointer of the day and immediately said 'I'm getting to the rim and scoring' afterwards. A pickpocket steal into a layup, a blow by layup and a couple trips to the foul line got Dials rolling. With his confidence rising, Dials knocked down a 3-pointer as a defender went under a pick and roll against him and another off a DHO in the third quarter. Also making some nice cross court passes, Dials had an impressive offensive game and seems to be a stock riser in the 2028 class from eastern Kentucky.     The most physically gifted player on his team, Mimes is an impressive athlete who crashed the glass and provided interior physicality to a Harlan squad that takes care of the basketball and spaces the floor at a high level. That mix of skills makes Mimes so valuable as he adds a dynamic they don't have with anybody else on their roster. Getting those easy second chance buckets can be the difference in a tight game down the stretch and Mimes had a handful of those on Thursday evening.     One of the best shooters I saw all day, Hatton has a quick release and the confidence to fire away even with a defender in his face. With different actions being ran for Hatton to get shots, Nicholas County did a great job getting their point guard moving off the ball. Despite looking clearly injured at the end of the game, Hatton hit a go-ahead jumper with under two minutes to go to put Nicholas County up 60-59, that was the last field goal they made in the game.     It's uncommon for eighth graders to start varsity but Simons is in the Nicholas County starting lineup, and for good reason. He impressed me with an advanced feel for his age, not forcing the issue with the ball in his hands. Simons' strong frame for his age also allows him to handle the physicality of the varsity game with nothing but older players sharing the court with him on Thursday night. Simons had a bucket in the mid-range and a righty scoop layup in transition during the second half in this back-and-forth contest. A name we'll be writing a lot more about over the next four years, expect to get very familiar with Simons game.

The Kentucky All A state tournament got underway on Thursday with eight round of 16 games at the Owensboro Sportscenter, in this article I'll break down some stock risers from the opening day of action.