Kentucky Expo: Team 6 Standouts

The Kentucky Expo showcase brought prospects from across Kentucky from the classes of 2027-2029 to compete in Louisville to give players a chance to see how they stack up against some of the top players in the state, in this article I'll break down my team 6 standouts.    Hays made a nice impact for his team as the primary ball handler and decision maker on the perimeter. Hays has a strong frame and played through contact well and initiated it on drives to the basket. Hays caught my eye immediately with a step-back 3-pointer off a jab step, using the threat of his drive to set up his jumper. Hays also threw some flashy passes throughout the day and looked like a stock riser from the class of 2028 based on what I saw on Sunday, he should put up monster numbers this winter for Community Christian.     A physical force on the interior, Persley was dominant on the interior as he simply was more aggressive than anybody else in the paint in either of the five on five games I saw of his team. Persley has an excellent frame and was getting putback layups whenever he wanted as sometimes he came down with three in a single possession before scoring at the rim. Persley was showing his physical dominance despite playing against players either in his same grade or older and that's something that will translate to the varsity level despite being just a sophomore next season. Persley also was a capable shooter from the perimeter but did a large majority of his work on the interior, very talented prospect from the Louisville area.     I'd say Butterworth was my most impressive prospect I had never heard of prior to today. Butterworth shot the ball at an extremely high level from the wing and corner, something that's rare to find with a 6'8 forward. While he mostly knocked down open catch and shoot 3-pointers, Butterworth did have a no dip 3-pointer against a closeout and a step-back 3-pointer with the defense all over him. Butterworth also used his height to keep the ball high and score on the interior. A prospect who needs a major rankings bump based on what I saw on Sunday, I'll be expecting a big junior season from Butterworth at Owensboro Catholic.     I was impressed with Howard's basketball IQ and feel for the game, handling the basketball against pressure and looking to make the right pass against pressure. Howard also made himself available for easy looks at the rim a couple of times and played well off of the star forwards of Persley and Butterworth for his team.     A player who got better as the day went on, Burnham came out the gates firing in the second five on five game I caught of his team. Burnham can knock down perimeter shots, attack closeouts and split the defense off the bounce. I liked that Burnham continued to gain confidence throughout the day and made some big plays for his team that only had six players, showing that he's in impressive shape to keep competing despite having to play almost the entire time during the five on five portion of the showcase.

The Kentucky Expo showcase brought prospects from across Kentucky from the classes of 2027-2029 to compete in Louisville to give players a chance to see how they stack up against some of the top players in the state, in this article I'll break down my team 6 standouts.