Top 5 Preview: Region 11

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>KHSAA Basketball season starts officially on Thursday and this season looks to be pretty open. There is so much talent in the bluegrass state right now and this season is shaping up to be a great one. It's time for my annual "Top 5 Preview" where I break down the top 5 teams and college prospects in each region. These are the top 5 college prospects, not the top 5 high school players right now.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Top 5 Teams:</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Great Crossing - The three time defending region champs are loaded and primed to make it 4 in a row. Returning most of the regional title roster from last season, Coach Page also was blessed with the return of LJ Holman for his Senior year. Add in Scott County transfers Bray McNear and Deante Wilson and the Warhawks are primed to make a run at another state title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lexington Catholic - The Knights have a really strong roster with some nice pieces. The star will be Everett Stuart but Ben Warren and Jagger Prickett will add some quality to go with Everett. Ashton Pflugner is going to be a load for them in the low post and the Sophomore class should have some emerging names like Tyler Hollis and Reed Graves over the course of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lexington Christian - LCA is going to be entertaining to watch, for sure. They will possibly resemble the 7 seconds or less Phoenix Suns. With shooting all over the place and a plethora of guards, Coach Stone has a lot of weapons in his first year. If you're looking for a potential sleeper for LCA, Junior Jake Lycan is a nice piece that has size they will generally lack on the Eagles roster this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tates Creek - AJ Slaughter is a slept on point guard in Lexington and Senior transfer Asher Horn could be a sleeper contender for regional player of the year. Coach Belcher does a great job with his squad and they will have more talent than perhaps any other team he has had up to this point.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lafayette - Big Ben Marsh fan here. And Cooper Kirk is a solid player whose shooting numbers don't portray him impactful he can actually be. Preston North is an X factor with his length and rim protection. Losing Tyler Hunt will hurt Lafayette in the short term but they have solid talent and are well coached.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Top 5 College Prospects:</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2429594' first='Everett' last='Stuart'], Lexington Catholic - Everett is a potential High Major player with his size and skill set. He's worked his tail off to get stronger and become a better athlete, too. If he's more comfortable with his ball handling this season, Stuart is going to be a serious problem for opposing defenses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2091803' first='LJ' last='Holman'], Great Crossing - The Youngstown State commit is the best athlete in the region. The lefty lives in the paint and scores the ball at a high rate. His return could vault Great Crossing into the short list of state title contenders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2454749' first='Brady' last='Orem'], Great Crossing - Brady is one of my favorite 2028s even though he isn't as well known around the state. Orem works his tail off on both ends of the court and continues to expand his offensive game as he ages. He holds many D1 offers already.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2400700' first='Caleb' last='Marshall'], Lexington Christian - For my money, Caleb is the best all around shooter in Kentucky. The way he can shoot with movement is high level. The next step in his evolution is playing with the ball in his hands more but Caleb is trending the right way for his long term success.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Toma "Jelly" Washington, Frankfort - Frankfort is a dark horse contender in the region and it's thanks to the depth of the Sophomore class. With Washington, they have an athletic slasher and solid defender who is a growth spurt away from being on D1 radars. Fellow Sophomore Rajon Floyd could just as easily be in this spot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Most Likely Mr. Basketball Finalist:</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2091803' first='LJ' last='Holman'], Great Crossing</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->