Top 5 Preview: Region 13

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>KHSAA Basketball season is officially underway 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>South Laurel - New coach Brad Sizemore essentially brought Bell County with him when he got the job. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2149111' first='Ethan' last='Buell'], Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2983284' first='Braxton' last='Ferguson'] and Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='3683451' first='Bentley' last='Buell'] all relocated to London along with their coach. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2046739' first='Joe' last='Smith'] and Junior [player_tooltip player_id='2350471' first='Kaden' last='Taylor'] return for the Cardinals. It's likely that if there were a betting line for regional title champs, South would be the heavy favorites.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Corbin - Coach Kevin Burton inherited a couple of good players in Evan Ellis and Trey Person. Burton's son Grayson is the top player in the region heading into the season and holds double figure D1 offers. The Hounds are likely to score a lot of points this season and can compete with anyone when they're hitting shots from deep.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>North Laurel - Life after Reece Davidson will start this season for the Jags. Juniors Corey Cunagin and Kaiden Allen are both going to be expected to step up in Davidson's absence. Cooper Elza and RJ Noble are also back for Coach Valentine. Look for the Jags to have a little rocky start before hitting their stride as postseason closes in.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clay County - Adon Grubb and Jacob Rogers are a talented duo that Coach Jones will rely on to be competitive in one of the state's most talented regions. A team that shot 37% from three last season is going to rely on that again to compete with the Laurel schools and Corbin in the race for a regional crown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Harlan - There are a few teams who could be in the mix at the 5 spot but I'll go with the Dragons. Kobe Noe and Izack Saylor are talented Juniors who combine for about 30 points per game. Coach Akal only graduated 8 PPG from his roster and brings back all but one member of last year's team.</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='3683451' first='Bentley' last='Buell'], South Laurel - Only a freshman, Buell is legitimately 6'8" and isn't done growing. Ben will have to get more athletic as he is mostly below the rim right now but he is comfortable stretching out past the 3 point line and knocking down shots. His ceiling is very high.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2454751' first='Grayson' last='Burton'], Corbin - Grayson is one of the best shooters in Kentucky, period. With his big frame and sky high basketball IQ, Burton could find himself at the P4 level in the long run. He's got offers from several D1s already and is the best player in the 13th region this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='3250750' first='Kaiden' last='Allen'], North Laurel - Kaiden is a big time shot maker who can run an offense or create his own. With his potential to heat up from range, Allen is a dynamic scorer that will be in the mix to be the top point guard in the 13th this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2983284' first='Braxton' last='Ferguson'], South Laurel - Ferguson had an early offer from EKU before he even got into high school. Looking at his freshman season and AAU summer, it's easy to see the potential with Braxton. He was a 53/42/79 shooter as a freshman and will look to repeat or even improve that this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2360963' first='Corey' last='Cunagin'], North Laurel - Corey caught my eye as an 8th grader before he even transferred to North. Playing alongside Davidson last year, Cunagin showed flashes of his ability. This season is a prove it year for him, in my opinion.</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='2149111' first='Ethan' last='Buell'], South Laurel</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->