Battle @ The Villages: Kentucky Standouts

<p>One of the highest quality tournaments in Central Florida, the Battle @ The Villages has made its return in 2021. While the tournament happened as scheduled in 2020, it featured no out-of-state teams due to fears over the COVID pandemic. But this year, out of state competition returned, and some of the best teams in the whole country were able to make the trip to sunny Central Florida to take on some of the state’s most elite talent. </p> <p>One of the participating states was Kentucky, who was well represented by Covington Catholic High School from Park Hills, KY. Here were the standouts:</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1219719" first="Evan" last="Ipsaro"], PG, 5-11, 2023, Covington Catholic High School</strong></p> <p>Ipsaro put up one of the most dominant performances that I’ve watched this season against Roswell (GA). The point guard was not daunted by his shorter stature and was on attack mode on defense for the entire contest. He finished with a double-double of 38 points and 10 rebounds. Most of his 38 points were as a result of some lights out shooting from almost everywhere on the floor. Ipsaro is incredibly gifted at getting to his spots on the floor. His handle is incredibly tight which enables him to get past defenders to get to where he feels the most comfortable. A gifted mid-range shooter, Ipsaro’s jump shot was falling from everywhere on the court. Ipsaro also proved that he could finish at a high level, especially off of turnovers that he was responsible for generating. He contorts his body for tough finishes, goes hard into contact, and has incredibly gifted hands that enable him to get easy steals. Ipsaro was by far the most impressive prospect of the day, and his combination of swagger and pure shooting will attract coaches from all over the country. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="926898" first="Mitchell" last="Rylee"], C, 6-8, 2022, Covington Catholic High School</strong></p> <p>Rylee was this team’s leading scorer a year ago, and is definitely a solid prospect. As for flashiness, Rylee is lackluster. But if you’re looking for a decent-sized F/C who can do his job well, Rylee is the guy for you. He put up 14 points and finished effectively around the rim. On the defensive end, he is a more than capable rim protector who is willing to put his body on the line. His mobility and agility makes for him to be a good shot blocker and shot contester, but his combination of guard-like lateral movement and those other physical assets makes him a really interesting prospect. I would have liked to see a bit more from him outside of finishing easy layups, but there’s definitely something to say about understanding that Ipsaro had the hot hand and letting the offense go through him. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="932777" first="Chandler" last="Starks"], F, 6-6, 2022, Covington Catholic High School</strong></p> <p>In no way was Starks the star of the show, but he was a more than solid player who stood out for his big man fundamentals. He finished with 11 points, all in the second half, to jet Covington into a deep lead towards the end of the 3rd quarter. He’s got wide shoulders and an imposing physical presence, making him hard to stop when he has the ball in the low post. His spin move is more than impressive, leading to some easy buckets from him in the low post. I don’t know if Starks is going to play college basketball or if he’s getting active looks, but overall he’s a more than capable varsity player who will serve as a solid role player for Covington throughout the season. </p>