Havoc In The Heartland: Bluegrass State Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Noblesville West Middle School - </strong>There was an assortment of talented 15U and 16U players on the court during the Havoc In The Heartland event in Indianapolis this past weekend, including a few notable performers from the state of Kentucky. After an action-packed weekend, here's my list of Bluegrass State standouts</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2207015' first='Blake' last='Young'] - 2026 - PG - Frederick Douglass - Lexington Ignite Eagles</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The most impressive player I observed on the court was [player_tooltip player_id='2207015' first='Blake' last='Young'], a 5-foot-10 point guard out of Frederick Douglass High School. The rising sophomore out of Lexington, KY. was impactful on both sides of the floor for the Lexington Ignite Eagles during day two of tournament play, showing off his explosiveness on the court during a matchup with World Hoops Elite this past weekend. In addition to excellent size, speed and versatility at the top of the key, Young impressed me with his physicality on defense, applying significant pressure on the other side of the ball to make the other team work for their shots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='2207015' first='Blake' last='Young']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77246","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Frederick Douglass","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Lexington Ignite Eagles","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-646288ceb4724"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Darion Johnson - 2025 - C - Paul Laurence Dunbar - Team Takeoff</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming in at close second on the list is Darion Johnson, a 6-foot-6 center out of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. The rising sophomore out of Lexington, KY. and standout on the roster of Team Takeoff impressed me with his size, physicality in the paint and rebounding effort on both sides of the floor. Johnson initially caught my attention during a contest with Rice Basketball Academy this past weekend. In addition to excellent size, speed and physicality on both sides of the ball, Johnson was nearly unstoppable underneath the basket, hauling in a mountain of rebounds to keep his team in the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Darion Johnson","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'6u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77243","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Paul Laurence Dunbar","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Team Takeoff","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-646288ceb47be"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Nate Coen - 2026 - SF/PF - Frederick Douglass - Kentucky Future Elite</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another talented player that showcased their talent on the court was Nate Coen, a 6-foot-5 power forward out of Frederick Douglass High School. The rising sophomore out of Lexington, KY. and standout on the roster of Kentucky Future Elite was one of the top shooters I observed during the event, showcasing his pin-point accuracy from beyond the arc in a matchup against Cincy Fire Black this past weekend. In addition to solid size, speed and accuracy from range, Coen's size makes him nearly unstoppable defensively as he can block shots, provide excellent coverage in the paint and overwhelm the other team with rebounding.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Nate Coen","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'5u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77245","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Frederick Douglass","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Kentucky Future Elite","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-646288ceb484c"} /-->