Top Freshmen in the state

Who are some of the freshmen across the state whose names we will be hearing over the next 4 years. A couple that come to mind in NKY are Niece from Simon Kenton, Draud from Beechwood, and Vieth from St. Henry.

KJ Crump at University Heights is listed on several top 5/10 lists in KY and Elijah Watts at Hopkinsville is a very good player too.

I doubt we will be hearing about him on state for the next four years but obviously Zion Harmon from Adair County.

Just in NKY there is a lot of talent in the freshman class. These are the ones I know about who are starting, making contributions, or playing / dressing varsity basketball this year:

Simon Kenton - Kelly Niece

Beechwood - Scotty Draud

St. Henry - Wyatt Vieth, Jude Bessler

Boone County - Parker Fields

Ryle - Tyler Bush, Gavin Rabe

Conner - Riley Osterbur, Cole Skiles, Gabe Workman

Scott - Grant Proffitt

Highlands - Sam Vinson

I am probably missing a few, sorry if so. Also, 8th grader Donovan Robinson for Ryle has been starting for them and 8th grader Cole Shumate scored his first varsity points this week.

As I said, there is a lot of talent coming up from this freshman class as well as the current 8th graders. There are a lot of freshman who aren’t playing varsity due to various reasons - roster size, upperclassmen, talented teams, etc. They should be included on these lists as well:

CovCath - Reese Murphy, Joseph Eubanks

Conner - Ethan Ginn, Spencer Couzins

Highlands - Luke Muller, Zac Barth (8th grader), Cam Hergott

Beechwood - Will Rolf, Will Downton

St. Henry - Tyler Kaiser

From 15th Region:

Isaiah May - Johnson Central

Trey James - Sheldon Clark

Cory VanHoose - Johnson Central

Mason Moore - Paintsville

Bryson Hackney - Johnson Central

Keian Worrix - Shelby Valley

All these are very good players in the class of 2021 and will make headlines moving forward. A few are in top 10 in the state and will likely stay there all the way until their senior seasons.

2021 is a loaded class of talent! Here are just a few from around the state.

Zion Harmon - Adair County - The #1 freshman in the nation.

Trey James - 6'10" Sheldon Clark - Has D1 potential and being eyed by many D1 schools. He is averaging close to a triple double with 13 points, 12 rebounds (not sure on the blocks, but it's up there).

Kade Grundy - Somerset - Committed to play baseball at Louisville as an 8th grader but outstanding basketball and football player too. Has been a starter for the last 2 years averaging 13 ppg.

Sam Conley - Spencer County - The leading scorer for the Bears averaging 14.5 ppg. Has been a starter for the last 2 years and has already thrown down a nice dunk in a game.

KJ Crump - University Heights - Starting and averaging 8 ppg. Could see him at Rupp this season.

Mason Moore - Paintsville - 2 year starter and leading scorer averaging over 17 ppg

Ben Johnson - Lexington Catholic - Averaging 10 ppg for a top 10 team.

Spencer Baird - Lincoln County - Starter for the Patriots averaging 11 ppg.

Conner Robinson - Clay County - Starter and leading scorer for the Tigers with 14 ppg.

Jaquais Franklin - Elizabethtown - Averaging over 10 ppg this season.

Alijah Watts - Hopkinsville - no stats to report but have heard really good things about him this season.

Dejuan Stepp - West Jessamine - Starter averaging 8 ppg.

Isaiah May - Johnson Central - Starter averaging 16 ppg

Cory Vanhoose - Johnson Central - Starter averaging 13 ppg

I really enjoy these types of threads. Hopefully there will be a top sophomore and junior threads also!

jerimaha jones is a good one from Mason county.

He plays slot of varsity.

Just in NKY there is a lot of talent in the freshman class. These are the ones I know about who are starting, making contributions, or playing / dressing varsity basketball this year:

 

Simon Kenton - Kelly Niece

Beechwood - Scotty Draud

St. Henry - Wyatt Vieth, Jude Bessler

Boone County - Parker Fields

Ryle - Tyler Bush, Gavin Rabe

Conner - Riley Osterbur, Cole Skiles, Gabe Workman

Scott - Grant Proffitt

Highlands - Sam Vinson

I am probably missing a few, sorry if so. Also, 8th grader Donovan Robinson for Ryle has been starting for them and 8th grader Cole Shumate scored his first varsity points this week.

 

As I said, there is a lot of talent coming up from this freshman class as well as the current 8th graders. There are a lot of freshman who aren’t playing varsity due to various reasons - roster size, upperclassmen, talented teams, etc. They should be included on these lists as well:

 

CovCath - Reese Murphy, Joseph Eubanks

Conner - Ethan Ginn, Spencer Couzins

Highlands - Luke Muller, Zac Barth (8th grader), Cam Hergott

Beechwood - Will Rolf, Will Downton

St. Henry - Tyler Kaiser

Rolf and Downton for Beechwood typically start JV for Beechwood. Rolf has played and scored in varsity games..

We have a pair of Freshmen guards at Brossart who will be heard from within the 10th Region and Northern Kentucky.

Carson Schirmer is already logging serious varsity minutes. He is fearless and full-speed-ahead. Has a future as a great defender and assist leader

Stephen Verst is going to become a prolific scorer. Has a high Hoops IQ, a great handle, is a superior defender. Being brought along slowly, Verst figures to become a major varsity contributor as a sophomore.

Rolf and Downton for Beechwood typically start JV for Beechwood. Rolf has played and scored in varsity games..

Big fans of both! I wanted to make sure they were on the list, glad they’re playing a lot

Spencer County has three very good freshmen. Sam Conley and Jake Whitlock start varsity and Lucas Hornback plays lots of varsity minutes.

Fern Creek has 3 from the 2021 class that play in the rotation of a team that has been in the top 5 most of the year and one recently cracked the starting lineup, Jaden Rogers. Rogers is an excellent PG that is very poised for a freshman playing in the 6th region. Devin Franklin is another 2021 guard who is a strong body who can score on all three levels, and the one with perhaps the most upside is 2021 post player, 6'6" Darius Washington. If Darius continues to grow he could be a major problem for the state as he reminds some of a young Ray Spalding.

Big fan of Jaden Rogers. I think he will be the best of the Fern Creek freshmen when it is all said and done. Got to watch his game when my son played on his AAU team the year before last. Very good player.