Had this mentioned in another thread and know it's a bit early despite the summer winding down, but who are some of the top players in the Class of 2017?

I'll throw a few names out:

 

Oumar Keita - Cordia

Kel Stotts - Russell County; Interest from WKU, Xavier, and more

Trace Young - Ohio County; Serious interest from Western Kentucky

Cole Von Handorf - Covington Catholic

Peyton Broughton - North Laurel

I believe Trace Young has an offer from WKU.

Not sure where he ranks statewide, but Austin Crawford of Bracken County is outstanding.

I think the top 5 or 6 for the 15U Magic squad received offers from Samford. I do not know their names - other than Trace Young. That said, Samford is notorious for throwing out offers to a ton of 8th and 9th graders!

Austin Crawford of Bracken County and Sean McNeil of Cooper are two of the top players in the class of 2017 without any question.

Is Peyton Gover class of 2017?

Agreed with RP and court side. Not sure why he's not getting any attention at this point but Austin Crawford is an elite player in the 2017 class. Won't be long before everyone around the state knows about him. Definite stud and will do many great things before his career is done.

I'll throw a few names out:

 

Oumar Keita - Cordia

Kel Stotts - Russell County; Interest from WKU, Xavier, and more

Trace Young - Ohio County; Serious interest from Western Kentucky

Cole Von Handorf - Covington Catholic

Peyton Broughton - North Laurel

 

I thought Keita was 2018

Agreed with RP and court side. Not sure why he's not getting any attention at this point but Austin Crawford is an elite player in the 2017 class. Won't be long before everyone around the state knows about him. Definite stud and will do many great things before his career is done.

 

 

Who does he play AAU with? That and a product of his playing at a smaller school and in a region where he spent last season overshadowed by others (Brent Bach, Mason County, Montgomery County, Campbell County, Brossart, and DJ Jenkins) is probably the biggest part of the equation.

 

I'm not saying the kid isn't good because a look through the State's leading scorers last season says he had the 13th highest PPG last season (at 23.6 points, which is incredible for a freshman). That alone, as well as the number of people like you, courtside and Randy Parker who are already saying how good he is tells us something.

 

This whole thread is about finding and discovering more talent then trying to sort everyone out, and he definitely seems like someone worth mentioning. I guess the next questions I'd ask as someone who hasn't personally seen him play or talked to anyone who has about his game in detail would be questions like his height, position, projected position, who he plays AAU with and how they've performed this summer. That, and maybe some info on some schools that are showing early interest and how he performed against some of the better teams he faced this past season could go a long way in getting him some exposure.

 

I wouldn't have believed Bach was as good as he was until I'd heard some people talk about him on here, saw that he played with the Travelers, then saw him at the Republic Bank. Fair or not, that's sometimes how it will go for a kid at a smaller school, but I think we're all interested in listening and know if I'm going to make my rankings (which mean nothing) I'm going into them with an open mind and willing to hear anyone's case for why a kid should be included.

I thought Keita was 2018

 

Good catch. He is. My apologies. There was some speculation last season that he'd be reclassifying to 2017 and while I still think that's a possibility, he's classified as 2018 right now.

 

Oumar Keita moving on up - Class of 2017 Big Man - CityLeagueHoops | CityLeagueHoops

I will say that IF he reclassifies, I think Keita has the most upside in the class. While talent and potential are dangerous to throw around when projecting 8th graders, that this kid is just different. He looks the part of a legit 6'10, 7 footer. He's coordinated. He seems to have a little bit of that "it" factor in that he looks competitive and like he's wanting to win.

 

It's going to be really, really tough for Cordia to hold onto him for very long. It's unreal to think about how badly he would just absolutely dominate the competition right now if he played down to his age. MVP of the 13U division of the Las Vegas Fab 48. John Lucas and Jr. All American Camp invites. Draft websites having his name mentioned once he's eligible. Those kinds of things make him one of the best players in not only Kentucky, but the nation as a whole. Barring injury, I think he's going to be a top 100 recruit.

 

Last season, I really got the impression that his English and communication with teammates wasn't exactly where it's going to be once he's acclimated to things here (he's from Mali), but once things like that fall into place, he's going to be very good (even if he doesn't progress as much as some think he'll be able to).

Some players to watch in the Louisville area -

 

Devon Cooper - Waggener - averaged 14 points last year, with a high of 38 against J'Town

Anthony Mathis - Kentucky Country Day - athletic point guard for a very solid KCD team

Jaylen Hall - Tony Williams' nephew, played at St. Francis last year. With Tony taking the Doss job, not sure where Jaylen will be this year.

Who does he play AAU with? That and a product of his playing at a smaller school and in a region where he spent last season overshadowed by others (Brent Bach, Mason County, Montgomery County, Campbell County, Brossart, and DJ Jenkins) is probably the biggest part of the equation.

 

I'm not saying the kid isn't good because a look through the State's leading scorers last season says he had the 13th highest PPG last season (at 23.6 points, which is incredible for a freshman). That alone, as well as the number of people like you, courtside and Randy Parker who are already saying how good he is tells us something.

 

This whole thread is about finding and discovering more talent then trying to sort everyone out, and he definitely seems like someone worth mentioning. I guess the next questions I'd ask as someone who hasn't personally seen him play or talked to anyone who has about his game in detail would be questions like his height, position, projected position, who he plays AAU with and how they've performed this summer. That, and maybe some info on some schools that are showing early interest and how he performed against some of the better teams he faced this past season could go a long way in getting him some exposure.

 

I wouldn't have believed Bach was as good as he was until I'd heard some people talk about him on here, saw that he played with the Travelers, then saw him at the Republic Bank. Fair or not, that's sometimes how it will go for a kid at a smaller school, but I think we're all interested in listening and know if I'm going to make my rankings (which mean nothing) I'm going into them with an open mind and willing to hear anyone's case for why a kid should be included.

 

 

Very valid points you bring up. He plays for NKY elite AAU. Although I didn't get to see him in AAU action I heard he very impressive. He 6'2" 6'3" ish. Usually runs the point for BC. At least he did last year. Idk what his role other than scoring will be with a new coach at the helm. He is profecient at all aspects of the game. Could probally work a little harder on the defensive end if I had to criticize anything. Gets to the rim a lot outside shot is decent but I feel it will get better.

 

The kid will be all time scoring leader at Bracken this season. Can really fill it up. He is in that group IMO with Bach and Lofton. As long as his perimeter game comes along. I loved watching Bach these last four years. Crawford has the potential to be as good or better. I know that's a bold statement but after last season as a freshman watching him play. I was just blown away. 90 percent he was the best player on the floor. Except when BC was playin Augusta, Harrison or Campbell. I wouldn't be afraid to call him top 5-6 players in the 10th region next year.

 

Yeah I'm a BC homer and I don't try to hide it :lol2: but he is the real deal and I know there are plenty of BGP'ers that will vouche for me.

 

I love this thread cause the players mentioned here are gonna be Sophmores and we as fans get three more yrs to see them blossome into stars.

Cole Von Handorf - Covington Catholic

 

 

Offers from NKU and Winthrop.