Top 10 High school players in KHSAA history

[groundattack]

Todd May

[JohnsonQ]

Wesley cox

Lamp

Hickey

Beal

Minniefield

[oldgrappler]

This thread is very informative. It's fun hearing about KY basketball history and what these players went on to accomplish post high school.

[3/2 zone]

JR Vanhoose from paintsville

[LCDAWGS19]

JR Vanhoose from paintsville

 

 

I'd think you have to consider him.

[Rez]

Based on the success of their high school career, with an attempt to balance individual accomplishments and impact on their team.

 

Wallace “Wah Wah” Jones – Harlan 1945

Lead Harlan to 1 State Title, 1 State Runner-Up, 1 State 3rd Place Finish, and 4 region championships.

Captain on the Courier Journal All-State First Team as a Junior and Senior.

Ranks 4th All-Time in State Tournament Points Scored and 1st All-Time in State Tournament games won.

At the time of graduation held the national record for points scored in a high school career.

 

Ralph Beard – Male 1945

Lead Male to the 1945 State Championship.

Runner-Up to Jones in Courier Journal All-State voting as a junior and senior.

Considered by some the finest guard in basketball.

 

Linville Puckett – Clark Co 1952

Lead Clark Co to 1 State Title, 1 State Runner-Up, 1 State 3rd Place Finish

Captain on the Courier Journal All-State First Team as a Junior and Senior. 3-Time first Team-All State

6th All-Time in state tournament points scored.

 

“King” Kelly Coleman – Wayland 1956

1956 Mr. Basketball, 1956 Captain of Courier Journal All-State First team.

Holds KHSAA State Records for points in a career, points in a season, points in a state tournament, and points in a state tournament game.

Led the Wasps to a 1956 State Tournament 3rd Place finish. Apparently two of the team’s starters had never played basketball before that season.

 

Westley Unseld – Seneca 1964

Lead Seneca to back-to-back 1963 and 1964 State Championships.

1964 Mr. Basketball. 2-time first team All-State.

1st All-Time rebounds in a state tournament, and is considered one of the greatest rebounders in the history of basketball.

 

Darrell Griffith – Male 1975

Led Male to the 1975 State Championship as a Junior and 1974 State Runner-Up as a Sophomore.

3-Time First Team All-State, 2-time Courier Journal Player of the Year and 1976 Mr. Basketball

Possibly the greatest jumper and one of the greatest athletes in KHSAA history.

 

Manuel Forrest – Moore 1981

Led Moore to 2 state tournaments and the 1981 Final Four as a senior.

Louisville’s All-Time leading scorer, 12th All-Time in the state with over 3,200 points (only player from Louisville or Lexington with over 3,000 points).

3-Time First Team All-State, and Courier Journal player of the year in 1981.

Was voted the 1981 Mr. Basketball, but declined to play in the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star game due to playing in the McDonald’s All-American game. The honor was then bestowed on Phil Cox.

 

Richie Farmer – Clay Co 1988

Led Clay Co to the 1987 State Championship, and 1985 and 1988 State Runners-Up.

1st All-Time in State tournament points, tournaments played, points in a championship games. 2nd All-Time in points in a state tournament and points in a state tournament game.

2-time State tournament MVP.

1988 Mr. Basketball, Courier-Journal Player of the Year, and Gatorade Player of the Year.

 

Allan Houston – Ballard 1989

Led Ballard to 1988 State Championship and 1987 State Runner-Up

Graduated as the second highest scorer in Jefferson Co History.

8th All-Time in state tournament points.

1989 Mr. Basketball, Courier-Journal Player of the Year, and Gatorade Player of the Year.

 

JR VanHoose – Paintsville 1998

Led Paintsville to a State Championship, State Runner-Up, 1 State Semifinal, and 4 region championships

1st All-Time in State tournament rebounds, 2nd All-Time in state tournament points.

Over 3,000 career points, 2,000 career rebounds, and 500 career blocks. Top 5 all-time in rebounds and blocks.

1997 and 1998 Gatorade Player of the Year and Courier-Journal Player of the Year, 1998 Mr. Basketball.

[Tiger1]

You could add names like Jeff Lamp from Ballard, Robert Miller from Central, Wesley Cox from Male, and Dirk Minniefield from Lafayette.

[JohnsonQ]

Melvin Turpin -Bryan station

Bobby turner male

Tony kimbro

Winston Bennett

Bob burrow

Cliff Hagen

There are a lot to choose from

[Wireman]

Charles Thomas

[BIGZIG]

Didn't get to see "The King" Coleman play but I've read a lot about him. Must of been a super player. I did see Darrell Griffith play and I'd have to say he was the best I ever saw. Super quick and could jump like none other.

[gold sunrise]

Watch these two growing up. They played in the 14th region

 

1969 Jimmy Hollon from Hazel Green Academy in Wolf Co. Played at Alabama

 

1969 Larry Stamper from Lee Co. Played at UK. In the regional tourment ( 3 games) he had 99 points and 72 rebounds. Played in the State tourney in 1968. He scored over 70 in the 3 games they played.

[NEERFAN]

I think the list starts with Coleman and would also include Unseld, Farmer, Lofton, and Houston. The other five would be debatable.

 

After seeing Griffith's resume, I think he makes the list.

[Purple Nation]

Suprised not to see Darel Carrier mentioned. Carrier played for Bristow High School. Scored 3,148 points in 3 years WITHOUT the 3 point shot. If the 3 point shot would have been in play his High School scoring would have been crazy.

 

Scored 1,368 points at WKU in only 69 games played.

 

3 time all ABA all-star. Named to top 50 all ABA team. Averaged 20 points per in his pro career. Still all-time high scorer in Pan Am games for USA (32 points).

 

Pistol Pete, along with Hubie Brown had been quoted several times that Carrier could be one of top long ball shooters ever.

 

Scored 64 as an 8th grader.

 

Carrier has to be top 10, if not higher, in KHSAA history. Google him and you will find many more crazy stats that gives validity to my opinions.

[oldgrappler]

@Rez, great post (#36)

[Pete Mitchell]

The Bold is not true at all!

 

Covington Grant won the Ninth Region and Thacker went on to play in the Sweet Sixteen in the following years.

 

Thacker, Tom Porter

Birth Year : 1939

Born in Covington, KY, Tom P. Thacker played basketball at William Grant High School there from 1955 to 1959. The 6'2" guard/forward scored 36 points in his final game, a loss to Olive Hill during the state high school tournament.

Won the Ninth Region while Thacker attended and played

1958 Covington Grant

1959 Covington Grant

 

I did not say non-existent, I said limited. I only know what I know through guys that played then, and I did know that Thacker had, in fact, played in a state tournament (I did not know they won back to back regions), but the KHSAA only integrated in 1957 (and Grant won the 9th the following two years). I don't know what the schedules were like in 1958 and 1959; did integration mean that instantly Grant had a schedule of white 9th region opponents like Holmes, CovCath, NewCath, Highlands, Newport, Bellevue, Dayton, Ludlow, etc.? I honestly don't know. My comment was based partly on the lore of guys who played in the early and mid 50s who only played Grant in unofficial, unsanctioned games, and the fact that integration only took place while Thacker was in high school.

 

Thacker is a guy whose post high school career could put him in the discussion. If he was like Cowens, and bloomed after high school, then fine, don't include him in the discussion.

 

Sorry if the comment hit a nerve, and I wasn't there in the late 50s, but I assumed teams and leagues didn't go from totally segregated to totally integrated instantaneously, and that Thacker's high school accomplishments may have been marginalized as a result. I don't even know if he was a multiple year all-state, all-region performer, I don't know what his high school averages were, and I don't know if he was, or should have been, a candidate for Mr. Basketball. His post high school career indicates that perhaps he was, and my comment that his opportunities were "limited" is probably accurate.