2019 Rankings Update: Top 10
Now that the class of 2019 has completed their junior seasons, they are about to embark on the biggest spring and summer of their lives as they get ready to hit the AAU circuit for the final time. The top 10-12 players in this class are all Division 1 caliber and have offers already. Past that, the class is a mixed bag full of kids who can be small college players or wind up playing intramurals in college. Here’s a breakdown of the top 10 players in our updated 2019 rankings:
Dekeyvan “KyKy” Tandy, University Heights – Tandy has been a known commodity for several years in the state but has just recently caught the eye of several high major coaches, including Coach John Calipari and the University of Kentucky. Tandy is a high flying guard who scores the ball extremely well. He currently holds offers from Kansas State, Iowa State, Cincinnati, Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Western Kentucky.
David Johnson, Trinity – Another elite high major player, Johnson is ranked ahead of Tandy on nearly every national ranking but we have Tandy ahead. Either one would make a big time addition for whatever program is able to land them. David is a 6’5 combo guard who should play the point full time for his senior season at Trinity. David will also see action with Team USA this summer. He holds offers from Louisville, Ohio State, Xavier and Cincinnati.
Dontaie Allen, Pendleton County – The latest player to land on Kentucky’s radar, Allen was first team all state in every newspaper, website or recruiting service after averaging 32 points and 11 rebounds per game for the Wildcats. Assistant Coach Joel Justus just invited Allen to play at open gym with the Kentucky team this June. Allen holds offers from Illinois State, Winthrop, IUPUI, NKU and EKU with tons of high major schools expected to see him in the live period this month.
Michael Moreno, Scott County – Moreno was new EKU coach AW Hamilton’s first offer once he arrived on campus. Big and strong, Moreno will look to shed the “tweener” label this summer on the Adidas circuit with Indiana Elite. Moreno holds offers from Iowa and Bradley in addition to the EKU offer.
Kyle Rode, Lexington Chrisitan – It’s a testament to the depth of this class that Rode is all the way down at 5 in these rankings. Kyle would be the top player in most classes. 6’7 point forwards are ultra rare in Kentucky. Kyle is one of the most valuable players to his team in the 19 class and he will again play alongside Moreno with Indiana Elite. Rode has offers from Wright State, Liberty, Kennesaw State, New Orleans, Samford and Northern Kentucky.
Isaiah Cozart, Madison Central – On pace to be the state’s all time leading shot blocker after a game or two next season, Isaiah is sure to shatter the record before graduation. Known for his defense, Cozart is also rapidly improving his offense and will surely rack up more offers this summer. Isaiah has offers from Morehead State, Winthrop and Eastern Kentucky already with interest from dozens of other schools.
Jaago “JJ” Kalakon, Waggener – Another player with multiple college offers already, JJ has an opportunity to get high major looks this summer. Recently picking up interest from Xavier and other high majors, Kalakon figures to be a candidate for a summer time blow up. He already has offers from SEMO, Morehead State and Robert Morris.
TreVon Smith, Taylor County – Holding an offer from Morehead State, Smith is a big time scorer from either guard spot. His stock took a bit of a hit this year playing on a Taylor County team that only won 5 games. Smith figures to be a Jamal Crawford type where he can come in and score in bunches. Look for his stock to start trending back up as he is surrounded by talented players like Allen, Cozart and Kalakon on the AAU circuit.
Brennan Canada, George Rogers Clark – The 6’7 stretch 4 continues to improve as a ball handler. Canada also appears to have found the motor that schools want to see from him to play at the next level. With Brennan’s size and shooting ability, expect him to get plenty of looks this month playing with M.A.T.T.S. Mustangs on what should be a very loaded team.
Dieonte Miles, Walton-Verona – Miles was starting to trend way up before an early season injury required surgery and ended his Junior season in December. Standing legit 6’10 and long and athletic, Miles reminds of Aric Holman who is entering his senior season at Mississippi State. Dieonte has the God given abilities to get paid to play basketball one day. It will be interesting to see if he can reach that potential.