The 8 Best Players I Saw on Thursday
I spent my Thursday afternoon and evening trying to catch several games. I went back and forth from Lexington Catholic to LCA as I started with Bardstown against Cooper and UHA vs Douglass at Lexington Catholic then went to LCA…
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Continue ReadingI spent my Thursday afternoon and evening trying to catch several games. I went back and forth from Lexington Catholic to LCA as I started with Bardstown against Cooper and UHA vs Douglass at Lexington Catholic then went to LCA for the Eagles against Conner then back to Catholic for GRC against Newport in an overtime thriller. Here were the players who stood out to me on Thursday. The list is in no particular order.
- Newport’s Tahj Harding – The Wildcats got an early Christmas present this year when Harding transferred back to Newport after failing to get eligible in Ohio. Harding was the best player on the floor in their OT win against George Rogers Clark last night. Harding finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. The big man made every smart play and battled with a bigger GRC team all night. Harding is under-recruited and should be on the radar for D2 and NAIA teams all over Kentucky and surrounding states.
- Lexington Christian’s Kyle Rode – This was my first chance to see Kyle this season and he showed his complete skill set last night. He hit 3s, he made post moves, he made smart passes and grabbed rebounds. Rode is built like a post player at 6’7 but has the build of a defensive end. The Eagles blew Conner out and Kyle continued his monster Senior season with a solid win over a 9th region Contender.
- Cooper’s TJ Deere – This was my first time seeing Deere and Cooper play and he was impressive. A good shooter with a quick release and good form, Deere hit several big shots for Cooper as they pulled away from Bardstown late. TJ would help his college stock if he could show more ability to put the ball on the floor instead of being a catch and shoot player. Deere has a good build and could be a stretch 4 type at the small college level next year.
- University Heights’ Drew McGowan – The Senior guard stepped up when fellow Senior KyKy Tandy had an off night. Drew had 25 points while shooting a high percentage from the field. McGowan is also one of the more underrated athletes. He’s headed to Mississippi State to pitch and he’s the second leading scorer on one of Kentucky’s best teams.
- George Rogers Clark’s Brennan Canada – On the night he scored his 1,000th career point, Canada scored 20 on the evening and hit several threes. Brennan continues to be one of the best stretch forwards in the 2019 class and showed it on Thursday night. In order to boost his college stock, Canada will need to show improved ability to put the ball on the floor but he already has offers from Campbellsville, Centre, Transylvania and interest from Marshall.
- Conner’s Jalen Scott – The leading scorer for Conner against LCA, Scott had 17 points on 6-12 shooting and 3-6 from 3. He added 4 rebounds and a couple of assists while being denied by the LCA defense most of the evening. Scott has grown and added bulk to his frame while improving his shot release to where he doesn’t need much space to get his shot off.
- Bardstown’s JaRel Montgomery – The point guard for the Tigers is very shifty and able to get to the rim against defenders. He ran his team all game long against Cooper and handled the tough Jaguar defense. Montgomery reminds me of the former Tiger point guard Eljay Cowherd but didn’t show himself to be that level of shooter yet.
- Frederick Douglass’ DaShawn Jackson – The Sophomore paced Douglass with 18 points in the loss to UHA. Jackson is still developing his game to become more than just a shooter but if he keeps developing his skills other than shooting, he projects to be a solid combo guard at the next level.