Season Preview: Top 10 Rankings

With the season starting on Monday, let’s take a look at the top 10 teams in the state heading into the year. At this point, we are assuming Jefferson County public schools will be allowed to play at some point in the near future. If not, all bets are off. Male - Yes they graduated a ton of talent but their 2023 class could be better in the long term than their 2020 class was. With Seniors  Cam Pope Cam Pope 6'2" | CG Male | 2021 State KY and Dez Lindsay Dez Lindsay 6'6" | PF Male | 2022 State KY along with Sophomore  Kaleb Glenn Kaleb Glenn 6'7" | PF Male | 2023 State #78 Nation KY  returning to form a talented core, these Bulldogs are looking to win the 7th region and get a shot to cut the nets at Rupp after missing the opportunity in 2020. Fern Creek - Yes Zek Montgomery is gone but there is still a surplus of talent at the Creek and they’re hungry for a shot at Rupp after having their season ended abruptly in March thanks to Covid. Seniors  Jaden Rogers Jaden Rogers 6'1" | PG Fern Creek | 2021 State KY , Darrius Washington Darrius Washington 6'6" | PF Fern Creek | 2021 State KY and Cearius Warren Cearius Warren 6'7" | PF Fern Creek | 2022 State KY  get the headlines but Juniors  Darien Lewis Darien Lewis 5'11" | PG Fern Creek | 2022 State KY and Andru Markham Andru Markham 6'4" | SG Fern Creek | 2022 State KY  can be difference makers in the 6th region. Covington Catholic - Another reigning regional champion, Cov Cath returns several key pieces from last season and added an impact transfer in  Mitchell Rylee Mitchell Rylee 6'8" | C Covington Catholic | 2022 State KY . The 9th region is not going to be a cake walk but the Colonels have a lot of talent and consistently guard really well, which makes a difference in March.  Lexington Catholic - The clear 11th region favorite and led by potential Mr. Basketball  Ben Johnson Ben Johnson 6'3" | CG Lexington Catholic | 2021 State KY , the Knights are a very talented and deep team that is built around Johnson’s scoring and playmaking. Junior  Jack Gohmann Jack Gohmann 6'3" | SG Lexington Catholic | 2022 State KY and Sophomore  Hudson Sparks Hudson Sparks 6'5" | SF Lexington Catholic | 2023 State KY can be difference makers this season. Ashland Blazer - The only team to finish 2020 undefeated, the Tomcats added a post player in  Sean Marcum Sean Marcum 6'8" | C Ashland Blazer | 2021 State KY and return the rest of their impact players from last year. They’ve bulked up their schedule and should be battle tested by the time regional tournaments start in March. Bowling Green - A Senior heavy roster has hopes of finally beating Warren Central and getting to Rupp Arena after falling short the last few seasons. Across the board, the Purples have as much talent as anyone but with DG Sherrill back coaching the team, you can expect the offense to play inside then out so a lot of pressure falls on Seniors  Jacobi Huddleston Jacobi Huddleston 6'8" | PF Bowling Green | 2021 State KY and Jordan Dingle inside. Ballard - If the Bruins reach their ceiling, they could win the state title and be the last team standing in March. With  Maker Bar Maker Bar 6'9" | C Ballard | 2022 State KY , Gabe Sisk Gabe Sisk 6'5" | SG Ballard | 2023 State #186 Nation KY and Jack Edelen Jack Edelen 5'11" | PG Male | 2023 State KY , the Bruins have enough firepower to beat anyone on a given night but I worry about their overall depth, especially in the post behind Bar. They’re going to need some size to counteract Kaleb Glenn Kaleb Glenn 6'7" | PF Male | 2023 State #78 Nation KY when they play Male. Oldham County - These Colonels return almost every contributor from last season’s 8th region runner up and have a lot of experienced depth. Coach Z runs a good offensive system and doesn’t rely on any one player to carry the scoring. With  Tyler Slone Tyler Slone 6'5" | SF Oldham County | 2021 State KY and Deaton Oak Deaton Oak 6'3" | SG Oldham County | 2021 State KY leading the way, I think Oldham can be a sleeper to make a run at Rupp and maybe even win the title. Elizabethtown - Yet another 2020 regional champion who returns most of their roster, the Panthers are looking to make a deep run behind a strong Senior class.  JaQuais Franklin JaQuais Franklin 6'1" | PG Elizabethtown | 2021 State KY  is the best player in the state that nobody talks about and should have E-town in position to get back to Rupp and possibly win a couple of games when they get there. George Rogers Clark - As detailed this week in a practice report, GRC has a lot of weapons on offense and are probably a year away from being on the short list for state championship contenders. If  Jared Wellman Jared Wellman 6'4" | SF George Rogers Clark | 2021 State KY and Jerone Morton Jerone Morton 6'3" | SG George Rogers Clark | 2023 State KY can be a dynamic 1-2 punch and  Aden Slone Aden Slone 5'9" | PG George Rogers Clark | 2022 State KY settles in at the point guard spot, these Cardinals should be back at Rupp in March.