Hoops Mafia’s Best of Kentucky 2023: 10 Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were a ton of talented players in the gym at the Best of Kentucky event hosted by Hoops Mafia, Trevor Goodson, and Jarrad Parmley. So much talent that I really struggled to figure out who I would include in this article. In fact, I have decided to do a second article with other players that caught my attention at the event (be on the lookout for that one tomorrow), but for now, here are ten players that really stood out to me on Saturday. I also want to commend Mr. Parmley and Mr. Goodson on putting together an event that really showcased skills before ever getting into live game action. They gave the players things that they can work on at home and really took them through a solid workout before letting them loose to play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Top 15 Nationally Ranked Star</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["254279"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"I feel like I don't even need to include Macy on here because she's a next level player that is going to be a clear standout no matter where she's at, but Saturday was no exception. When she participated in the skills session, her skills were more impressive than ever. She has all of the guard and post skills you could want from a player. I recently got to watch the livestream of Macy playing with her Kentucky Premier 17U EYBL team and she absolutely dominated in front of a ton of college coaches, scoring inside and out while grabbing the 2nd most rebounds of any 17U EYBL player (it's worth noting that she also scored u003cemu003ethe mostu003c/emu003e points). While she's already racked up lots of offers, I cannot imagine any coach in America not loving her after watching her in the first live session.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64514be7b29f1"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations":"","_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64514be7b2a1d"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">First Time Seeing These Two Northern Kentucky Stars</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["403469"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Eaglin is a player I had heard a lot about, but never gotten to see play live. I now see why her name had been brought up to me many times as she was a player that stood out to me on both ends of the floor. Defensively, she was doing a great job of moving her feet to stay in front of whoever she was defending. Offensively, she was finding and attacking gaps so well. She showed an ability to score in a variety of ways or create for others. There were times Saturday that I wanted her to be more selfish, but as a player who averaged 24.8 PPG for NCC last season, I'd say her shot selection is solid.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["405331"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Lawrie is poised to be one of the main players that will take over some of [player_tooltip player_id='255504' first='Noelle' last='Hubert']'s scoring for Notre Dame next season and she showed she is ready for that task on Saturday. She was making great, strong drives to the basket. She consistently showed an ability to get a step on whoever was guarding her. Lawrie was also finishing some really tough shots and in very crafty ways around the rim. Don't be surprised to see her more than double her 7.1 PPG next season.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":2,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64514be7b2ab0"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">All Three Bowling Green Purples Players Came to Impress</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["560652"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Smiley is a player whose stook is about to rise exponentially as more people in the state are able to get their eyes on her. She's got great size and length to go along with her strength. She also has excellent shooting form. She was one of the best shooters at the event with the ability to knock down shots from anywhere on the floor, but what really impressed me was her recognition of mismatches. Every time she saw a player that she could post up and/or score on at the rim, she would put herself in great positions to do just that. She finished some tough baskets in the process as well. Very high ceiling.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["502278"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Alexander is another player with a high ceiling. Once she decided to take over, she was scoring at will. Her drives felt impossible to stop as she used her explosive first step to get past defenders. When I say she scored three straight baskets on multiple occasions, I need you to realize that she did this while playing games that only lasted eight minutes with a running clock (and subs coming in halfway through). To say she can score in bunches is not an understatement. I believe Alexander had to sit out last season after transferring to Bowling Green, but she will be a huge addition to their talented team next season.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='885364' first='NaTaya' last='Wardlow']","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"12123","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"Bowling Green High School","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_2_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"If Wardlow was a little taller, I cannot imagine opposing teams trying to stop her because that would only add to her impressive game. She has phenomenal handles and those really stood out when going through ball handling drills. She has so many moves she can turn to and is a solid playmaker which makes her a very dangerous floor general. She also sees the floor well and reads the gaps in defenses. She was getting to the rim and finishing some tough baskets, even when she had players much taller than her guarding her. Wardlow's a true 2-way player as well, with the ability to lock a ball handler up defensively.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":3,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64514be7b2bbd"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Young Vocal Leaders</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["376807"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Heatherly was one of my biggest standouts on Saturday because she caught my attention with her leadership before I ever even saw her skills. She was very vocal and ready to do whatever was asked of her. She also attacked every drill with the same intensity she would for a game. There was no half effort from Heatherly, it was always 110% and that alone was impressive. Her skillset only added to that as she could do a little bit of everything. Heatherly is a high IQ player and a competitor. After learning that she just overcame an ACL injury, I was shocked. The sky is the limit when it comes to [player_tooltip player_id='376807' first='Adeline' last='Heatherly'].","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='747656' first='Shelbie' last='Mills']","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"12123","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"South Laurel","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"KY Dream Thunder","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_1_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"You always want your point guard to be a vocal leader and Mills is clearly that. Despite being an 8th grader currently, she was not afraid to lead from the point. She recognized openings and mismatches, pointing her teammates to the right positions. Her basketball IQ is high as she was consistently making the right play. Mills also showed an ability to make plays, both scoring herself and creating for her teammates. She knocked down multiple 3's while also making strong drives to the hoops. There was a reason why Mills played such an integral role in South Laurel's success this past season and she showed that on Saturday.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":2,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64514be7b2c81"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Two 2026's To Watch For</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["493154"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"I actually u003cemu003ejustu003c/emu003e wrote about Reitzel when discussing u003ca href=u0022https://prepgirlshoops.com/2023/05/2026-rankings-update-the-top-ten/u0022u003ethe top 10 players in the 2026 classu003c/au003e, so I won't go too far in depth here, but I walked away very impressed with the improvements she's made since the end of the season. When it came to ball handling drills, her handles really stood out to me. She is just such a solid player on both ends of the floor and I love the versatility in her game.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["547491"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Butcher had very quick handles in the ball handling drills and she was attacking everything with an excellent mentality. It was clear she was there to get better and compete. When it came to drills, I loved that she was pushing herself and her skillset was impressive. When it came to games, you never had to question her effort. She was playing so hard every second she was on the floor. Butcher showed of her quick handles and court vision. She was seeing the floor and delivered some impressive passes. She also stayed with plays and used pure effort to come up with 2nd chance opportunities.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":2,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64514be7b2cf6"} /-->