Louisville Team Camp: Saturday PM Standouts

<p>Full transparency before I get started, I only got to watch one game maximum from the teams below at the University of Louisville's team camp on Saturday, but I got to see a lot of talent in those limited minutes. When it comes to high school summer ball, I know that most of the time teams will not be at full strength and that was certainly the case Saturday, but here are some of the players that stood out to me. <em>(Note: I didn't have rosters for the out of state teams, so this only includes the Kentucky teams I was able to watch on Saturday)</em></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong><u>Mercy</u></strong></h2>   <p>Honestly, was very curious to see what Mercy would look like this year and after watching what they did even without [player_tooltip player_id='295768' first='Alyssa' last='Murphy'] there, I think they're poised to have another successful season. Honestly, I was impressed by multiple of their players: [player_tooltip player_id='254279' first='Leah' last='Macy'], [player_tooltip player_id='493160' first='Allison' last='Jarvi'], Peyton Arnold, Addyson Becker, Kyra Freeman, and [player_tooltip player_id='991524' first='Olivia' last='Pifer'] were some of the names I wrote down. I could honestly write about all of those players, but for the purposes of this article, I'm going to go into detail about only two players from each team.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='254279' first='Leah' last='Macy']</strong></h4>   <p>Macy further illustrated why she is one of the top players nationally in the 2025 class. She has continued to grow and expand her already impressive game. She's really able to play any position at this point in time. She can handle the ball, she can knock down outside shots, and she's one of the toughest matchups you'll find. I don't know that I've seen a player that can consistently keep her off the boards or that can keep her from scoring. She's truly a special talent.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='493160' first='Allison' last='Jarvi']</strong></h4>   <p>Jarvi was probably my biggest surprise from all of the teams I've watched so far this summer. When I watched Mercy's JV team last season, I was impressed by the potential I saw from the freshman. However, as she prepares for her sophomore year, she has taken her game to a whole new level. She is a long, active, and skilled player. She handles the ball well, she can knock down shots or get to the rim, and she made good passes. She also used her length to get steals and deflections, as well as to grab rebounds. I'm really excited to see what she's able to bring to the court this season after watching her play Saturday.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong><u>CAL</u></strong></h2>   <p>CAL was missing quite a few players from their main core – [player_tooltip player_id='231485' first='Savannah' last='Gardner'], [player_tooltip player_id='231486' first='Ella' last='Daniels'], [player_tooltip player_id='502133' first='Kyleigh' last='Hall'], and [player_tooltip player_id='310830' first='Addison' last='Kincaid'] all were not there on Saturday. [player_tooltip player_id='231487' first='Mariah' last='Knight'] was looking really good at the start of the game before back issues took her out for the remainder of the game. I'm going to talk about [player_tooltip player_id='326295' first='Bailee' last='Duck'] and [player_tooltip player_id='376791' first='Brianna' last='Wilkins'] a little bit below, but players like [player_tooltip player_id='493156' first='Ava' last='Moore'], [player_tooltip player_id='493159' first='Jaida' last='Allen'], and Kyla Kovatch also caught my eye on Saturday and further solidified my belief that CAL will have one of the deepest rosters in the state this year.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='326295' first='Bailee' last='Duck']</strong></h4>   <p>Duck was so fun to watch Saturday. What an impact she makes on both ends of the court. Her athleticism is truly special and allows her to do stuff that a lot of players her size are not able to do. She makes things so hard on whoever she's guarding. She can get her hands on the ball so consistently, often coming up with steals and deflections. She can elevate to grab rebounds and finish at the rim as well. She can score from anywhere on the court and has really good handles. Her quickness makes it extremely hard for defenders to stay in front. She makes great passes and was making great plays for her teammates.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Bri Wilkins</strong></h4>   <p>Wilkins is such a smooth player. She can stop and pull-up on a dime. She's very smooth handling the ball and isn't really affected by pressure defense. She made some crafty drives and had some nice finishes at the rim and in the paint. She can create space to get her shot off and is consistently looking to score. However, she also sees the floor and can make good passes. Defensively, she was getting into the passing lanes and coming up with steals. She was grabbing rebounds and showing that she is poised to continue being one of the stars in the 2026 class.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong><u>Butler</u></strong></h2>   <p>I knew Butler was going to have a lot of talented players, but after seeing their post players knock down 3's, I'm very intrigued to see what they're going to do this season. They showed glimpses of how good they could be last season, but most of their wins came in the latter half of the season after starting off with a 4-11 record (finished 13-13). So, when I think about the fact that this group seemed to be figuring stuff out at the end of last year and has now added Head Coach Candyce Wheeler, I would definitely say watch for them to be a contender in the 6<sup>th</sup> Region this upcoming season.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='167139' first='Ramiya' last='White']</strong></h4>   <p>White was Butler's leading scorer and rebounder last season, and I expect her stats to be even higher this season after seeing her this spring and summer. You can't teach her size or length, but she uses those strengths so well. Keeps the ball up high, grabs rebounds high off the rim, finishes at the rim, etc. There's obviously a reason she is being recruited by Power Five programs and after watching her consistently knock down shots from further out, including from 3, it's safe to say that she's poised to have a big senior year. If she can do what she's capable of throughout the season, I'd expect her to be a candidate from the 6<sup>th</sup> Region for Miss Kentucky Basketball.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='403468' first='Makayla' last='Alexander'] and [player_tooltip player_id='502121' first='Emaree' last='Gober']</strong></h4>   <p>My plan was to only mention 2 players from each team, but these 2 players are so different that I decided to include them both here. Alexander was showing her strength and versatility on Saturday. She can really play any position. Strong handles, finishes through contact, knocking down shots… she was doing a little bit of everything. [player_tooltip player_id='502121' first='Emaree' last='Gober'] was often the lead guard, handling the ball with confidence. She's got a lot of craftiness in her game and loves making plays for her teammates. She can also score herself by knocking down shots, getting to the rim, or pushing the pace in transition.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong><u>Collins</u></strong></h2>   <p>Collins struggled last season, finishing with a 9-22 record, but they only had one senior on their roster last year and she only played in one game. I would expect that record to be much better this season based on what I saw Saturday, especially considering they were clearly shorthanded and not fully healthy. [player_tooltip player_id='502116' first='Danielle' last='Jones'], Amber Barnett, and Laniyah Dunn (even one-handed) showed that they are ready to lead the Titans once again this season.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Amber Barnett</strong></h4>   <p>Barnett showed an ability to play on or off of the ball because of her strong handles and overall strength. She was making great drives to the rim and was keeping the defense inside to allow her to finish, even through contact. She was aggressive on her drives, but she also made great passes and was far from a selfish player. When it came to rebounding, it was nearly impossible to keep her off the boards. She was just going after them strong and securing rebound after rebound. Played hard and wasn't giving up on plays.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='502116' first='Danielle' last='Jones']</strong></h4>   <p>Jones looked really solid with the ball in her hands. She clearly has good handles and made great moves to get to the basket. She had multiple crafty finishes around the basket and also knocked down shots. She will be the 2<sup>nd</sup> leading returning scorer this season and I expect her 9.6 PPG to rise a decent amount if she can consistently play with the high motor I saw at times on Saturday.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong><u>Breckinridge County</u></strong></h2>   <p>I didn't know very much about Breckenridge County prior to Saturday, but after watching them play, I think they're going to give a lot of teams fits this season. They have such a solid core group of players. The lone senior on their roster last season only played in 4 games and they finished last season with a 25-8 record. The 3<sup>rd</sup> Region is going to be one of the most competitive regions in the state in my opinion and Breckinridge County certainly showed they're going to be in the mix. They return two (basically three) double digit scorers in Caroline Lucas (17 PPG), [player_tooltip player_id='364233' first='Kayleigh' last='Huffines'] (11.5 PPG), and Elizabeth Grimes (9.6 PPG).</p>   <p>Since I didn't get to see as much of their game, I won't go into as much detail about standout players, but the three mentioned above were all impressive. Caroline Lucas has such a strong build, and that strength can definitely be seen in her game. She's extremely strong for a guard and she was making great drives to the basket. Wasn't afraid of physicality and just showed a lot of toughness. [player_tooltip player_id='364233' first='Kayleigh' last='Huffines'] showed a lot of versatility. She has excellent length and can really be effective inside or out. Looked strong on the boards and was disruptive around the rim defensively. Elizabeth Grimes showed her quick and crafty guard skills. Was handling the ball and pressure well. Made great passes and was aggressive.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong><u>Ryle</u></strong></h2>   <p>I only got to see a small portion of Ryle's game, so like Breckinridge County, I'm not going to go into a ton of detail about players, but I do want to mention some of what I saw. I must first mention that they were missing some key players, including their leading returning scorer, [player_tooltip player_id='239840' first='Quinn' last='Eubank'], in the game I caught, so they obviously weren't at full strength. However, you could still see how good they can be next season because every player that entered the game was very fundamentally sound. Ryle is always a 9<sup>th</sup> Region contender and I don't expect anything different this upcoming season.</p>   <p>The player that stood out the most in the post on Saturday was [player_tooltip player_id='167137' first='Sarah' last='Baker']. She has the size and strength to play with anyone down low, but she also moves so much better than most post players. Very active and she brings so much to the court. Defensively, can block or alter shots. Offensively, can score at the rim, makes great moves, finishes with both hands, makes good passes, and can knock down shots. Excellent rebounding as well. The player that stood out the most as a guard was [player_tooltip player_id='571230' first='Jaelyn' last='Jones']. She has such a solid skillset. Consistently had good defensive positioning and slid her feet so well to stay in front of whoever she was guarding. Had excellent court awareness and was making really smart plays. She was also able to score in a variety of ways and her pull-up jumper was really tough.</p>

Full transparency before I get started, I only got to watch one game maximum from the teams below at the University of Louisville's team camp on Saturday, but I got to see a lot of talent in those limited minutes. When it comes to high school summer ball, I know that most of the time teams will not be at full strength and that was certainly the case Saturday, but here are some of the players that stood out to me. (Note: I didn't have rosters for the out of state teams, so this only includes the Kentucky teams I was able to watch on Saturday)