Top 2028 Prospects in Kentucky (Part 1)

<p>The future of Kentucky girls basketball is in good hands. There are so many talented young players across the Bluegrass state and while the following players all have Varsity experience going into this season, they also are all ready to take another step up this season. Class of 2028 means these players are still in middle school, but these 8th graders are players that are expected to make a big impact at the Varsity level this season. Here's a look into some of those players <em>(ordered alphabetically by last name)</em>. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='965789' first='Brenley' last='Adler'] (Logan County)</h2>   <p>Logan County will have a lot of talented upperclassman returning this season, but Adler already solidified herself as a staple in the Lady Cougars lineup despite only being a 7th grader last season. She averaged 5.4 PPG and 4.1 RPG a year ago and will be looking to build on that this season. Her head fakes and drives will really stick out when you watch her play. She times her floaters well and finishes well at the rim. Physical and not afraid of contact. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/brenley_adler14/status/1679924940332515335 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='881424' first='Koko' last='Castle'] (Lexington Christian)</h2>   <p>Castle was a key contributor for the Lady Eagles last season and will likely play an even bigger role this season. As a 7th grader, she was Lexington Christian's 3rd leading scorer and 2nd leading rebounder. She averaged 7.4 PPG and 6.8 RPG and will likely be averaging a double-double very soon, if not this season. Castle brings toughness and versatility. She isn't afraid to battle inside and grab rebounds strong of the rim like you see in the video below. She also had one of the best field goal percentages I've seen for someone her age as she shot 48.2% overall last season, which was a team-best. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/LCAathletics/status/1614352044273410048 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='963013' first='Kyleigh' last='Chestnut'] (GRC)</h2>   <p>Stats don't do justice to the impact that Chestnut makes on the basketball court, though her stats always seem to be very strong. As a 7th grader, her role consistently increased on a team that was widely viewed as the 2nd best team in all of Kentucky. She was one of the most efficient players, shooting 46.7% overall and 30.8% from 3. Despite GRC adding some really talented transfers, I'd still expect Chestnut's role to increase this season as she finished last season very strong and had a terrific summer. She truly has the potential to be one of the next stars to come out of this state.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KyleighChestnut/status/1683626582315761665 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='796168' first='Lexie' last='Combs'] (Breathitt County)</h2>   <p>Breathitt County was a very young team last season. In fact, 8 of the 15 players on their roster were in middle school. [player_tooltip player_id='796168' first='Lexie' last='Combs'] was the lone 7th grader on the Varsity team, but being the youngest player did not stop her from being 1 of 7 players in the regular rotation for the Lady Cats. Seeing that they graduated 2 of the other 6 players that were in that rotation, Combs will be ready to take another step up in her 8th grade season. She can create for both herself and her teammates, and she can score at all 3 levels. Combs scored nearly 100 points as a 7th grader and will grow on that total significantly this season. </p>   <p><strong>Link to highlights:</strong> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/18577790/Lexie-Combs/highlights">https://www.hudl.com/profile/18577790/Lexie-Combs/highlights</a></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='961302' first='Maliah' last='Courtney'] (Elizabethtown)</h2>   <p>Courtney is another player that will be at a new school this year, but based on her middle school highlights, she has already adjusted very well to the change and will be ready to impact the game at the Varsity level once again this season. As a 7th grader at Bardstown, Courtney averaged 4.1 PPG and 1.2 RPG. The video below probably shows what she brings to the court better than I can describe it in words, but she's a very smart player who can score at all 3 levels and is a tenacious defender on the other end of the court. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/Maliah_Courtney/status/1705026560590287244 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='973205' first='Maddi' last='Frohnapfel'] (Hazard)</h2>   <p>Frohnapfel was a transfer at Hazard last season, so she missed the first few games of the season, but as soon as she joined the Lady Bulldogs, she instantly made a big impact. In fact, she is their leading returning scorer going into this season despite only being an 8th grader. Maddi averaged 8.9 PPG and 3.7 RPG while leading the team in free throw percentage after shooting 78% from the line. The deep range shooter can score inside or outside of the perimeter and plays a very unselfish game overall. Very tough and versatile with the ability to play multiple positions. With Hazard graduating their only double figure scorer from last season, watch for Frohnapfel's number to rise significantly. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/mfrohnapfel05/status/1583586723904118785 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='961306' first='LiLi' last='Mangrum'] (Grace James Academy)</h2>   <p>There are 3 players on this list that will be playing for a brand new Varsity program in Kentucky in Grace James Academy, but all 3 have experience and success after playing for a different high school last season. Mangrum showed a glimpse of the impact she can make at the Varsity level after playing up for Male HS. She averaged 5.3 PPG and 2.1 RPG, while shooting over 30% from 3 a season ago. She has a great outside shot and an ability to score at all 3 levels. With her length, she can be disruptive defensively and on the boards as well. Her game has grown since the video below, but it still shows you her ability to contribute in many different ways.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/LiLi_Mangrum/status/1566134510000939008 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Faith Mosley (Grace James Academy)</h2>   <p>Mosley put up some big time numbers last season while leading Western HS in scoring, averaging 17.4 PPG. By the end of the year, she was named to the All-Sixth Region 2nd Team. Fast forward a season and she will now be one of the main focal points for a new program, Grace James Academy. Grace James opened in 2020 and has competed at the middle school level, but this will be their 1st year fielding a high school Varsity team. Mosley will be looking to be one of the first stars at Grace James, bringing Varsity experience and success. Mosley is a tough guard who is more than capable of putting up 20-30+ points in any given game while also being a defensive stopper. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/Faith_Hoopstar/status/1599828896995635201 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Karlea Stanley (Johnson Central)</h2>   <p>As a 7th grader, Stanley was Belfry's leading scorer. She averaged 14.8 PPG and 3.4 RPG. She is almost halfway to the 1,000 point mark going into her 2nd Varsity season. She made the move to Johnson Central in the summer and with them returning all 5 of their leading scorers from a season ago, they will be looking to make some serious noise in the 15th Region. Stanley is a fearless player who greatly impacts the game on both ends of the floor. Can already score at all 3 levels and is a reliable defensive stopper. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/karleastarr00/status/1680902273092710400 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Takenzie Young (Grace James Academy)</h2>   <p>Like Mangrum and Mosley, Young is bringing Varsity experience and success to a brand new program. She led Southern HS in scoring last year after averaging 14.1 PPG. She was also their 2nd leading rebounder, averaging 6 RPG. She can really create on her drives and she puts in some serious work on the boards, grabbing them over players larger than herself. That's just how she plays though... take a look at the video below and you'll see that she consistently plays even bigger than her size. The crafty guard will be putting people on notice once again this season.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/TakenzieYoung/status/1680416070413197312 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <p class="has-text-align-center"><em>If any of the information above is incorrect, please send an email with any corrections to alyxwhitegraphics@gmail.com.</em></p>

The future of Kentucky girls basketball is in good hands. There are so many talented young players across the Bluegrass state and while the following players all have Varsity experience going into this season, they also are all ready to take another step up this season. Class of 2028 means these players are still in middle school, but these 8th graders are players that are expected to make a big impact at the Varsity level this season. Here's a look into some of those players (ordered alphabetically by last name).