7 Players to Watch for in the 2023-24 Season
In this article:
Saturday, the KNOW HER NAME Pan-O-Rama by Rise Up Sports Media took place at Montgomery County High School. It was a day full of great games and featured many of the top teams in the state. With the preseason comes…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingSaturday, the KNOW HER NAME Pan-O-Rama by Rise Up Sports Media took place at Montgomery County High School. It was a day full of great games and featured many of the top teams in the state. With the preseason comes a chance to see what players improved in the offseason. Most of the teams playing on Saturday have star players that have already proven how valuable they are, but there were also a number of players that showed they are ready to take a big step up this season. Here’s a look at some of those players.
Karle averaged 6.7 PPG and 3.9 RPG as a freshman, so it’s not exactly a secret that she’s a good player. However, she has really grown her game this offseason and I think she’s going to open a lot of eyes across the state this season. Keep in mind that Ashland is a team with a lot of very talented veterans, so seeing Karle shine among those players really speaks to her talent level. She was scoring in a variety of ways and really just looked tough overall. Made multiple smart plays and was always willing to create for her teammates. I may have missed some scoring, but she had at least 17 points on Saturday and is poised to have a huge sophomore season.
Brookelyn Duckwyler
Brookelyn Duckwyler
Duckwyler got Varsity minutes as an 8th grader last season, but she will play a much larger role for the Kittens this season. Like I said above, Ashland is a team full of talented veterans, so her scoring may not jump out at you at the end of games this season, but she does so many things beyond scoring that make a huge impact on the court. And that’s not to say she can’t score because she definitely can and there will likely be multiple games she’ll score in double figures. I really say that just to emphasize how impactful her game is beyond scoring. She plays great defense, brings good energy, has excellent court vision and can really make some impressive passes.
Jackson is someone I expected to be a valuable player for Pikeville this season, but since they have so many talented seniors, I wasn’t sure exactly what that role would look like. However, she proved Saturday that she is poised and ready to take a step up this season. While her stats may not make a huge jump (because they were already very solid in her sophomore season), her impact will. Jackson showed a willingness to do whatever her team needed her to do to help them be in a position to win. She has good touch around the basket and she wasn’t forcing shots that weren’t there. She was always ready to kick it if help defense stepped over and she was also making things tough defensively.
Maggie Holt
Maggie Holt
I debated including Holt in here because she really has already been a standout player and no one familiar with Pulaski County would be surprised to see her excelling on the court. However, she was beyond impressive on Saturday and really showed a ton of versatility. She can impact the game inside or outside of the perimeter. She was lighting it up from downtown, hitting at least 5 triples. She also brings physicality on the defensive end of the court. I felt I needed to include Holt here because of her performance Saturday, but watch for underclassman like Brooklyn Thomas Brooklyn Thomas 5’9″ | SF Pulaski County | 2026 State KY and McKaila Monroe to really breakout for the Lady Maroons this season as well. Thomas is so solid and there’s nothing I love more than watching a player give the kind of effort she does every second she’s on the court. She plays much bigger than her size and has a great shot. Monroe has excellent length and a strong overall skillset. She will definitely make an impact off the bench for Pulaski County this season.
I debated including a player that almost averaged a double-double last year in this article, but Brown is really poised to have an even bigger season this year than she did a year ago. She keeps getting more aggressive and physical while also getting better touch and hands around the rim. She continues to improve her game and the results are showing that. She was making great catches and finishing well on Saturday. She can make great passes out of the post as well. Brown was securing rebounds and running the floor well consistently. Watch for Brown to be a walking double-double this season.
Allen has always had talent, but coming into this season healthy and injury free, she looks better than ever. She was making great moves to get to the basket, but she really was finishing at all 3 levels and put together a really complete game. Allen was doing a little bit of everything for the Centurions from creating for teammates to rebounding to playing excellent defense. She showed how tough of a defender she truly is by constantly getting involved on that end of the court. She made some clutch baskets for CAL, including the game winning bucket. Watch for her to really breakout this season.
Highlights
Moore already holds a D1 offer, so it’s no secret that she’s a talented player. However, this should be the year she really puts up breakout numbers for CAL. She was extremely impressive on the boards, going after rebounds hard and really securing them. She was finishing so well on both sides of the rim and really made some huge plays when her team needed her the most. Moore is a versatile player, so while she can do a lot of damage around the basket, she can also step out and knock down shots. She also can handle the ball and made some great passes.