They Got Next: 2028s Ready to be Great (Part 6)

While football and volleyball will occupy the bulk of early attention on the high school athletics calendar, it will not be long before those eyes turn to the many basketball courts located within the Commonwealth.    And on many of those basketball courts, onlookers will be watching the future of Kentucky high school girls basketball. A fresh crop of young talents will be proving their skills alongside more experienced and established stars and many of them will have breakout seasons for their respective teams.    It is only fitting that plenty of spotlight has been placed on Kentucky's 2028 class as it was one of the first states to host a Prep Girls Hoops Freshman Showcase. We put a microscope on a few more of those freshmen here.    Prior to when Smith sports the Campbellsville basketball uniform, she will have business to take care of with her Eagles volleyball teammates. Smith averaged 9.4 points last season for Campbellsville. She will showcase how accurate of a 3-point shooter she is and her heads-up attitude enables her to take advantage of an opposing ball carrier's miscue. Another area of the game where she excels is in transition. Smith can give a team worthwhile minutes at either of the two guard positions in the backcourt. Last season was the first that the Eagles have been held under double digits for victories since 2018-19. With Smith on the roster, it will be very difficult to keep Campbellsville out of the win column.     When basketball is not occupying the bulk of Menser's athletic schedule, said schedule is likely being taken up by either track and field or cross country. As far as hoops are concerned, Menser put forth an impressive showing in 2023-24 as she averaged 10 points per game. She played at the middle school level at South Hopkins MS and her Hopkins County Central team won 17 games last season. Defensively, she is extremely adept at reading defenses and being a step ahead of an opposing team's offense. If she comes up with a steal, there is a good chance she will have the ball on the break and convert it into two (or perhaps three) points for her team. That additional score could also occur via a pass she makes to one of her teammates.     Dayton HS is a hop, skip and a jump away from downtown Cincinnati meaning basketball fans on both sides of the Ohio River either will know (or already do) about this talented standout for the Greendevils. Jimenez averaged 8.6 points per game last season at Dayton. She gives a team productive minutes at either of the guard positions in the backcourt. Even though she may be a guard, she displays her versatility on defense with her willingness to get into position to corral rebounds. Jimenez possesses ball handling capabilities, an ability to attack the basket and drain her shot attempts from long range.     For an eighth grader to burst onto the high school varsity girls basketball scene is one thing. For an eighth grader to perform the aforementioned and assume team captaincy duties is another. That leadership Wade has shown has also been by example as evidenced by the 9.9 points she averaged in 2023-24 for Frankfort. Wade has ran on the grassroots circuit with [program_tooltip program_id='715808' first='Lexington' last='Crossover'] and will be taking her talents to Woodford County this coming season. One of the signature elements to her game is her versatility. Just as Wade can give a team a lift from the two in the backcourt, she can do the same in the frontcourt as a three forward.     Holmes' loss appears to be Mason County's gain. Last season for the Bulldogs, Tye averaged 12.5 points per contest. Tye will join a Royals team that compiled 18 victories – including 13 on its home court - in 2023-24. One can count on Tye to go at defenders en route to the rim with regularity. The possibility of drawing contact? No issue. That only means she will get opportunities at the free throw line. Tye's breakthrough eighth grade campaign with Holmes segued into her running on the travel realm with Kentucky Blue Devils and that experience playing AAU will surely translate into a stellar freshman season and her first with her new team in Mason County.

While football and volleyball will occupy the bulk of early attention on the high school athletics calendar, it will not be long before those eyes turn to the many basketball courts located within the Commonwealth.