Early 2025 Storylines to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hard to believe it but 2025 is upon us already. Here's a look at some storylines to watch as we move into the new year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Stars Returning From Injury:</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Danville Christian's [player_tooltip player_id='403464' first='Grace' last='Mbugua'] (Louisville) and GRC's [player_tooltip player_id='311967' first='Ciara' last='Byars'] (Michigan) are two of the best players in Kentucky's Senior class but neither has played a game yet this season. Byars is expected back sometime in January but I've not heard a date on Grace.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Sacred Heart's LOADED Schedule</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Valkyries are looking for a 5th state title in a row and they will be battle tested by the time postseason gets here. SHA takes on Cooper on Friday and will take on Ryle, Mercy, Ashland, Bethlehem and Assumption all before the end of January. They have a trip to George Rogers Clark on deck in February too. Coach Moir doesn't avoid anyone in the Commonwealth.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Tight Regional Races:</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are some very good regional races across the state. Especially in the 12th-16th regions. January should be the start of some really good regional matchups and starting to see some separation amongst the tops of the sixteen regions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Youth Movement:</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As I've detailed this past week in a series of articles, there are a ton of talented 8th graders that are playing varsity basketball right now. Whether it's [player_tooltip player_id='1060383' first='Jayden' last='McClain'], [player_tooltip player_id='1050025' first='Kennedy' last='Deener'] or [player_tooltip player_id='1050509' first='Charlotte' last='McCurry'], there are some big time youngsters playing and impressing on a nightly basis. Not to mention the 2028 class is full of names like [player_tooltip player_id='961289' first='Ella' last='Buckman'] and [player_tooltip player_id='961306' first='Alicia' last='Mangrum'] who are balling right now too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Unsigned Senior Alert:</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>21 of our top 30 Seniors are already committed and/or signed with a college. Where will the remaining players land? Players like [player_tooltip player_id='254562' first='Peyton' last='Bradley'], Julianna Frazee and [player_tooltip player_id='502282' first='Savannah' last='Jarvis'] are all still unsigned and will be impact players at the next level. Excited to see where they end up at.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->