‘I like to hustle.’ Meet the top-ranked sophomore in Kentucky high school boys basketball.
Griffin Starks is already a name to know in the world of Kentucky high school basketball.
The 6-foot-7 sophomore at Newport High School is the only player from the commonwealth with a national recruiting ranking from Rivals as part of that service’s list of the best class of 2027 players in the nation. Starks, a forward, is ranked by Rivals as a three-star recruit and as the No. 46 overall prospect in the 2027 class.
As a freshman last season, Starks averaged 5.3 points and 3.4 rebounds for a Newport team that won the All “A” Classic state tournament and captured a second straight 9th Region championship.
When speaking to the Herald-Leader earlier this month at a USA Basketball Junior National Team minicamp in Colorado, Starks compared his playing style to a trio of standout NBA pros: Kevin Durant, Pascal Siakam and Victor Wembanyama.
“I like defense a lot. I like to hustle … Staying in front of the person I’m guarding and rim protecting,” Starks said.
While Starks himself described his offensive game as “still forming,” he already provides certain skills on that side of the floor.
“I think I can get to the rim really well and (get to) where I need to be. I can get to my spots,” said Starks, who shot 52.9% from the field and 41.7% from 3-point range last season at Newport.
Starks — who played in all 36 of Newport’s games last season as a freshman, and who moved into a starting role during the season — is expected to have a significantly bigger role for the Wildcats this season.
This is, in part, because Newport’s best player is no longer in the state. Class of 2026 point guard Taylen Kinney — a four-star recruit with a Kentucky basketball scholarship offer — is now at the Atlanta-based Overtime Elite program, where he is teammates with class of 2025 Kentucky commit guard Jasper Johnson.
“I think that (Kinney) made me better at Newport,” Starks said of his former teammate. “I was struggling at the beginning of my freshman season, and I think he’s helped me out a lot.”
With Kinney gone, Starks is a prime candidate to step up into an expanded role as Newport aims for a third straight trip to the Sweet 16 state tournament.
“I think that I’ve got a bigger role to pick up … A leadership role,” Starks said. “I’ve been staying on my teammates, on and off the court … On the court, if they make a mistake, I’m just telling them, ‘Next play. Keep working.’”
Starks’ participation in this month’s USA Basketball Junior National Team minicamp is evidence of his national standing as a budding basketball prospect. Starks was one of three players at the minicamp — which spanned the 2025 through 2028 recruiting classes — with connections to Kentucky, along with UK commits Johnson and center Malachi Moreno.
Starks told the Herald-Leader that Kentucky isn’t currently recruiting him. He already has scholarship offers from Ohio and Penn State.
One school to watch as Starks’ recruitment evolves is Cincinnati. That’s because Starks’ father, Keith, played in 116 college games for the Bearcats.
“Just to work hard. Keep working and grinding, and it will all come to you,” Starks said of advice he’s received from his father, who averaged 8.4 points per game as a center at Cincinnati.
Starks, obviously, is still at an early stage in his basketball development. He identified leadership and work ethic as two targeted areas of growth. But despite his young age, Starks already represents the next crop of prep basketball stars in Kentucky.
The commonwealth has been on a generational run of producing boys basketball talent of late.
From the 2023 recruiting class, Reed Sheppard (North Laurel) went one-and-done at UK and was selected with the third overall pick in this summer’s NBA draft. Sheppard made his NBA regular season debut Wednesday night.
The 2024 recruiting class produced two current UK freshmen in guard Travis Perry (Lyon County) and forward Trent Noah (Harlan County).
Both of UK’s class of 2025 commitments are connected to Kentucky high school hoops. Johnson was a star at Woodford County as an underclassman. As a sophomore, he led the Yellow Jackets to the semifinals of the Sweet 16. Moreno is still at Great Crossing in Georgetown. He’s the early favorite to win the 2025 Kentucky Mr. Basketball award and he’s the face of a Warhawks team that’s expected to contend for a state championship.
The current class of Kentucky high school seniors also includes power forward EJ Walker (Lloyd Memorial), who is committed to play at South Carolina.
In the 2026 class, Louisville Trinity shooting guard Jayden Johnson is already a four-star prospect with an offer list that includes the likes of Cincinnati, Indiana and Texas A&M, among others. Gabe Weis, a four-star small forward in the 2026 class, now plays at powerhouse Florida prep school Montverde Academy after beginning his career at Washington County High School in Springfield.
Then there’s Starks, who is leading the way for class of 2027 Kentucky high schoolers. Perhaps fittingly, Starks has the word “SHOWTIME” tattooed on the inside of his left forearm.
“Basketball mentality,” Starks said when asked about the tattoo’s meaning. “Every time I step on the court I just want to show out. Show people who I can be and who I am.”
This story was originally published October 24, 2024 at 7:00 AM.
