Annual high school basketball showcase between Indiana, Kentucky set to tip off
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- The Kentucky and Indiana high school basketball all-stars will play each other twice.
- Top recruits Malachi Moreno and ZaKiyah Johnson headline the Kentucky squads.
- Indiana leads both the all-time boys and girls series.
The annual high school basketball showcase between the Indiana and Kentucky senior all-stars is set for this weekend.
On Friday, the first leg of the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star Series will take place at Lexington Catholic High School. The girls all-star game is set for 5:30 p.m., with the boys game to follow around 7:30.
On Saturday, the Indiana leg of the series will occur at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the home arena for the Indiana Pacers. The girls game will be played at 5 p.m. with the boys to follow at 7:30.
Tickets for Friday’s games at LexCath are available at kentuckybasketballcoaches.org with a cost of $15 for general admission seating.
Here’s everything you need to know about this weekend’s games, from the players involved to the series history.
Future UK player Malachi Moreno leads Kentucky boys all-stars
The headline name to know on the Kentucky side in the boys game is center Malachi Moreno, this year’s Kentucky Mr. Basketball award winner who recently led Great Crossing (Georgetown) to a Sweet 16 state championship. The 6-foot-11 Moreno is a five-star recruit who will be one of four first-year players for Mark Pope at UK next season.
Moreno isn’t the only Great Crossing player who will be taking part in this year’s all-star showcase. Also on the Kentucky team is Vince “Tre” Dawson III, a 6-foot-6 prospect who will be playing at Morehead State.
Another familiar name on the Kentucky squad is Woodford County’s Armelo Boone, who played three seasons at Frederick Douglass in Lexington and will be playing collegiately at Western Kentucky. Harlan County’s Maddox Huff (East Tennessee State) and Butler County’s Ty Price (UT Martin) will also be players to watch this weekend.
The complete roster of Kentucky boys all-stars, with high schools and colleges: Malachi Moreno, Great Crossing (Kentucky), Maddox Huff, Harlan County (East Tennessee State), Zander Carter, Ashland Blazer (Liberty), Jordan Mabe, South Laurel (Alabama-Huntsville), Ty Price, Butler County (UT Martin), Jonah Butler, Calloway County (Stony Brook), Armelo Boone, Woodford County (Western Kentucky), Vince Dawson, Great Crossing (Morehead State), Austin Sperry, Breathitt County (undecided), Andy Johnson, Cooper (Illinois-Chicago), Jaden Stewart, Pike County Central (Bethany), Aaron Gutman, Walton-Verona (Evansville), Julian Miles, South Oldham (Cumberlands).
Miles is injured and won’t play in the game.
The Kentucky boys team will be coached by Bowling Green’s D.G. Sherrill. Bowling Green made the Sweet 16 championship game earlier this year.
On the Indiana side, familiar names include former UK basketball recruiting target Braylon Mullins, former Louisville recruiting target Tre Singleton and Dominique Murphy, who will be playing collegiately at Bellarmine.
The complete roster of Indiana boys all-stars, with high schools and colleges: Braylon Mullins, Greenfield-Central (Connecticut), Chase Barnes, Wayne (Indianapolis), Dezmon Briscoe, Crispus Attucks (Kent State), Michael Cooper, Jeffersonville (Wright State), Julius Gizzi, New Palestine (Indiana Wesleyan), Justin Kirby, Fishers (Miami of Ohio), Brady Koehler, Indianapolis Cathedral (Notre Dame), Dominique Murphy, East Chicago Central (Bellarmine), Kellen Pickett, Blackhawk Christian (Wright State), Azavier Robinson, Lawrence North (Butler), Tre Singleton, Jeffersonville (Northwestern), Mark Zackery IV, Ben Davis (Notre Dame).
Indiana’s Mr. Basketball this year is Mullins.
Kentucky Miss Basketball ZaKiyah Johnson leads girls all-stars
Kentucky high school girls basketball has been dominated by ZaKiyah Johnson over the last few years, so it’s fitting that Johnson gets a final moment in the commonwealth spotlight before beginning her college career at LSU.
A five-star recruit who is ranked as the No. 10 prospect in the nation by ESPN, Johnson earned four straight most valuable player awards in the Girls’ Sweet 16 state tournament. Her school, Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville, has won five consecutive state titles.
Johnson is far from the only star on this year’s Kentucky girls squad. The team also includes Bethlehem’s Leah Macy, George Rogers Clark’s Ciara Byars and Danville Christian’s Grace Mbugua. All three will be playing high-major college basketball later this year.
Unfortunately, Macy and Mbugua are both out injured for the weekend series.
The complete roster of Kentucky girls all-stars, with high schools and colleges: ZaKiyah Johnson, Sacred Heart (LSU), Ciara Byars, George Rogers Clark (Michigan), Peyton Bradley, Meade County (Louisville), Grace Mbugua, Danville Christian (Louisville), Caroline Eaglin, Newport Central Catholic (Northern Kentucky), LaReesha Cawthorn, Franklin-Simpson (Tennessee Tech), Tessa Miles, Bethlehem (Centre), Lainey Johnson, Anderson County (Campbellsville), Aubrey Randolph, Owensboro Catholic (Midway), Morgan Frey, Sacred Heart (Thomas More), Jailenn Green, George Rogers Clark (Saint Leo), Kyra McAlarnis, Knott County Central (Pikeville), Leah Macy, Bethlehem (Notre Dame), Kenleigh Woods, Ashland Blazer (Eastern Kentucky).
Woods is also injured and won’t play.
Sacred Heart’s Donna Moir will coach the Kentucky girls all-stars.
The complete roster of the Indiana girls all-stars, with high schools and colleges: Maya Makalusky, Hamilton Southeastern (Indiana), Laila Abdurraqib, Lawrence Central, (New Mexico), Addie Baxter, Columbia City (Butler), Ella Bobe, South Knox (Southern Indiana), Addie Bowsman, Twin Lakes (St. Francis), Avery Gordon, Brownsburg (Purdue), Jacklynn Hosier, Alexandria (Vermont), Kya Hurt, Lawrence North (Illinois State), Jaylah Lampley, Lawrence Central (Mississippi State), Monique Mitchell, South Bend Washington (Akron), Meredith Tippner, Noblesville, (Miami), Kaycie Warfel, Pendleton Heights (Taylor), Brooke Winchester, Warsaw (Ball State).
Indiana’s Miss Basketball this year is Makalusky.
History of the Indiana vs. Kentucky all-star basketball series
Last year, the Indiana and Kentucky boys all-stars split the two games of their series, while Indiana swept the girls series.
The Kentucky boys scored a comeback 103-82 win over Indiana last year at Lexington Catholic, which represented the largest margin of victory for the Kentucky boys against Indiana since 1997. This was only the fourth win in the annual rivalry series for the Kentucky boys since 1998. In Indianapolis last year, Indiana secured a series split with a narrow 92-89 win.
Kentucky and Indiana have split the boys all-star series in two straight years.
On the girls side last year, Indiana won 90-79 in Lexington and 66-64 in Indianapolis.
All time, Indiana leads the boys series 104-46. That series began in 1940. Indiana also holds a lead in the girls series, which began in 1976, by a 55-41 margin.
Before Friday’s games at Lexington Catholic, there will be a meet-and-greet opportunity at 5 p.m. with both Moreno and Johnson from the Kentucky teams.
