Who are Kentucky’s top 25 boys high school basketball players for 2024-25?

By Jared Peck

Updated December 1, 2024 11:06 AM

2024-25 Kentucky High School Basketball Preview

The Herald-Leader/Kentucky.com is publishing preview stories leading up to the start of the 2024-25 high school basketball season. You can read everything we’ve published to this point by clicking on this drop-down list. All of these stories will also available in our print and digital editions.

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Here is the Herald-Leader’s preseason top-25 ranking of Kentucky high school boys basketball players for the 2024-25 season, as voted on by coaches in a statewide survey conducted by high school sports writer Jared Peck.

The poll asked every coach to rank their “top 10 players in the state.”

Tabulating the results, the Herald-Leader lists the overall top 10 along with No. 1 votes, school, grade level, height, last season’s points per game (in parentheses) and a brief comment. The next 15 players are listed with their school, grade level and last season’s points per game along with their choice of college, if known. All players appearing on at least two ballots received honorable mention.

Each top 25 player’s name has a link to his online highlight page or social media account.

Great Crossing center Malachi Moreno, a Kentucky signee, enters his senior season as the Herald-Leader preseason No. 1 player in the state. He posed for a portrait in the Warhawks’ gym in Georgetown on Nov. 19. Ryan C. Hermens rhermens@herald-leader.com

THE TOP 10 PLAYERS

1. Malachi Moreno (93), Great Crossing (6-11 Sr., 16.0 points): A four-star Kentucky signee, Moreno is rated as the No. 1 player in Kentucky and the No. 3 high school center in the nation for the class of 2025 by 247Sports.com. He has averaged a double-double for three consecutive seasons and grabbed 13.3 rebounds per game last year in helping Great Crossing win the school’s first 11th Region championship on the way to reaching the Boys’ Sweet 16 semifinals.

2. Zander Carter (1), Ashland Blazer (6-6 Sr., 22.7 points): A four-year starter for a program that has won six consecutive 16th Region titles, Carter has led the Tomcats in scoring each of the last two seasons. “Zander’s contributions to our team on and off the floor are simply incredible,” Ashland coach Ryan Bonner said. He’s signed with Liberty.

Zander Carter, who has led Ashland Blazer in scoring each of the last two seasons, will try to lead the Tomcats to their seventh straight Boys’ Sweet 16 appearance. Herald-Leader File Photo

3. EJ Walker, Lloyd Memorial (6-8 Sr., 16.9 points): A three-star South Carolina signee who is rated as the No. 2 recruit in Kentucky by 247Sports.com, Walker averaged a double-double last year with 11.1 rebounds per game.

4. Ty Price (4), Butler County (5-10 Sr., 29 points): The Tennessee-Martin signee has led the Bears in scoring each of the last two seasons and helped Butler County reach the program’s first-ever Boys’ Sweet 16 as a junior.

Ty Price (22) helped lead Butler County to the school’s first Boys’ Sweet 16 appearance last season. Ryan C. Hermens rhermens@herald-leader.com

5. Armelo Boone, Woodford County (6-4 Sr., 20.8 points): One of the best clutch shooters in the 11th Region over the last two years, Boone transferred from Frederick Douglass to the Yellow Jackets this fall. He’s a Western Kentucky signee.

6. Maddox Huff, Harlan County (6-3 Sr., 17.7 points): Coach Kyle Jones calls his three-star East Tennessee State commit “one of the most proven guards in the state. He’s an elite shot maker with a great feel for the game.”

Maddox Huff helped lead Harlan County to a state runner-up finish last season. Silas Walker Herald-Leader File Photo

7. Vince Dawson III, Great Crossing (6-5 Sr., 17.8 points): The Morehead State signee knocked down an incredible buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the Warhawks’ 11th Region championship game win over Lexington Catholic.

8. Jayden Johnson, Trinity (6-5 Jr. 11.5 points): A four-star recruit ranked as the No. 12 shooting guard in the nation in the class of 2026, he has multiple Division I offers, including Missouri and Xavier.

Trinity’s Jayden Johnson (11) is a highly rated recruiting prospect in the class of 2026. James Crisp

9. Cole Edelen, Male (6-1 Jr., 21.4 points): A fixture for the Bulldogs since eighth grade, Edelen is on pace to top 2,000 career points this season.

10. Andy Johnson, Cooper (6-4 Sr., 15.3 points): Limited to 10 games last season by a wrist injury, the Illinois-Chicago signee could have a big impact on the 9th Region title race this year.

THE NEXT 15

11. Keashawn Jordan, Male (6-8 Sr., 6.5 points): Undecided.

12. Austin Sperry, Breathitt County (6-4 Sr., 22.2 points): Undecided.

13. Chance Dillingham, St. Xavier (5-10 Sr., 17 points): Undecided.

14. Amari Owens, Bryan Station (6-0 Jr. 22.1 points): Undecided.

15. Jonah Butler, Calloway County (6-5 Sr., 17.5 points): Stony Brook.

16. Connor Loy, Adair County (5-11 Sr., 17.3 points): Undecided.

17. Isaiah Cochran, Adair County (6-7 Sr., 16.5 points): Undecided.

18. Jordan Mabe, South Laurel (6-8 Sr., 16.3 points): Alabama-Huntsville.

19. Jeremiah Jackson, St. Xavier (6-4 Jr., 14.8 points): Undecided.

20. Jacob Spurlock, Boyd County (6-4 Jr., 21.9 points): Undecided.

21. Julius Edmonds, Trinity (6-6 Sr. 11.5 points): Undecided.

22. Reece Davidson, North Laurel (6-8 Jr., 14.8 points): Undecided.

23. Deuce Bailey, Bowling Green (6-1 Sr., 12.8 points): Missouri State (football).

24. DeMarcus Surratt, Frederick Douglass (6-3 Jr., 13.6 points): Undecided.

25. Justice Decker, Manual (6-6 Sr., 13.8 points): Undecided.

DeMarcus Surratt of Frederick Douglass was named one of the top 25 players in Kentucky in a preseason vote of coaches. Silas Walker Herald-Leader File Photo

HONORABLE MENTION

Lawson Rice*, Butler County; Aaron Gutman, Walton-Verona; Julian Miles, South Oldham; Dayvone Harrison, Jeffersontown; Luke Beichman, Owensboro Catholic; Eli Finley, Calloway County; Cooper Davenport, Henderson County; Tylin George, University Heights; Jay’Darius Wilson, Caldwell County; Walker Craig, Rockcastle County; Evin Eversole, Hazard; Jaylin Craine, Caverna; Malachi Ashford, George Rogers Clark; Hayden Blakeman, Green County; Jonathan Moss, Daviess County; Austin Slone, Johnson Central; Kendall Phillips, Wayne County; Trayton Woods, Perry County Central; Malachi Coleman, Manual; Trevor Ellis, Mercer County; Tyce Jarvis, Montgomery County; Matt Langhi, Marshall County; Garyn Jackson, Campbell County.

*Western Kentucky signee suffered a probable season-ending knee injury in October.

METHODOLOGY

Our annual survey was emailed to all 274 KHSAA boys basketball coaches in Kentucky, using their email registered with the KHSAA. Multiple attempts were made to encourage every school to participate. Coaches were asked to select their top 10 players, and points were assigned based on a player’s position on the ballot (10 points for No. 1, nine points for No. 2, eight points for No. 3, etc.), and tabulated across all ballots received; some schools participated in the survey but declined to vote due to unfamiliarity with players and teams outside of their own area. A total of 102 coaches (37 percent) voted in our top-10 players poll out of the 176 coaches (64 percent) who responded to the survey and supplied information about their teams.

This story was originally published November 27, 2024 at 10:30 AM.

Jared Peck

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-488-2883

Jared Peck, the Herald-Leader’s Digital Sports Writer, covers high school athletics and has been with the company as a writer and editor for more than 20 years. Support my work with a digital subscription