Who are Kentucky’s top 25 boys’ basketball players for 2019-20?
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2019-20 High School Basketball Preview
The Herald-Leader/Kentucky.com is publishing season preview stories each day leading up to the start of the 2019-20 high school basketball season on Monday, Dec. 2. You can read everything we’ve published to this point by clicking on this drop-down list. All of the stories are also available in our Sunday, Dec. 1 print edition.
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Below is the preseason top 25 ranking of Kentucky high school boys’ basketball players for the 2019-20 season, as voted on by coaches in a statewide survey conducted by the Lexington Herald-Leader/Kentucky.com.
The top 10 players are listed with their school along with grade level, height and last season’s points per game in parentheses along with a brief comment. The remaining 15 players are listed with their school, grade level and last season’s points per game along with their choice of college, if known.
THE TOP 10 PLAYERS
1. Dayvion McKnight, Collins (6-1 Sr., 17.0 points per game): The Western Kentucky signee averaged a double-double last season with 10.4 rebounds per game and is a big reason why the Titans should contend for an 8th Region title and more. But don’t think teams will be able to key on him as backcourt mate Marcellus Vail (No. 13 on this list) averaged 18.5 points. McKnight has already become the school’s all-time rebounding and steals leader and is on track set the program record for career points and assists.
2. Zion Harmon, Marshall County (5-10 Jr., 32.7 as freshman): He’s back. Harmon, the state’s top scorer as a freshman and a state champion as an eighth-grader, is regarded as one of the best junior point guards in the nation. He returns from his year in exile after transfer eligibility problems and appears ready to set college recruiters’ hearts aflutter once more. Rated as a four-star recruit, Harmon already has 14 college offers, including Louisville and Kansas, according to 247Sports.com.
3. Justin Powell, North Oldham (6-5 Sr., 11.4 as a sophomore): Powell, another guard who is returning to Kentucky high school basketball after year away, ranks as the No. 36 shooting guard in the nation, according to 247Sports.com, and committed to Auburn early this summer. Powell played two seasons for Trinity before transferring to Montverde Academy in Florida to start his junior year before ultimately transferring to North Oldham where he was ineligible due to transfer rules last season.
4. JJ Traynor, Bardstown (6-8 Sr., 11.2): Regarded as the No. 1 recruit in Kentucky by 247Sports.com, Traynor, the son of former Louisville player Jason Osborne, signed with his father’s school on Nov. 13, choosing the Cardinals from among offers from seven other schools. Traynor also averaged more than eight rebounds per game last season.
5. Kenny White, Madisonville (6-7 Sr., 14.2): A breakout performance with 21 points, eight rebounds and six blocks in the first round of last year’s Sweet Sixteen put his name on everyone’s lips in Rupp Arena. Back for his senior season, he has garnered offers from several mid-majors and, along with frontcourt power forward Ksuan Casey, he likely be racking up more as the Maroons go for back-to-back state tourney bids.
6. Marques Warrick, Henry Clay (6-3 Sr., 21.2): Already committed to Northern Kentucky, Warrick leads a Blue Devils squad that looks primed to return to the state tournament for the first time since 2005. Warrick earned second-team all-state honors last year and proved a threat inside and out, making better than 42 percent from three-point range.
7. Jackson Sivills, McCracken County (6-6 Sr., 20.0): The returning 1st Region player of the year has committed to nearby Murray State. He has the ability to “score all over,” according to Coach Burlin Brower. Sivills had racked up offers from 15 mid-majors before settling on the Racers back in September.
8. Howard Fleming, Male (6-5 Sr., 12.3): Fleming, who signed with Illinois State on Nov. 20, is just one of many reasons Male Coach Tim Haworth thinks he might have a “special team” on his hands. A big point guard, Fleming also pulled down 6.7 rebounds per game last year.
9. Tyren Moore, Male (6-0 Sr., 17.9): Signed with Division II power Lincoln Memorial out of Harrogate, Tenn., Moore led the 7th Region in scoring last year and ranked in the top 10 of three-point shooters in the state, averaging more than three per game with a 45.5 success rate.
10. Alex Matthews, John Hardin (6-5 Sr., 17.5): The Bulldogs’ leading scorer helped them to an undefeated run to the Sweet Sixteen before running into Campbell County in the first round where they lost by a single point. He earned all state honors from a number of outlets and has gotten scholarship offers from Hofstra, Coastal Carolina and Iliinois-Chicago. He’s expected to reach 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds for his career in this season’s first few games.
THE NEXT 15
11. Ksuan Casey, Madisonville (6-9 Sr., 15.3): Uncommitted.
12. Jaden Rogers, Fern Creek (6-0 Jr., 17.5): Uncommitted.
13. Marcellus Vail, Collins (6-2 Sr., 18.5): Samford.
14. Cody Potter, Shelby Valley (6-4 Sr., 22.1): Rollins (Orlando, Fla.)
15. Trey James, Martin County (6-10 Jr., 17.9): Uncommitted.
16. Isaiah Mason, Bowling Green (6-4 Jr., 14.8): Uncommitted.
17. Scotty Draud, Beechwood (6-5 Jr., 22.7): Uncommitted.
18. Dre Boyd, Warren Central (6-4 Sr., 13.8): Uncommitted.
19. Luke Morrison, South Oldham (6-5 Sr., 25.4): Kentucky Wesleyan.
20. Ben Johnson, Lexington Catholic (6-3 Jr., 18.4): Uncommitted.
21. Brayden Sebastian, Garrard County (6-5 Sr., 27.2): Campbellsville.
22. Darrius Washington, Fern Creek (6-9 Jr., 12.2): Uncommitted.
23. Matthew Cromer, South Laurel (6-2 Sr., 19.1): Uncommitted.
24. Reed Sheppard, North Laurel (6-1 Fr., 16.3): Uncommitted.
25. Kaleb Glenn, Male (6-6 Fr., 4.4): Uncommitted.
Methodology: Our annual survey was emailed to all 272 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 80 of 272 schools (29.4 percent) voted in our top 10 players poll out of the 156 coaches (57.3 percent) who responded to the Herald-Leader survey. They are recognized here: Adair County, Anderson County, Ballard, Bardstown, Barren County, Bath County, Belfry, Bourbon County, Bowling Green, Boyd County, Bracken County, Breathitt County, Brown, Butler, Campbellsville, Carlisle County, Carroll County, Christian County, Clark County, Collins, Covington Catholic, Eastern, Estill County, Fleming County, Franklin County, Frederick Douglass, Gallatin County, Garrard County, Glasgow, Grayson County, Great Crossing, Greenup County, Harlan County, Henderson County, Henry Clay, Henry County, Iroquois, Jackson County, John Hardin, Johnson Central, Lexington Catholic, Lexington Christian, Madison Central, Madison Southern, Madisonville, Male, Marshall County, Martin County, McCracken County, Mercer County, Metcalfe County, Middlesboro, Model, Monroe County, Muhlenberg County, North Laurel, Owensboro Catholic, Paducah Tilghman, Paintsville, Paris, Phelps, Pleasure Ridge Park, Russellville, Ryle, Scott County, Shelby Valley, Simon Kenton, South Oldham, Spencer County, St. Francis, St. Henry, St. Xavier, Thomas Nelson, Walton-Verona, Warren Central, Warren East, Wayne County, Whitefield, Williamsburg, Wolfe County
This story was originally published November 28, 2019 at 7:26 AM.
