Want more in-state basketball players at UK? The class of 2023 may be your answer.
There is no argument over which is the most-talented class of players produced in Kentucky high school basketball in the 21st century.
With Darius Miller, Shelvin Mack and Scotty Hopson, the class of 2008 in Kentucky high school hoops yielded three players who would go on to play in the NBA.
Don’t look now, but the commonwealth may finally have a class of high school hoopsters that will rival the ‘08s.
As things look now, there are at least six rising high school juniors in Kentucky’s class of 2023 — Male’s Kaleb Glenn, Evangel Christian’s Cyr Malonga, Lexington Catholic’s John McCrear, North Laurel’s Reed Sheppard, Ballard’s Gabe Sisk and Christian Academy of Louisville’s George Washington III — who appear to have viable chances to play for high-major college programs.
“We haven’t had a class like this in a long time,” says Rick Bolus, who has been scouting and ranking high school players in Kentucky since 1973. “You’ve got four, maybe five, maybe even six players in (Kentucky’s) junior class who look like they will be legitimate top-100 players nationally.”
In part, Kentucky’s apparent bounty of high-level college hoops prospects in its class of 2023 owes to immigration.
Evangel’s Malonga, a 6-foot-11, 205-pound former soccer player, came to the U.S. from the Republic of Congo to seek enhanced basketball development.
Washington III, a sharp-shooting, 6-2, 160-pound guard, moved to Louisville with his family from Texas after his father was hired as girls’ basketball coach at Mercy Academy.
McCrear, a developing 6-8 forward said to have a 7-3 wingspan, moved to Lexington from Michigan to live with his great-uncle, University of Kentucky football recruiting ace Vince Marrow (McCrear is the grandson of Marrow’s brother).
That trio added to the homegrown Glenn, a 6-6, 200-pound forward; Sheppard, a 6-3, 170-pound lead guard; and Sisk, a 6-3, 180-pound combo guard; could make the state of Kentucky a destination for high-major college hoops recruiters to a degree unseen in eons.
Already, Glenn (No. 44), Sheppard (No. 65) and and Washington III (No. 74) are ranked in the top 75 nationally in the class of 2023 by 24/7 Sports.
As the son of former Kentucky Wildcats stars Jeff Sheppard and Stacey Reed, North Laurel’s Sheppard (30.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 55.8% field-goal percentage as a high school sophomore) has the highest in-state profile of the class of 2023 stars.
“I like him, think he’s a talent,” Bolus says of Reed Sheppard. “A chip off the block.”
Though the Big Blue Nation may revolt if UK does not land Sheppard, the North Laurel star has unofficial recruiting visits set up to Louisville (June 3) and Virginia (June 14). Iowa, Texas A&M, Iona (Rick Pitino) and High Point (Tubby Smith) are among the schools that have already offered scholarships to Sheppard.
Male’s Glenn (20.5 ppg, 12.6 rpg, 71.5% FGs, 48.2% FTs) has unofficial visits slated with hometown U of L (June 5) and West Virginia (June 12). Indiana is also trying to set up an unofficial visit for Glenn.
Bolus believes Glenn’s college success will depend on his ability to play facing the basket. “At 6-6 as a power forward, he would be going up against guys who are 6-8, 6-9, 6-10,” Bolus says. “For that reason, he is going to have to be playing out on the wing in college.”
Christian Academy of Louisville’s Washington (23.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 38.7% three-point shooting) is scheduled to take an unofficial visit to U of L on June 1.
“Just a great all-around kind of guard,” Bolus says. “But I think he’ll be a point guard in college. He distributes the ball, he can shoot, he can penetrate. And I really believe when he gets with players as good or even better than him at the college level, he’s going to shine even more.”
Ballard’s Sisk (18.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 36.6% three-point shooting) holds an offer from Iona. He told 24/7 Sports last year, “I would like to hear from Louisville, for sure.”
“He can shoot the eyes out of it,” Bolus says of Sisk. “I am sure there will be more schools knocking at his door as the summer goes on.”
Evangel Christian’s Malonga and Lexington Catholic’s McCrear have both intrigued recruiters with their potential due to a combination of size and athleticism.
There have been rumblings that both might get the opportunity to make unofficial visits to UK next month.
The 6-11 Malonga (11.8 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 57.5% FGs, 41.1% FTs) “is very raw,” Bolus says. “But he’s also really athletic and has something — being 6-11 — that you can’t coach.”
If Twitter sentiment is an accurate gauge, Catholic’s McCrear (5.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 66.7% field goals) has been turning heads this spring with his play in AAU.
“Elite athleticism, feel for the game, length and a high basketball IQ. Upside is very high. Going to be on a lot of recruiting boards,” was the verdict of HoopSeen.com’s Justin Byerly.
As a disclaimer, it is obviously far from certain in the current, transient era that the top players in the class of 2023 will all stay to finish their high school careers in Kentucky.
If they do, Bolus says it is possible that 2023 will ultimately dethrone 2008 as the best class of hoopsters produced in the commonwealth in the 21st century so far.
“They very well could,” Bolus says. “It’s going to be interesting to see how it plays out and how much more these kids improve.”
This story was originally published May 20, 2021 at 2:04 PM.
