The ones that got away: Four ex-Kentucky prep stars are thriving at out-of-state colleges
Fast-break points from the Bailey Building and Loan:
21. Ones that got away. At least four former stars of Kentucky high school basketball are presently the leading scorers for out-of-state, NCAA Division I hoops teams.
20. Gracie Merkle. In the Bullitt East High School product’s first season at Penn State after transferring from Bellarmine, the 6-foot-6 redshirt sophomore center is taking Happy Valley by storm.
19. Dominating the paint. Through 12 games, Merkle is averaging 20.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and is shooting 66.9 percent from the field for the 9-3 Lady Lions.
18. Getting it done vs. power conference teams. Merkle had 16 points and four rebounds in a loss to Indiana. She had 12 points, 11 boards and four blocks in a win over Georgia. The Bullitt East alumna had 24 points and 18 rebounds in a win over Providence. Merkle put up 22 points and claimed 12 boards in a narrow loss to Kansas.
17. Kaleb Glenn. Switching to the men’s hoops side, in the Male High School alum’s first season at FAU after transferring from Louisville, the 6-7 sophomore forward is lighting up south Florida.
16. Dialed-in shot making. Through 12 games — interestingly, none as a starter — Glenn leads the Owls (7-5) in scoring (13.9 ppg) and has made 60 of 100 shots (60 percent), 18 of 42 treys (42.9 percent).
15. Putting on a show vs. Chris Mack. In a head-to-head meeting with the ex-Louisville head coach on Nov. 15, Glenn had 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting in an epic 119-116 double-overtime loss to Mack and the College of Charleston.
14. Max Green. As a true freshman, the ex-Oldham County star has gotten his college career off to a boffo start at Holy Cross (6-5).
13. A 3-point marksman. The 6-6, 182-pound Green, the unexpected star for the 2024 Kentucky high school All-Stars in their annual series with Indiana, leads the Crusaders with an average of 13.5 points — scoring which has been fueled by 39.3 percent 3-point shooting.
12. An all-around player. Besides his scoring, Green is averaging 5 rebounds and 2.8 assists a game. He has scored in double figures in nine of 11 games for Holy Cross.
11. Jacob Meyer. The former high-scoring guard at Covington Holy Cross has become one of the cornerstones as Kentucky native Chris Holtmann attempts to revitalize a long-dormant DePaul men’s basketball program.
10. Now a Chi-town sharpshooter. Even after a rough showing (1-of-8 shooting, six points) in a loss vs. Rick Pitino and St. John’s on Tuesday night, the 6-2 Meyer is making 43.8 percent of his 3-point shots and leads the Blue Demons in scoring at 14.4 points a game.
9. A consistent presence. Until Pitino’s defense contained him, Meyer had scored in double figures in every game this season. He has helped a DePaul program that has had losing seasons in 15 of the past 17 years get off to an 8-3 start.
8. Moral of the story. People have every right to go to college wherever they want, of course. Still, for hoops followers in the commonwealth, it is always a bit wistful when in-state high school hoops stars go on to thrive so at out-of-state universities.
7. SEC-ond to none. While the ultimate proof will be rendered in March Madness, Southeastern Conference men’s basketball teams have been so successful in the preconference segment of the 2024-25 season that analysts are already debating if the SEC this year is the strongest men’s college hoops league ever.
6. Louisville’s SEC blues. One man has been uniquely positioned to observe the SEC’s potency up close. In Pat Kelsey’s first season as U of L head man, he’s had the misfortune to go against a non-league schedule heavy on muscular Southeastern Conference teams.
5. Tennessee. In their second game of the season, the Cardinals got blitzed by the now-No. 1 (and still unbeaten) Volunteers 77-55 at the KFC Yum Center.
4. Oklahoma. In the finals of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Paradise Island in The Bahamas, Louisville was edged 69-64 by the now No. 14 (and still unbeaten) Sooners.
3. Mississippi. In the SEC/ACC Challenge, U of L was bombed 86-63 by the now-No. 17 (and once beaten) Rebels.
2. Kentucky. In the annual intrastate, Cats-Cards grudgefest, Louisville (6-5) put up a spirited fight before falling 93-85 to the now-No. 4 (and once beaten) Wildcats last Saturday in Rupp Arena.
1. Moral of the story. Pat Kelsey’s debut season leading the Louisville Cardinals would almost certainly have gotten off to a more convivial start had there been “less SEC” on the schedule.
