There was a lot of talent in Kentucky in the first weekend of December. I spent time at the Grind Session in Owensboro and Marshall County Hoopfest in Benton. Here is my impression of the four days of action.
Marcis Ponder 7’1 330 PF – Gillion Academy 2026 (Florida State)
Gillion Academy split in the event, beating Hamilton Heights 73-65 and losing to Southeastern Prep 96-84. Ponder used his massive size to protect the paint with 7 blocks combining both games, despite a few fouls at the rim as well as goaltends. He plays a lot of drop coverage but eats up space underneath the rim. He can wear out opponents that try to slow him down with contact. He’s a bit limited offensively but gets up well around the basket and is much more effective when assisted, scoring 13 points on 4-8 FG in his first game and 23 points on 7-14 FG in his second. He draws a lot of fouls but he’s not a good free throw shooter, lacking ball rotation while going 14-25 from the line over the two games. He’s a monster on both ends of the glass with 17 (6 offensive) boards in game one and 12 (7 offensive) rebounds in game two.
Willie Burnett 6’5 175 PG/SG – Gillion Academy 2026 (Mississippi State)
Burnett ignites the offense with his creative ball-handling. He made the defense pay for trying to press him and got shifty with his change of speed and effective crossover in the half-court. He got loose with the ball at times but made things happen with his dribble and passing. He’s a talented shot-maker and hit some difficult ones but can work on getting easier looks. He showed good hands defensively on some plays but it’s an area where he can show more commitment. Burnett finished with 18 points (7-20 FG, 1-6 3PT) and 4 assists to 4 turnovers against Hamilton Heights, and 17 points (6-17 FG, 3-8 3PT) against Southeastern Prep.
Martay Barnes 6’2 170 PG/SG – Academy of Central Florida 2027
Barnes was solid but struggled shooting in the 79-60 win over Winston Salem Christian. He scored 19 points on 9-20 shooting and 1-8 from 3PT range. His shot looks good, but he found the front of the rim on a lot of his shots. He rebounded well with 7 and defended full-court to come away with 5 steals. With solid speed, length, and scoring ability, Barnes has a good foundation for a two-guard but can look to improve efficiency.
Caleb Holt 6’5 200 SG – Prolific Prep 2026
In the highly anticipated game against Southeastern Prep, Holt was Prolific’s most reliable offense. He showed a sound jump shot but was best taking his man into the post to utilize his strength and physicality, showing a reliable fadeaway. He demonstrated his athleticism at times throughout the game and crashed the boards well, pulling down a game high 16 rebounds. He looked good defensively but got himself into foul trouble. His 26 points (9-18 FG, 2-6 3PT) was big to beat Southeastern 75-64. Holt didn’t play in the 78-47 win against iSchool.
Bruce Branch 6’7 190 SF – Prolific Prep 2026
Branch (pictured) scored 11 points and grabbed 9 rebounds against Southeastern Prep. He showed some iso scoring but didn’t shoot well or finish with consistency, to go 4-14 from the floor and 1-5 from 3PT, looking for a foul call on nearly every play. He was much better in the second game against iSchool, picking his spots better and more efficient with 21 points (8-13 FG, 2-6 3PT) to go along with 11 rebounds. He worked the midrange well, utilizing his outstanding length to shoot over defenders and finished with a few dunks to show his plus athleticism. The ball looks good coming out of his hand when shooting from distance, but the consistency isn’t quite there yet.
Davion Adkins 6’9 205 C – Prolific Prep 2026 (Kansas)
Adkins was efficient with 14 points on 7-9 shooting. He kept it simple, scoring in the paint while cleaning up around the basket but was best as a lob target and rim runner. Playing with guards who find him in position to score is big for Adkins as he’s alert to go along with his size and athleticism, making him potent, which is a plus, as he’s far from primary option for Prolific’s offense. Adkins didn’t have much impact against iSchool with 2 points and 2 rebounds.
Nasir Anderson 6’4 205 PG – 2027 Prolific Prep
Anderson brought a blend of explosive athleticism and massive strength at the guard position. Southeastern didn’t do a good job of keeping him from going to his left, as he got to the block at will where he finished the play, drew a foul, or made the right read for an impressive pass. Against iSchool, he got to the middle where he would kick to shooters or lob/pocket pass to the big man underneath the basket. The shooting has to get better, going 1-9 from 3PT and 2-8 from FT over the 2 games, missing a different way each shot. He was big with 14 points (6-16 FG) and 8 assists to 2 turnovers against Southeastern and 9 points (4-10 FG), 5 rebounds, and 6 assists to 4 turnovers against iSchool.
Jaxon Richardson 6’5 205 SG – Southeastern Prep 2026
Highly explosive athlete, Richardson contributed 11 points (5-9 FG) and 8 rebounds against Prolific Prep, and 9 points (4-8 FG) and 11 (4 offensive) rebounds in the 96-84 win against Gillion Academy. He’s best off the ball, finding cutting opportunities, tip-ins, and making the most of broken plays. He’s not real diverse in the half-court but can drive when he finds an opening, throwing down an and-one poster jam on one play. He’ll need to become more of a perimeter threat moving forward. He’s pretty versatile defensively, gliding on the court and switching well.
CJ Rosser 6’10 195 SG – Southeastern Prep 2027
Rosser showed his ability in spurts with 12 points (3-12 FG, 1-4 3PT) and 8 rebounds against Prolific Prep, and 15 points (6-14 FG, 1-4 3PT) and 7 rebounds against Gillion Academy. His overall efficiency must improve as well as his outside shooting, with his misses hitting different parts of the rim each time. He also must get stronger, as he ends up on the ground pretty frequently when making moves or doing anything in congestion, which was part of his 9 turnovers in 2 games. He’s athletic and has some good plays defensively, with a few blocks and steals in his showings. The tools are there but he will need to continue to develop.
Beckham Black 6’3 180 PG – Southeastern Prep 2027
Black uses his body well and he’s so skilled, naturally making plays. He avoids traps and splits double-teams well with his dribble while not getting sped up. He got to the rim to hit some tough shots but is also really good in the midrange, even showing some ability to post up and score on guards. The dynamic guard just missed a triple-double in both of his games with 14 points (5-12 FG, 1-4 3PT), 9 rebounds, and 11 assists to 2 turnovers against Prolific Prep. He followed up with 17 points (4-16 FG, 1-4 3PT, 8-9 FT), 8 rebounds, and 9 assists to 4 turnovers against Gillion Academy. His outside shooting and scoring efficiency can improve but there’s a lot to like about Black’s ability.
Frederick Smith 6’6 210 PF – Briarcrest Christian 2026
Smith was a tough matchup for Wesley Christian, he’s a solid athlete and they couldn’t match his size around the basket. He didn’t show much shooting, missing his only 3PT attempt, but got to the rim while working out of the high post. He made some nice passes mid-drive, leading to 5 assists. He went to his right nearly every play, but the defense didn’t do much to force him elsewhere. Smith finished with 12 points and 9 rebounds to win 76-57.
Joshua Huggins 6’6 200 SF – Briarcrest Christian 2028
Huggins is a strong bodied sophomore wing. He got into the paint well to score at the rim and made some nice passes (5 assists). He scored 17 points (7-13 FG) and grabbed 10 (4 offensive) rebounds. He didn’t shoot too much but his form looked good, making his lone 3PT attempt and both free throws. Huggins is a good athlete combined with a good build, naturally handling contact well to make a few plays that made you forget that he’s still an underclassman.
Koang Bol Kuany 7’0 185 C – Huntington Prep 2027
Kuany stands out with his size and length, moving very well and fairly fluid for his size. He has some potential defensively, shrinking the floor and blocking shots. Against DME Academy, he had 20 points on 9-11 shooting, with most of his scoring coming around the basket while dunking within close, but he also showed some stretch potential knocking down a 3 with good form. He also contributed 10 rebounds in the 81-70 win. Kuany is an interesting long-term prospect and appears currently under-the-radar nationally.
Ryan Hampton 6’6 190 SG – DME Academy 2027
Hampton scored 11 points against Huntington Prep. He can make moves to maneuver to the basket, covering ground well. He also shows a fadeaway and solid post-game from midrange. He will need to continue to add strength and polish his moves/shot to be more effective and efficient. He shot 4-16 from the floor, grabbed 7 rebounds, and passed out 2 assists to 7 turnovers.
Bentley Lusakueno 6’10 205 C – Woodward Academy 2028
Lusakueno was great in the 70-57 win against Germantown. He runs the floor with good speed at his age and height, translating good run and jump ability for a few dunks. He can also shoot and pass; knocking down a few 3s, midrange pull-ups, and distributing the ball mid-drive to hit teammates in stride to score. He defended well too, locking in on the perimeter and defended Sam Funches well in the post, denying the ball and jumping numerous passes to start the offense. Lusakueno has a ton of potential and is the best 2028 prospect I’ve seen so far, scoring 29 points in the win.
Myles Hayes 6’5 185 SG – Woodward Academy 2028
Hayes played well on and off the ball. He got to the middle and pulled up from midrange or got all the way to the rim where he controls his body well to finish difficult shots. He only needs a little space to get his shot off and had success as a shooter. When playing off the ball, he balanced out spacing the floor vs curling/cutting when appropriate. Hayes has good length, athleticism, and ball skills as a high-level underclass prospect to finish with 15 points (6-14 FG), 8 rebounds, and 3 steals in the win.
Sam Funches 6’10 215 C – Germantown 2026 (Gonzaga)
Funches put up some points against Woodward Academy but doesn’t have a consistent way to score. Despite his shot getting funny rotation, he has some inside-out offensive ability, hitting some 3s and showing a fadeaway in the post. He can put the ball down but can’t really beat anyone with his dribble. He has to be stronger with the ball and more assertive overall, but Woodward made it difficult for him to get anything clean off.
Anthony Felesi 6’5 205 SF – Utah Prep 2026 (Pittsburgh)
Felesi was everywhere for Utah Prep. He’s very active off the ball, consistently cutting and looking for opportunities to get the ball at the rim. He has a strong build and is very explosive, showing out in the half-court and even more in transition to finish with a lot of high-level dunks. He’s a solid passer and didn’t show much shooting ability (0-3 3PT, 2-4 FT) but was unstoppable within the arc. While he doesn’t have a lot of creativity as a ball-handler, he used his first step to slash to the rim. He was very disruptive defensively, hounding the ball and jumping passes throughout the game, coming away with 7 steals. Felesi finished with 30 points (14-17 FG) and 14 rebounds to beat Christ School 80-64.
Tajh Ariza 6’9 200 SF – Link Academy 2026 (Oregon)
Ariza has good size and athleticism, roaming the court offensively. He can dribble a bit but doesn’t have the creativity to beat defenders off the dribble and doesn’t handle contact real well, but he was able to force his way to the basket a few times. He’s very good as a transition finisher as it’s difficult for defenders to contest when he has the free space to run and jump. His shot looked good, better than previous times I’ve seen him, to knock down a few from the perimeter. I would like to see him find his bread and butter offensively to consistently get easier baskets with this physical advantage over most players at this level, but he played well in this one, defeating Whitehaven 90-50.
LJ Smith 6’4 180 PG/SG – Ohio State 2027 (Ohio State)
Smith is a quick guard and good ball-handler. He’s good about not picking up his dribble even after taking contact. He’s got a good eye for the court and made some nice passes against Veritas to record 4 assists and no turnovers. He’s not overly explosive but a solid athlete. He struggled shooting the ball early in the game but started connecting in the 3rd quarter, ultimately shooting 6-12 from the perimeter, causing Oak Hill to extend the lead, ultimately beating Veritas 79-57. Smith scored 28 points on 11-20 shooting and pulled down 8 boards in the win.
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