With the high school season in full swing, plenty of talent was on display in Kentucky. I spent two days in Benton to catch the first two days of Marshall County Hoopfest and another two days in Louisville for the Derek Smith Invitational.
Marshall County Hoopfest
Ace Buckner 6’2 175 PG – La Lumiere 2024 (Clemson)
Buckner was a key component for La Lumiere’s offense and was fairly consistent in both games. He played well off the dribble, changing his speed and selling his crossover to get into the paint or create a jump shot. He consistently broke down any defensive barrier the opposing teams tried to throw at him on the perimeter. He shot it well throughout the game. He also did well defensively, harassing the ball-handler, jumping passes off the ball, and came away with a few steals that led to offense. Over both games, Buckner averaged 13.5 points (10-17 FG, 4-7 3PT, 3-3 FT) and 2.5 steals per game.
Jalen Haralson 6’7 210 PG/SG – La Lumiere 2025
All of Haralson’s field goals against Orangeville Prep were on 3PTers off the catch to score 9 points in the 70-39 win. His shot still doesn’t get a lot of rotation, but he shot it well, going 4-7 from 3PT in both games combined. He didn’t score at the rim in his first game, but he beat the defense on the perimeter a few times and he made some good passes, seeing the floor well and knows his options as a passer. He mixed it up more in the second game against Oak Hill with some good takes to the basket. He didn’t have any explosive finishes but was good around the rim to score 16 points and drew a lot of fouls with 8 free throw attempts. Defensively, he played solid on and off the ball and defended up and down the line-up throughout the game against Oak Hill. Unfortunately, Haralson turned his ankle and La Lumiere ended up losing to Oak Hill 79-75 in overtime.
Jerry Easter 6’4 195 SG – La Lumiere 2025
Easter played well defensively and came away with a few baskets after jumping passes for transition layups in the game against Orangeville. He’s not the type of athlete to live above the rim, but he did a good job of using his quickness to beat his man at a good rate. Early on, he didn’t shoot it too well and pushes the ball a little, even banking a straight away 3 from the top of the key in La Lu’s first game to score 12 points (4-12 FG, 1-5 3PT). He shot better against Oak Hill, including 2 clutch 3s in crucial moments, finishing with 21 points (7-16 FG, 3-5 3PT).
Darius Adams 6’5 180 PG/SG – 2025 La Lumiere
Adams grabbed 5 rebounds and came away with 4 steals, but he wasn’t too much of an offensive factor against Orangeville with 4 points on 2-8 shooting and 0-2 from 3PT. Against Oak Hill, he spent time on and off the ball, showing effectiveness playing both. He shot it at a solid rate and gets to the rim when he finds that gap. He’s a good ball-handler and handles contact better than he would appear. He finished with 19 points (7-16 FG, 4-8 3PT) and 6 (4 offensive) rebounds to beat Oak Hill.
VJ Edgecombe 6’5 195 PG/SG – Long Island Lutheran 2024
Edgecombe started the game with a bang, exploding off the floor for a big jam. That wouldn’t be his only explosive moment with a few other dunks in the game. He has very good burst with the ball and changes his speed well when needed, staying under control and not always having to go full throttle. He’s very good defensively as well, showing consistent commitment on that end. His shot is his biggest weakness right now, as it doesn’t get ideal ball rotation and lacked consistency, going 1-6 from 3PT and 0-1 from FT. His usage with the ball wasn’t that high but he had no trouble filling it up with 17 points on 8-15 shooting in the 84-57 win against Oak Hill Academy. Edgecombe is a big-time talent with great two-way potential.
Kayden Mingo 6’3 185 PG – Long Island Lutheran 2025
Mingo had a great game against Oak Hill, incredibly effective and efficient. He mixed it up offensively, scoring at the rim and outside shooting within the flow. He finished with 22 points while going 9-12 from the floor and 4-5 from distance. He got where he wanted with the ball and has great touch on his floater. He didn’t force his impact or hunt scoring opportunities and he moved the ball well, recording 6 assists and no turnovers. Mingo also rebounded well in LuHi’s only game to pull down 9 boards.
Kaden Magwood 6’1 170 PG – Oak Hill Academy 2025
In the game against LuHi, Magwood got it going for an Oak Hill team that was struggling to score. He was all jump shots and didn’t get to the rim much, ultimately finishing with 10 points on 4-14 FG and 2-6 3PT. He followed up with a 41-point outburst to beat La Lumiere in overtime. He hit difficult shots and got to the rim, even throwing down a few dunks in the half-court. He also made a living at the free throw line, scoring 15 points on his 18 FT attempts. He’s a very talented shot-maker, hitting contested jumpers in the defender’s face from anywhere on the court on an efficient 11-20 FG and 4-7 3PT. At his size, an area Magwood can look to grow is in his facilitating, recording 2 assists to no turnovers against LuHi and 2 assists to 5 turnovers against La Lumiere.
Shon Abaev 6’8 185 SF – Calvary Christian Academy 2025
I only saw one of Calvary Christian’s games, against Faith Family Academy, and Abaev shot and scored well with 27 points. He’s removed the wasted motion in his shot since last year. He has a high release and hits contested shots from midrange and 3. He handles the ball well enough to create a shot and he made some nice passes mid-dribble while it looked like he was creating for himself. He had a few offensive fouls while trying to create but overall, he got his shot off well. He didn’t score too much at the rim but did show a floater when getting to the middle. Calvary Christian beat Faith Family Academy 82-79.
Cayden Daughtry 5’11 130 PG – Calvary Christian Academy 2027
Only a freshman, Daughtry was huge in Calvary’s win against Faith Family. Despite his shot getting nearly no backspin or rotation, he connects at a high rate. He’s a very good ball-handler and he created well to get shots off in the midrange as well as at the rim. While he’s a freshman and looks the part of a freshman physically, he handles contact very well and is stronger with the ball than one would think at first glance. Daughtry brought a lot of confidence and led all scorers with 28 points.
Rakease Passmore 6’5 180 SG – Combine Academy 2024 (Kansas)
Passmore had a good game against Evangel Christian, winning 66-50. Combine pressed defensively and Passmore came away with a few steals that led to opportunities to show off his hops in the open floor. He handled the ball well and got to the rim in half-court situations throughout the game. He also shot well from 3PT, and his shooting has improved since last year.
Jahseem Felton 6’5 175 SG – Combine Academy 2024 (Seton Hall)
Felton got into the paint and used his strong body to finish through contact. He’s pretty good about getting to the rim in the half-court. He’s always been a guy to put points on the board, but he shot it very well against Evangel Christian the best I’ve seen him, knocking down 4 3Pters on his way to score 23 points in the win.
Both (Link Academy played one game in each event)
Tre Johnson 6’6 190 SG – Link Academy 2024 (Texas)
Johnson displayed his shooting and ball-handling. Although there were times he over-dribbled and settled for deep contested shots, he played very well to beat Legacy Early 81-66 with 16 points (7-11 FG, 2-5 3PT). He created well off the dribble and gets his shot off against any defender. In addition to his scoring, he made some nice passes, hitting cutters with good timing to record 4 assists to 1 turnover. Johnson also did a nice job as a rebounder and was quick to the loose ball, with 8 boards in the win. He didn’t fail to bring it in the highly anticipated matchup against Prolific Prep. He created for himself as well as teammates. He hit some high-level shots and mixed it up well to get to the rim on occasions. He can work on protecting the ball better as a ball-handler and while attacking, teams like Prolific turned live turnovers into quick baskets. Johnson recorded 25 points (8-19 FG, 3-7 3PT, 6-6 FT), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals in the 77-76 loss to Prolific Prep.
Labaron Philon 6’4 175 PG – Link Academy 2024 (Kansas)
Philon was great in both games. In the game against Legacy Early College, he came off the bench and got hot quickly, finishing with 12 points on 5-9 shooting, including 2-3 from 3PT. He’s got a very good shot, and his makes didn’t hit the rim. He’s also a shifty ball-handler, he got caught dancing with it at times, but he was a tough cover for the defense. He did most of his damage as a shooter but he had a few plays where he threw down jams to show off his athleticism. He would get the start against Prolific, and it was more of the same as far as shooting and overall production with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists.
Jalen Shelley 6’8 190 SF – Link Academy 2024 (Arkansas)
Shelley was solid against Legacy Early. He didn’t have to create to score, taking advantage of cutting opportunities and converting offensive rebounds into baskets. He didn’t show a lot athletically or consistency as a shooter, on his way to 11 points (4-5 FG). He came up big against Prolific Prep, hitting shots from the perimeter and did a good job getting into the paint to score at the rim. He took advantage of his size and athletic advantage when matched up against Winters Grady and finished with 24 points (9-14 FG, 3-6 3PT, 3-3 FT) in the loss.
Jasper Johnson 6’6 170 PG/SG – Link Academy 2025
Johnson has an effortless demeanor. He can penetrate off the dribble, sometimes getting to the rim or other times stopping in the midrange to finish with a floater. His shot gets a lot of ball rotation, and he can connect with deep range. He has the tools as a defender and covers ground very well on both ends. Whether he’s on the finishing end of an oop or getting to the rim himself, he gets up well and isn’t afraid to jump in the crowd. He scored 12 points (5-10 FG, 2-5 3PT) in the game against Legacy Early. Johnson followed up against Prolific with some big 3s, shooting deep and letting it fly with confidence and no hesitation. He got into foul trouble early in the second half but finished with 9 points, all on 3PTers.
Derek Smith Invitational
Tyran Stokes 6’7 245 PF – Prolific Prep 2026
Stokes (pictured) has an impressive combination of strength and explosive athleticism at such a young age, with some big dunks over both games. He can finish in transition or find ways to dunk in the half-court, effectively jumping off the vert without much gather. He demonstrated some outside shooting, but the consistency can improve from both 3PT and at the free throw line. He got to the rim throughout both games but can tighten up as a ball-handler, especially when picking up speed as the ball got away from him on a few occasions. Stokes was impressive in both games, scoring 12 points in the first game and 20 in the second.
Bryson Tucker 6’6 180 SG – Bishop O’Connell 2024
Tucker scored 19 points in the 52-41 win over Southern Coast Academy. He scored around the rim when he could and as usual, he excelled in the midrange and iso situations. His shot is a bit flat, but he hit a number of 3s as well as plenty of shots on the move. The next step will be continuing to add strength so he can get where he wants better when taking contact.
Derrion Reid 6’7 180 PF – Prolific Prep 2024
Reid was very good for Prolific, playing off the ball. He hit shots when given space and took it to the rim at other times. He had a big game against St. Xavier and did the best job of anyone on the team of utilizing his physical and athletic advantages to score as often as possible. He had a few big dunks that the defense couldn’t contest and used his long strides to get to the basket efficiently. While only scoring 8 points in the win over Link, Reid followed up with 22 points in the 83-74 win against St. Xavier.
Zoom Diallo 6’4 190 PG – Prolific Prep 2024
Diallo was best playing off the ball, where he scored more within the flow. His strong build and broad shoulders allowed him to handle contact. He did a good job beating the first defender to connect on floaters once he got to the middle. He had a few turnovers in both games, overthrowing passes, not protecting the ball, and traveling at times when running the point. He can work on minimizing turnovers and finding consistent ways to score but Diallo was still effective with 16 and 11 points in each game respectively.
AJ Dybantsa 6’8 200 SF – Prolific Prep 2025
In Prolific’s first game against Link Academy, Dybantsa didn’t create much for himself or show much dribble penetration, but he was very good spacing the floor and knocking down shots to score an efficient 26 points (7-12 FG, 5-7 3PT). He also saw the floor well and made some nice passes with 5 assists. He wasn’t as productive in his second game. His passing was still solid, but he didn’t score too much and left a lot of points at the free throw line, including two trips missing both free throw attempts over the two games. He can also work on limiting turnovers, with a few trying to dribble through multiple defenders.
