Kentucky
Starting 5: Louisville and Kentucky basketball targets to face each other for title, more
Louisville and Kentucky basketball recruiting targets Tyran Stokes, a five-star sophomore from Louisville who plays for Prolific Prep, and Jasper Johnson, a five-star junior from Woodford County who plays for Link Academy, are scheduled to play for a national high school basketball title at the Chipotle Nationals tournament in Brownsburg, Indiana.
Third-seeded Prolific Prep is set to play sixth-seeded Link at 6 p.m. April 4 in a first-round game. The last time the teams played, Prolific Prep escaped with a 77-76 win in December at the Derek Smith Invitational hosted by St. Xavier.
Around the city: Louisville women’s basketball assistant to be inducted into inaugural Hall of Fame class
Louisville women’s basketball assistant coach Stephanie Norman will be part of the inaugural A STEP UP Assistant Coaches Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Norman, who has spent 17 seasons with the Cardinals on Jeff Walz’s staff, will enter the Hall of Fame on May 21 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
This year’s A STEP UP Assistant Coaches Hall of Fame class includes coaches from the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and Pac-12..
Around the state: Former KHSAA star, Kentucky basketball standout back on coaching carousel
Travis Ford, a former KHSAA star and Kentucky standout, is back on the coaching carousel after Saint Louis fired Ford on Wednesday. Ford went 146-109 during his eight seasons with the Billikens. The Madisonville North Hopkins alum has coached in seven NCAA Tournaments. He led Eastern Kentucky to the Round of 64 in 2005 as its coach.
High school recruiting: North Oldham track star commits to Penn State
North Oldham senior Brendan Ruggles committed to run for Penn State track. Ruggles is the defending Class 2A state champion in the 800 meters. He ran the fastest 3,200 in school history in February. He also ranks 11th in the state in the 1,600. Ruggles is a top-25 400 runner nationally, and he is the sixth-ranked 200 runner in Kentucky.
More: Sacred Heart’s ZaKiyah Johnson named Gatorade Kentucky Girls Basketball Player of Year
Mark your calendars
- Bellarmine baseball is scheduled to visit Louisville at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The Knights are set to host Jacksonville in an ASUN series beginning at 2:30 p.m. Friday.
- Louisville softball is set to visit Miami (Ohio) at 5 p.m. Tuesday. The Cardinals are scheduled to host Duke in an ACC series beginning at 6 p.m. Friday.
- Bellarmine softball is set to visit Stetson for a three-game ASUN series beginning at 5 p.m. Friday.
- Louisville men’s golf is scheduled to compete at The General Hackler Invitational beginning Monday in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
- Louisville women’s golf is set to compete at the Clemson Invitational beginning Friday.
- Bellarmine women’s golf is scheduled to play at the Nevel Meade Collegiate beginning Monday in Louisville.
- Bellarmine men’s lacrosse is set to visit Mercer at noon Wednesday and Queens University of Charlotte at noon Saturday.
- Louisville women’s lacrosse is scheduled to visit Liberty at noon Thursday and North Carolina at 11 a.m. Saturday.
- Louisville men’s tennis is set to host N.C. State at noon March 24 and Tennessee State at 5 p.m. March 24.
- Bellarmine men’s tennis is scheduled to visit Eastern Kentucky at 2:30 p.m. Monday and host Florida Gulf Coast at 2:30 p.m. Friday.
- Louisville women’s soccer is set to visit Kentucky at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Reach sports reporter Brooks Warren at bwarren@gannett.com and follow him on X at @Broookksss.
Kentucky
Northern Kentucky claims 4 titles at Class 3A indoor track state meet
The Kentucky High School Athletic Association indoor state track meet rolled on on Wednesday, March 4. One day after Beechwood claimed the Class 1A boys team title, three Northern Kentucky big schools combined for four individual state titles in Class 3A.
Cooper’s Paul Van Laningham won the 3,200-meter run in 9:09.49 and took second place in the 1,600-meter run in 4:07.88. It was a reversal of his results at the 2025 indoor state meet and earned him his fifth overall state title. He scored all of Cooper’s points, good for ninth place in the team standings with 18 points.
Van Laningham’s teammate, Ava Dunn, got the day started with a shot put title, throwing the 8.82-pound ball 39 feet, 3.25 inches.
Simon Kenton’s Alexis Howard won the long jump with an attempt of 18 feet, 7.25 inches, then claimed the triple jump title with a distance of 37 feet, 4.25 inches. It is her second straight indoor long jump title and third overall as she also claimed the 2024 outdoor title. Taking fifth place in the 55-meter dash, she scored all 24 points for SK, finishing in a tie for eighth place. Cooper was right behind with 22 points.
Finally, Conner’s Avery Vanlandingham win the 800-meter run in 2:17.55, out-leaning North Oldham’s Millie Huang at the line.
Kentucky
Arkansas women’s basketball blown out by Kentucky in season-ending loss at SEC Tournament | Whole Hog Sports
Kentucky
Hardley Gilmore returns to Kentucky Football
A wide receiver from Belle Glade, Florida, Gilmore totaled 28 receptions for 313 yards and one touchdown for the Wildcats during the 2025 season. The 6-foot-1 sophomore has had a very interesting offseason as he entered the portal, flipped a commitment, and is now back in Lexington.
After the 2025 season, Gilmore committed to Louisville when he entered the transfer portal, then flipped his commitment to Baylor, and ultimately signed with the Bears. To end Gilmore’s portal saga, he’s now back in a familiar place with the Wildcats.
When the 2026 season begins, Gilmore will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Gilmore had a solid sophomore campaign with the Wildcats, appearing in all 12 games. His best game of the season came in the late-season loss against Vanderbilt. He tallied six catches for 55 yards in the game.
With Kentucky losing most of its wide receiver production from last season, this is a significant pickup, and it won’t be surprising if Gilmore is back in the starting lineup this fall.
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