Kentucky
Transfer Portal Culture has Trickled Down to the Kentucky High School Ranks
The transfer portal phenomenon has created chaotic free agency periods in college athletics. We knew this would happen (to a degree) when the NCAA allowed players to move freely from school to school. In fact, it was considered a significant win for student-athletes who had to sit and wait their turn if they wanted to make a change, while the adults were free to move from one coaching job to the next without any repercussions.
Things can get dicey in the transfer portal, but these are young adults who can make their own decisions and live with the consequences. I’m not so sure that people realized how much this culture shift would trickle down to the teenagers in the high school ranks.
Transferring was Frowned Upon
You probably remember the name Dakotah Euton. He was a basketball prodigy in the state, billed as the next Larry Bird on the AAU circuit by the time he was 12 years old. Billy Gillispie eventually got the Ashland native to commit to Kentucky.
He started his high school career with his righthand man, Chad Jackson, at Rose Hill Christian. It was the same small school O.J. Mayo briefly attended and took to the Sweet 16. When Jackson and Euton transferred to Scott County, it was a big damn deal.
Those two were my contemporaries, so I was only privy to the whispers and not the formal talking points. But a few decades ago, the Toyota plant in Georgetown was Scott County’s key to getting the best players from around the state to play for the Cardinals. Their parents got a job on the line and the Scott County basketball team got ball-players. They were reviled by many, but hey, it worked.
The Kentucky High School Transfer Portal Numbers are Staggering
That’s how things used to work. It was an archaic way to operate. Now, the pendulum has swung in the complete opposite direction, and players can come and go freely from school to school.
At today’s Board of Control meeting, commissioner Julian Tackett said the KHSAA has formally processed 827 transfers during this 2024-25 year. Jason Frakes reports that the number only includes the transfers the KHSAA had to rule on. Many others were handled at the local level. That means roughly 1,000 high school athletes transferred schools in a 6-month period.
That number is unfathomable.
How many kids did you know that transferred when you were in high school? Sure, there were kids who got kicked out of a school for getting in trouble and had to move, but how many people do you know switched schools by choice? You can probably count that number on one hand.
The transfer portal has made transferring from one high school to the next an acceptable norm. In most of those cases, it’s because of sports. Another school might offer more playing time or a coach who yells less. Do we really want to teach teenagers that when things aren’t going their way that the best decision is to quit and move on?
Transfer portal culture has been in the Florida high school ranks for years. Now it’s becoming acceptable in the state of Kentucky.
Got thoughts? Continue the conversation on KSBoard, the KSR Message Board.
GRAYSON, Ky. (WSAZ) – New information has been released in the search for a missing woman at Grayson Lake.
According to game wardens with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Marly Kinney, 19, of Ashland, was last seen at Grayson Lake on Wednesday afternoon.
They say search efforts are focused on the water at this time and include Kentucky State Police aerial support, drones, boats, and K9 assistance.
Crews suspend search for missing teen for the night
The search is now into its third day, with officials saying on and off rain has hindered their search and that a group of 50 volunteers are walking the banks of the lake to help in the search.
Search and rescue boats have been seen at the lake as well.
Officials say there are still many questions, including if Kinney is still alive and where exactly she went missing.
They also say they’ve been using a variety of equipment, including sonar and thermal detectors, as well as helicopters and underwater drones.
WSAZ received a statement from Kinney’s family Friday afternoon:
“We are very appreciative of the absolute surplus of support from law enforcement, search and rescue, 1st responders, and all of the community and its volunteers that are here with us and for us searching for Marly. We do not even know how to express our absolute gratitude to you all. We continue to have faith she will be found and brought back to us. We know we have the very best people doing all they can to bring her home.”
Anyone with information is asked to call 911.
We are still working to get more information.
Previous coverage can be found here.
Copyright 2026 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
13 things more likely to happen than winning the Powerball jackpot
Hoping to win the Powerball jackpot? Here are 13 things more likely to happen than becoming an instant millionaire.
The Kentucky Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Thursday, June 25, 2026 winning numbers for each game.
Cash Ball
02-08-24-32, Cash Ball: 09
Check Cash Ball payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
Evening: 6-3-0
Midday: 9-6-0
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Evening: 5-7-6-0
Midday: 5-2-6-6
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Millionaire for Life
03-13-14-34-45, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Courier Journal digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.
On Thursday, Kentucky’s home and away SEC opponents for the 2026-27 season were revealed and on top of learning the three opponents who they will play twice, there are some very intriguing matchups. In conference play, Kentucky will face six teams who are among the top 25 in many preseason rankings.
In SEC play, Kentucky will play Tennessee, Vandy and Ole Miss all both home and away. The home matchups include Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vandy. As for the road tilts, the Wildcats will face Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee and Vandy. Let’s take a look at some interesting developments from the schedule release.
John Calipari returns to Rupp Arena (again)
In Calipari’s first year with Arkansas, he got the best of Kentucky when he came into Rupp Arena and left with a 10-point victory, a game where you could really feel the tension all game long in the building from Kentucky fans, which translated onto the court with the players. Last season, it was Kentucky who shocked everyone when they stole one on the road against a top 20 Arkansas team after a rough up-and-down season up to that point. Now, the two will face off again as Kentucky will look to get the win in Rupp and make sure Calipari doesn’t get two in a row in the building. It’ll be another highly-anticipated showdown.
Kentucky hits the road at Texas
This is shaping up to be a major challenge for Kentucky next season and may even end up being one of the biggest games of the season. Texas is seen by many as a clear top 10 team, with some even having them within the top five and when you combine that with the fact that the game is on the road, the Wildcats will have their hands full. The Wildcats fell to the longhorns in the 2024-25 season, and it’ll be a much stiffer challenge this time.
Which game could be a trap?
We don’t have the game-by-game dates yet, so it’s hard to say with a lot of confidence, but opponent-wise, Georgia could really give Kentucky fits. In Pope’s first year, his team struggled handling the physicality of the Bulldogs and now, they’ve retained one of their best guards for another year and have added physicality through the portal. Mike White’s teams love to make opponents uncomfortable and they could do that once again down in Athens. Another sneaky team to watch is Oklahoma, who will have very good guard play. Kentucky will face both teams on the road.
Overall, it’s a pretty fair SEC schedule for a Kentucky team who has the capability of a return to being atop the conference once again. Mark Pope has such a system-fit squad and he can do some damage in the SEC.
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