Kentucky
With KHSAA basketball district tournament action underway, here are 16 numbers to know
For Kentucky high school basketball fans, it’s the best time of the year.
District tournaments are under way, tipping off four straight weeks of action that will culminate with the Sweet 16s.
The Mingua Beef Jerky Girls Sweet 16 is set for March 13-16, and the UK Healthcare Boys Sweet 16 is slated for March 20-23. Both will be held at the University of Kentucky’s Rupp Arena.
Here’s a postseason primer, with (Sweet) 16 numbers you need to know:
Boys
0 – Times Evangel Christian has reached a regional final. The Eagles (24-6) are ranked No. 8 in the state and considered by many to be the favorites to take the Sixth Region title. Evangel has one of the state’s top backcourts in seniors Kyran Tilley (17.5 ppg) and Christian Doerr (16.7 ppg).
5 – Seasons Great Crossing has been playing basketball after the school opened in 2019. The Warhawks have yet to reach an 11th Region final but have even higher goals this postseason as the state’s No. 1-ranked team. Great Crossing (29-1) will carry a 17-game winning streak into the 41st District Tournament and features one of the nation’s top junior recruits in 7-foot-1 Malachi Moreno (15.6 ppg, 13.3 rpg).
19 – Consecutive victories for Newport, the longest current winning streak in the state. The No. 3 Wildcats (27-3) haven’t lost since dropping a 76-71 overtime decision to Trinity on Dec. 23 in the fifth-place game of the King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic at Fairdale. Newport returned four starters from last season’s team that won the Ninth Region and captured the All “A” Classic state title last month. Tay Kinney (18.7 ppg) is the No. 1-ranked sophomore in the state.
29 – Years since St. Xavier won its last Seventh Region championship in 1995, a team that included current head coach Kevin Klein. The No. 7 Tigers (27-3) are poised to end that drought this season behind an offense that ranks second in the state in scoring (83 ppg). All five starters are underclassmen, led by junior Chance Dillingham (18.2 ppg) and sophomore Jeremiah Jackson (14.3 ppg).
32.3 – Average points per game for Oldham County senior Max Green, the state’s leading scorer. The 6-foot-6 guard also ranks second in the state in 3-pointers made (136). The Holy Cross signee was named Eighth Region Player of the Year and is looking to make a deep postseason run with the Colonels (22-8), who will host rival South Oldham (16-12) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in a 29th District semifinal.
42.6 – Points per game allowed by Danville Christian, the No. 1-ranked defense in the state. The Warriors (23-5) are in their sixth season of varsity play and are 16-0 against 12th Region opponents this season. Behind 6-4 senior Emmanuel Dut (13.6 ppg) and 6-10 sophomore Geu Ateny (10.5 ppg, 12.2 rpg), Danville Christian could make its first-ever trip to the Sweet 16.
1986 – The last year Ballard didn’t reach the Seventh Region Tournament. The Bruins (13-14) are in danger of finishing with a losing record for the first time in program history. They’ll face Christian Academy at 6 p.m. Monday in a win-or-go-home 28th District semifinal at Eastern. CAL is 2-0 against Ballard this season, winning 79-63 and 67-64.
5,260 – Career points for Lyon County senior Travis Perry, who passed “King” Kelly Coleman as Kentucky’s all-time leading scorer at last year’s Sweet 16. Perry ranks second in the state in scoring this season (30.0 ppg) and is looking to lead the No. 5 Lyons (state-best 87 ppg) to the state tournament for the third straight year. The University of Kentucky signee is the front-runner for the Mr. Basketball award that will be presented March 17.
Girls
3 – Consecutive Sweet 16 championships for Sacred Heart, which will try to become the first program in state history — boys or girls — to win four consecutive titles. The No. 1-ranked Valkyries (22-7) have won 64 straight games against Kentucky competition and feature one of the nation’s top juniors in ZaKiyah Johnson (19.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg).
5 – Consecutive Second Region titles for Henderson County, which has reached the Sweet 16 in 10 of the past 11 seasons. Jeff Haile retired as Henderson County’s head coach after last season — ranking second in state history with 821 victories — and turned the job over to his son, Stephen. The Colonels (21-7) are back on top of the Second Region and enter the postseason with an 11-1 record in their past 12 games.
7 – Years since Butler won its last Sixth Region title in 2017. The Bearettes have five state titles but have struggled in recent years as several coaches have come and gone. Enter Candyce Wheeler, the former Candyce Bingham, who starred as a player at the University of Louisville. Wheeler has helped put Butler (21-8) back on top of the Sixth Region behind a pair of senior stars — Mariah Knight (15.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg, Jacksonville commit) and Ramiya White (11.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg, Kentucky signee).
15 – Years since Franklin-Simpson won its last Fourth Region championship in 2009. The Wildcats (27-1) have blitzed through their schedule and enter the postseason with an 11-game winning streak. Their only loss came to Boyd County, 70-61, on Jan. 14 in the final of the Kentucky 2A Championships. LaReesha Cawthorn, a 5-11 junior, leads the Wildcats in scoring (17.6 ppg) and rebounding (9.8 rpg).
21-1 – Cooper’s record since a 3-3 start, the only loss coming to Sacred Heart, 61-56, in the semifinals of the Louisville Invitational Tournament. The No. 2 Jaguars (24-4) may pose the biggest threat to Sacred Heart’s four-peat hopes. Four senior starters — Logan Palmer (Evansville), Liz Freihofer (Eastern Kentucky), Maleah Alexander (Liberty) and Bella Deere (Gannon) — have committed to colleges, and Haylee Noel (7.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg) is one of the state’s top freshmen.
29.0 – Average points per game for Hart County senior Dea Bradley, the state’s leading scorer and Fifth Region Player of the Year. The 5-5 guard scored her 3,000th career point earlier this season and has committed to Campbellsville University.
70.9 – Scoring average for Bethlehem, the highest-scoring team in the state. The Banshees (21-8) were ranked No. 3 in the state in The Courier Journal’s preseason coaches poll but fell off the radar a bit following a 4-5 start. Star junior Leah Macy (24.2 ppg, 13.3 rpg) missed 10 games with a knee injury but has returned to put Bethlehem back on top of the Fifth Region. The Banshees are 14-2 since the calendar flipped to 2024.
1998 – The last year Whitefield Academy — then called Highview Baptist — reached a regional tournament. The Wildcats (21-8) have the talent this season to make a run in the Sixth Region but must get past Bullitt East at 6 p.m. Wednesday in a 24th District semifinal at Mercy. Whitefield beat Bullitt East 61-48 on Dec. 5. Senior guard Allison Spieker (13.2 ppg) is Whitefield’s top scorer.
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Follow on X @kyhighs.
Kentucky Mr. and Miss Basketball: Eight from Louisville area among finalists
Power forward has been one of the positions that Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats have to fill with Andrija Jelavic and Mo Dioubate gone. The two players that Pope has had on campus at the power forward position are Syracuse’s Donnie Freeman and Colorado’s Sebastian Rancik. Both are really good players, but Freeman is better by a wide margin.
It has felt that entire time that Kentucky wanted Rancik as the backup to Freeman or a backup plan if they weren’t able to land Freeman. Well, Rancik just picked Florida State, so perhaps this is a sign that the Wildcats will land Freeman.
Big Blue Nation was torn on Rancik, but I do believe he would have been a really solid backup power forward. I personally didn’t want him to be the starting four for this team. It is clear that he wanted to go somewhere where he could be the guy at the four, so he will be heading to the ACC to play for FSU.
Now that Kentucky has missed on Rancik, it is very important that the Wildcats land Freeman soon. The problem with waiting on some of these players is the fact that the portal isn’t slowing down. If Pope targets two power forwards and misses on both of them, most of the good fours in the portal will be gone.
There will be some panic in Lexington if the Wildcats are not able to land Freeman, but I do believe the Wildcats are in a good spot to land the elite power forward. From the beginning, Freeman has been my top player for Kentucky in the portal, as he, plus Malachi Moreno, will give the Wildcats an elite frontcourt.
If Pope is able to land Freeman and Tyran Stokes to pair with Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, Moreno, and Kam Williams, this could be the start of a really good team in Lexington. Hopefully, an announcement for where Freeman will transfer comes soon, and hopefully, this will be to play for Pope at Kentucky.
Fans of rival teams will say Pope “whiffed” on Rancik, but if this whiff was because the Wildcats are set to land Freeman soon, then it was more than worth it for Kentucky. If the Wildcats are able to land Freeman, it will officially be time for Big Blue Nation to start getting excited about the 2026-27 season. I expect a decision from Freeman to come within the next day or two.
Rancik would have been a solid backup four in Lexington but Freeman has been the guy from the beggining for this staff so if Kentucky lands him all is well. If the staff misses on Freeman not landing Rancik will look bad.
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Kentucky
Kentucky is poised to land either Donnie Freeman or Sebastian Rancik this weekend, per report
Jones posted on Twitter that “Kentucky will have (absent a major change) either Freeman or Rancik by tomorrow,” while also noting the Wildcats still need to add another shooter and another big to round out the roster.
One of the top targets is Donnie Freeman, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound sophomore forward transferring from Syracuse. Freeman arrived in Lexington on Tuesday night and began his visit on Wednesday before leaving without a commitment. While there was concern he could land at UConn, that visit has since been canceled, leaving Kentucky and St. John’s as the top teams.
Freeman averaged 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game last season, while adding nearly a block and a steal per contest. He shot 47.4% from the field but 30.2% from 3-point range across 23 games.
The other option is Sebastian Rancik, a 6-foot-11, 220-pound sophomore forward transferring from Colorado. Rancik visited Kentucky starting Wednesday through Thursday and brings a versatile skill set, averaging 12.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game while shooting 33.1% from 3.
Either Freeman or Rancik would provide a significant boost at the power forward position for head coach Mark Pope. Kentucky has already added guards Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins in the portal.
Kentucky football coach Will Stein reflects on new position
Will Stein was officially introduced to fans and media as the head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats, replacing Mark Stoops.
LEXINGTON — Kentucky football had its first spring game under new coach Will Stein at Kroger Field on Saturday.
The offense, in blue jerseys, had its moments. So too the defense, donning white uniforms.
Ultimately, the blue squad earned a 23-18 victory in a game called just after noon because of inclement weather.
Stein admitted he “got emotional” as he charged onto the field prior to kickoff.
“I know it wasn’t a real game, but when I ran on the field, I definitely — man, I felt it,” he said. “It was like a wave running over me. And very, very, just cool.”
While it doesn’t count in the standings, Stein walked away pleased.
“I think we got a lot of really good work,” he said. “That’s the goal of spring is to improve with fundamentals and technique, learn how to practice, learn what winning edges that we need throughout spring to go into summer and fall and prepare the team for play. And we came out of the scrimmage clean. There (were) no injuries, which to me, that’s the biggest win of the day. I could (not) care less about the score.
“If we come out clean, that’s good. The Wildcats won.”
New starting QB Kenny Minchey looked about as expected, with sharp passes evened out by moments of inconsistency. Martels Carter Jr., a defensive back who is lining up at running back this spring, scored a touchdown and had several nice runs.
And the defense forced multiple three-and-outs and also picked off one Minchey pass on a two-point conversion.
This story will be updated.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
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