[Cactus Jack]

16. Lexington Catholic:
Like Lyon County, the Knights are a known-commodity. The loss of 6’11 Reece Potter to the collegiate ranks will obviously hurt the Knights, but the silver lining is that they’ll likely be able to return to a more traditional style of their pressing, up-tempo play. Catholic returns plenty of production from Potter’s supporting cast and should feature a deep, senior-laden roster in 2024. Their feeders are always strong enough that you can expect that a few solid players will be turned out in even their weakest of cycles. A new face or two making their way onto the floor next season could push this team’s ranking even higher, as a playmaker who could shoulder the bulk of their scoring in one-on-one situations would likely yield exponential returns.


17. Covington Catholic:
Senior-to-be Brady Hussey (12.5) is the only returnee from the Colonel’s top seven scorers. The next highest returnee is Noah Johnson (2.4). I can’t imagine that the Colonels will be terrible-- they are one of the most consistent programs in the state and Ruthsatz is a superb coach. I’m guessing there’s a commitment to excellence throughout their feeders and that there’ll be a strong contingent from last year’s JV squad who just didn’t have the opportunity to shine last season while sitting behind so many seniors. If nothing else, a player could come into the program and make this ranking look even more ridiculous. But with the void left by Evan Ipsaro’s 25.2 ppg, the totality of production lost along with him, and an underwhelming finish to last season, I’m unsure of exactly how to justify a higher ranking at this point in time.


18. Warren Central:
Kade Unseld (16.1) is the only returnee who saw significant minutes on last year’s State Championship squad. Their next highest returning average is Braylon Boards’ 1.6 ppg. The Dragons are coming off two straight appearances in the State Final, and are one of the most recognizable programs in Kentucky over the past 25 years. With a deep pool of talent to choose from, they shouldn’t stay down for very long. I’m hesitant to rank them so high, but also don’t know who else I’d conclusively rank ahead of them. I feel that they’ll take some losses early while they find their way, but their system alone could keep them reasonably competitive in a heads-up game against any of the teams ranked near them by season’s end.


19. Ballard:
The Bruins began life after Chris Renner with a 26-5 record and were 13-2 against regional competition but lost a TON of production. Sam Frazier’s 10.5 ppg makes him the returning leading scorer after being third overall last season. Nate Richardson and his 4.8 ppg is the next highest returnee after coming in at seven prior. I’m sure that the Bruins are poised to reload and won’t stay down long in the event that they don’t. I initially felt that I didn’t have enough information to cement them in the top 25, then made my list and didn’t have each of those slots filled. This one is the toughest for me, because I won’t pretend to know what next year is going to look like for them, but I do know this—tradition doesn’t graduate and this is the premier program in Louisville. Bottom line: if you were asking me to rank a list of teams that I’d have to coach to a state title next season to win a million dollars, I don’t see 25 teams ahead of them.


20. Butler:
Leading scorers Dayton Williams (14.4) and Dontre Russell (10.4) return from last year’s 21-9 squad. The team lost their next four leaders in ppg, but also had some depth, with eight players scoring in their regional loss with what seemed to be their regular rotation. With an enrollment of 1,500+, there’ll be opportunities to find talent to supplement the losses and compete in a balanced 6th Region.