By: Kevin Moses
Lukas Dunham
Twitter: @LukasDunham1
Height: 5’11, 160
Class of 2024
School: South Barber High School, KS
Dunham is an extremely aggressive combo guard who is a pure triple-threat scoring option. Crafty and quick with strong handles. Makes hard cuts with purpose and intent. Lukas can bring the rain from downtown with a smooth touch. Wicked first step that freezes defenders when he fakes and blows right by. Nasty mid-range game and can finish strong at the rim. Lukas uses that beautiful three-point shot to draw defenders to play him tight which opens up the whole floor and his teammates. Lukas can drop some sweet dimes. Mixes it up on the boards effectively and Lukas can play some outstanding defense with a knack for getting into the passing lanes. Quick hands allow him to get a lot of steals and deflections. Last season, Lukas averaged 11 points and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 37 percent overall from the field and 30 percent from 3-point range adding 53 assists, 48 steals, and 48 deflections. Lukas has made the biggest improvements in his ball handling, three-point shooting range, and his defense. He is setting the goal to average 17-20 points per game. The bigger goal is to have a good season while leading his team on a deep postseason run. Coaches should know what sets Lukas apart is his unlimited range with the ability to score consistently from almost anywhere on the entire court. His defense can be trusted at all times and his max effort and high energy are the things that separate him from anyone else.
Jaxon Estridge
Twitter: @estridge_jaxon
Height: 6’2, 160
Class of 2025
School: Prestonsburg High School, KY
Estridge is a fierce competitive stud who performs well on both ends. Very unselfish and a pass-first facilitator but can light it up with the best in the state. Jaxon has developed into one of the top players in the 2025 class and his stock continues to rise. A silky smooth touch from downtown. Electric off the bounce with a high IQ takes smart shots for himself or threads the needle passes for cutting or open teammates. Jaxon is crafty and creative with excellent court vision. A strong finisher. Makes pretty good cuts in his own right. Jaxon mixes it up well on the boards and is a relentless defender, scrappy and tenacious. Last season Jaxon played limited minutes on JV but was the best defender on the team. Playing behind a strong senior class, Jaxon just did what he could with the time given while working hard to prepare for his moment. But during the AAU session, Jaxon started to stand out being one of the most important players on that team (D&D Mountain Elite) averaging 14 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals per game. Jaxon’s favorite memory was winning the “Thin Blue Line Classic” to raise money for fallen officers. Jaxson’s biggest improvement has been the confidence he developed from getting in the gym multiple times a day with an insane work ethic to improve his skills more and more. It’s paying off, in the last 6 games Jaxon is averaging 12-14 points shooting 41.2 percent from three, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals per game. In his last two, Jaxson scored 19 and 17 points respectively. Jaxon’s goal is to help his team win the district championship and a 20+ win season.Â
Keelyn Daniel
Twitter: @keelyndaniel
Height: 6’2, 215
Class of 2025
School: East Jessamine High School, KY
Daniel is a versatile athlete who’s a ruthless catch-and-shoot three-point sniper but can maximize his size and overpower defenders in the paint area. And naturally, Keelyn has a solid midrange game. Solid ball handler who can also attack the defense off the bounce. Keelyn is a beast on the boards and a space eater around that rim. Can drop some nice dimes and outstanding defender. Last season Keelyn averaged 10 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal per game. The biggest AAU accomplishment was scoring 26 points in a win against a really good AAU team. Keelyn’s biggest improvement has been his ball handling and getting his teammates involved by being a really good facilitator. No longer focused on score first mentality but on how to be a better leader. A reality check turned things around for Keelyn. The goals for this season are to build chemistry as a leader to win games as a team. With a new fire and hunger do whatever he can fuel the team to go as deep as they came in the postseason. So far Keelyn is averaging 14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block per game. Coaches should know that Keelyn has a strong work ethic and drive to be better and better every time out. His passion and love for the game make him an intense student of the game. Never satisfied. Got to keep working is his motto. Better today than yesterday. Mental drive to continue to help his team win. Challenges himself to play with the best. Understanding he isn’t perfect makes him work harder to strive to achieve perfection. With never quit belief in himself and got a little dog inside that says I can and I will live my dream. Just hungry to play and succeed.Â
Jerrod Roark
Twitter: @JerrodRoark03
Height: 6’2, 185
Class of 2025
School: Clay County High School, KY
Roark is a savvy floor general strong and gifted at getting into the seams killing defenders with a nasty floater or overpowering strength attacking the rim. But Jerrod is a true point guard with a high IQ and great court vision. Effectively creates shots for teammates of the bounce or is gifted at hitting open teammates when he attacks those seams to the rim sucking in the defense. It’s pick your poison once he is in the lane. Using that IQ he can punish a defense with his shooting and he can knock down the long-range bomb or a pull-up jumper from anywhere. And when he gets hot, Jerrod can carry the team with his shooting. A scrappy defender is tough as nails. Jerrod won’t shy away from contact and is also known to crash the offensive glass and is strong enough to get putbacks among the bigs. Last season, Jerrod averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game. His favorite AAU highlight was posterizing another player with a ruthless dunk in front of multiple college coaches. Jerrod’s biggest improvement from last season has been his defense and 3-point shooting. Jerrod’s goal for this season isn’t increasing his stats but developing into a more effective leader sacrificing stats for doing all the little things as a master facilitator to fuel his team to a regional championship. His mindset is that the winner does whatever it takes to make game-winning decisions for the greater good of the team. Coaches should know Jerrod’s ball-handling skills are exceptional and set him apart. Strong and fearless. Doesn’t lose his poise under pressure. Never was knocked off his path when attacking the basket. Jerrod is fierce and creative from that point guard position. He can impact the game in so many different ways. Jerrod is always up for any challenge he faces out there and has a ton of confidence that gives him an edge and swagger when facing those challenges. Can’t go wrong with a floor general with a passion and love for the game with fire and hunger to do whatever is needed to win despite the competition he faces.Â
Elijah Bundy
Twitter: @ebundy45
Height: 6’4
Class of 2024
School: Clay Co High School, KY
Bundy is that ultimate blue-collar stud with a nonstop motor. Very aggressive. Tough and gritty and physically imposing. Elijah wills his way by force to the best rebounder in the state. Wipe the glass clean like Windex. Elijah has great footwork in the paint with a nice drop-step move. Also masters the pump fake to get defenders in the air to draw contact and get And-1 opportunities. Efficient at the free-throw line. You can write him down for double-digit scoring too. Elijah is very unselfish, if he sees there is an open man after he snags a rebound he will make the right pass for the open shot if the post shot isn’t available. That’s a high IQ at its finest. Nobody outworks him. He found his role and he delivered every time. The dirty work. Fearless and ready to meet any challenge despite the competition level. Most importantly Elijah never gives up on a play. Defensively Elijah is a strong rim protector and shot blocker. Apart from how and why he is the number-one rebounder in the state of KY. He is forcing a ton of those misses. Patient enough to get the ball in the right hands to begin the transition game off defensive rebounds. IQ. Last season Elijah only averaged 5.5 points and 6.5 rebounds. Over the summer Elijah went to work and got stronger and faster. And made up his mind he was going to own every ball coming off the rim. He has now doubled in scoring and rebounding with 13.3 points and 16.7 rebounds. Elijah’s season goals are to cushion his lead. Elijah’s rebounding ability, motor, and physicality separate him from the pack. Because of his work ethic and skill set, Elijah can play almost any level; all the intangibles to be an impact player. Elijah doesn’t care about scoring 40 points but he will do his best to get you 20 rebounds in a game and protect that rim. The ultimate blue-collar glue guy and coach’s dream. Elijah is a warrior who will dive after loose balls, force jump ball situations, and run through passing lanes to get that big timely steal.Â