The Bluegrass Cardinal Classic gave high school teams and players the opportunity to play in front of college coaches in a much different way than what you typically see. Normally, college coaches chance to view players comes with their AAU teams at live events. The Bluegrass Cardinal Classic allows players to take advantage of a live period in June with their high school team rather than their AAU team. Below you can read about the 2026 players that stood out to us throughout The Bluegrass Cardinal Classic Team Event and Individual Showcase (listed alphabetically by last name). 

Please note: There are a few write-ups below that were already featured on X (@riseupsports1) during the event. Also please take into account that each of us only caught one game per team for the most part, so these notes were based on performance in that specific game. Please let us know if any of the information below is incorrect and we will get it fixed as soon as possible.

Jaida-Allen-2026
Allen brings great energy to the court. She makes smart plays with the ball and can play on or off the ball effectively. Can knock down outside shots and can finish through contact on drives. Active defensively.
Sienna-Allen-2026
Good height & length for a D1 guard. Good speed, strength, and athleticism. Fundamentally sound with a high IQ. Excellent perimeter shooting who will also drive the ball and finish through contact. Rarely makes mistakes, usually choosing the correct read. Plays active, physical defense using her strength, height, length, fast hands, and quick feet. Never gives up on a play with her high motor. Rebounds the ball well on both ends. Great passer.
-KEVIN CLANCY
Kylie-Alvin-2026
Very solid guard play overall. Facilitated the offense well. Makes nice passes and has good court vision. Can knock down outside shots or beat defenders to the rim. Aggressive defensively. Also showed good leadership.
Avery-Barber-2026
Showed good versatility, playing and guarding multiple positions with a short-handed roster. Recognized and did a good job drawing help defense and kicking to the open player. Made good passes overall. Crashed the boards hard and with a purpose. Scored in different ways from knocking down 3’s to floaters to jumpers inside the perimeter.
Addyson-Brissey-2026
Difference maker on the court. Plays with a high motor. Very tough and love the hustle. True 3-level scoring threat. Can score tough, crafty baskets on both sides of the rim off of drives. Brissey can also knock down shots inside or outside of the perimeter including pull-up jumpers off the bounce. Also has a nice floater game.
Payton-Burgess-2026
Burgess is a player that seemed to keep everything running smoothly for her team on both sides of the ball. Her impact was felt heavily. Truly does a little bit of everything on the court. Good, solid scoring threat. Great rebounding and really works to get around other players to get to the ball.
Anaya-Chestnut-2026
Excellent defender. Can apply a lot of pressure when she’s guarding the ball, reads the passing lanes well when defending off the ball. Tenacious and aggressive defense leads to a lot of steals. Very smart offensive player. Good decision maker. Unselfish but recognizes when to take it and can score off of drives or knock down shots. Good ball handler and passer.
Emma-Clinger-2026
Showed her versatility by making stuff happen around the basket and out on the perimeter. Great length and uses it so well to be disruptive defensively. Great shot blocker. Had some tough drives to get into the paint and to the rim. Nice finishes around the basket. Rebounded well.
Haley-Combs-2026
Very high IQ point guard play from Combs. Forced the defense to make a decision whenever she had the ball. Did a great job drawing help defense and kicking. Made aggressive drives to the basket and finished tough shots through contact. Really strong ball handler and didn’t let pressure rattle her.
Miyah-Courtney-2026
Courtney’s high IQ immediately jumped out at me with the decisions she was making on both sides of the ball. Moved feet well defensively and stayed ready to get in the passing lanes. Active hands led to steals while defending on the ball as well. Made some really nice plays offensively, creating good looks for both herself and for teammates. Lefty has really good form on her outside shot and can knock them down quickly with deep range. Loved the way she contributed in every way imaginable.

By Alyx

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