GRC hosted the KABC Bluegrass Cardinal Classic on June 12-14, 2025. This is a scholastic live period event that gives high school teams the chance to play in front of college coaches in June. I got the chance to watch over 30 different teams compete across the 3 day event. To catch as many teams and players as possible, I was typically only able to see either half of a game or one full game for each team. However, I made note of the players that grabbed my attention in those games. Below you can see the 2027 players that caught my eye. These are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Carley Boyd
Boyd County | 6'0 | G/F
Carley scored off of a nice post move as soon as I walked in the gym. Great to see her back on the court off of the ACL injury, and doesn’t look like she’s skipped a beat. Great length and nice moves to create space from defenders. Versatile on both ends of the court.
Shelby Byrd
Barren County | 5'8 | SG/SF
Ran the floor really well. Finished strong at the rim and on both sides of the basket. Good elevation to finish over defenders. Took contact and converted at the FT line. Showed a lot of versatility on the defensive end with the ability to defend inside or out.
Becca Carson
Sacred Heart | 5'7 | PG/SG
Poised and ready to play a larger role for a talented Sacred Heart team. Excellent shooter – feels like it’s going in every time she puts it up. Handled the ball well and made smart decisions throughout the game. In the right positions defensively.
Layla Claxton
Purcell Marian | 5'9 | CG
Great shooter. Drew help defense and made great passes off of the dribble. Handled the ball well and made some really nice drives to the basket. Scored at all 3 levels.
Mariella Claybrook
North Laurel | 6'2 | G/F
Claybrook seems poised and ready to take over a lot of the scoring North Laurel lost with Brooke Nichelson graduating. So long and active hands. Got some really nice blocks. Did a great job of elevating and finishing over the defense. Made adjustments when needed. Constantly improving and growing overall game.
Brookelyn Duckwyler
Ashland | 5'7 | CG
Legitimately so underrated and so tough. Competes hard every time she steps on the court. Strong drives to the basket and can finish through contact. Good size and strength. Shows a lot of versatility on both ends. Really strong defender both on and off of the ball.
Riley Eberhard
Notre Dame | 5'10 | CG
Did a great job facilitating the offense and staying in control with the ball. Made nice plays to create for teammates. Delivered some excellent passes. Plus has the ability to put the ball in the basket herself in a variety of ways.
Laura Everidge
Hazard | 5'9 | SG
Knocked down outside shots, hit some nice pull-up jumpers, and finished at the rim. Was a very steady and reliable factor in Hazard’s offense. Took care of the ball and made good decisions. Ran the floor consistently and wasn’t afraid to take contact on drives.
Layla Flynn
Dunbar | 5'7 | CG
Kept the defense on skates with her ball-handling skills. Facilitated well and despite being able to score at all 3 levels, plays a very unselfish style of basketball. Delivered great passes. Wasn’t giving up anything easy defensively.
Haley Holcomb
Scott | 5'8 | CG
Great shot fakes to get defenders off their feet. Made things difficult as a defender using length. Boxed out well. Ran the floor consistently. Quick release and good depth from 3. Hit shots and made big plays in the clutch.
Tootie Jordan
Sacred Heart | 5'6 | PG
Very smart PG who gets the team set up in the offense and makes so many plays throughout the game. Really impacts the game on both ends of the court. Was forcing the defense to respect the ability to score at all 3 levels – knocking down jumpers, hitting pull-ups off the dribble, getting to the basket – while also consistently staying ready to make the extra pass.