NEWLAND, N.C. — Valley Elementary’s fifth-grade basketball team captured the championship at the fourth annual Viking Classic — Battle at the Border this weekend, finishing a perfect 4-0 against a competitive, multi-state field.

Coached by Jordan Johnson, Valley topped an eight-team bracket featuring programs from North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky. The team’s consistent play on both ends of the floor fueled its 4-0 run to the title.

Valley’s defense set the tone throughout the tournament, while balanced scoring and strong teamwork helped secure each win. The championship performance highlighted the group’s effort and composure against some of the southeast’s best.

With the victory, Valley Elementary adds an off-season title and builds momentum moving forward.

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – The 15^th region was loaded with talent this year in both girls’ and boys’ basketball, and their achievements did not go unnoticed around the state.  

The Lexington Herald-Leader just released their All-State basketball teams from this past season, and the 15^th region was well represented. Over 100 coaches around the state were asked to send in their top 10 players from both girls’ and boys’ high school basketball in Kentucky and the top 50 players that received votes make up the All-State list. This is a major honor as a basketball player and especially for our kids here in Eastern Kentucky where a lot of times their achievements and level of play go unnoticed.  

15^th Region Girls –  

First Team: 

Paintsville High School star, Kylie Kinner earned a spot on the Herald-Leader Girls’ All-State first team for her exceptional 2025 season. Kinner is only a junior and one of the best basketball and volleyball players in the state of Kentucky. She surpassed 3,000 career points and averaged 26.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game and helped lead her team to the 57^th District championship game and won two games in the 15^th Region Tournament. Kylie will certainly be a front runner for Kentucky Miss Basketball and 15^th Region Player of the Year heading into her senior season.  

Third Team:  

Pikeville High School point guard, Kylie Alvin, also earned a spot on the Herald-Leader Girls All-State third team. The senior guard was outstanding all season; she led the Panthers to a 59^th District championship and 15^th Region Tournament championship. She averaged just under 19 points per game and was the focal piece of the Panthers’ impressive season. Kylie also earned 15^th Region Player of the Year and was a finalist for Kentucky Miss Basketball.  

Honorable Mention:  

Sophomore Karlae Stanley from Johnson Central earned a spot on the All-State honorable mention list. She averaged 16.7 points per game and led the Golden Eagles to a 57^th District championship. She will certainly be a player to watch in the 15^th Region going into next season.  

Martin County’s Maci Maynard – Maynard Maci recorded 17 double doubles with points and rebounds on the season. She was ranked 7th in the state for field goal percentage and 13th in state for rebounds. In her premier game, Maynard scored 21 points and pulled down 24 rebounds.

15^th Region Boys –  

First Team:  

Braxton Keathley’s incredible season earned him first team honors on the Herald-Leader Boys’ All-State team. The four-star guard has scored over 3,000 career points and averaged 33.1 points (second in the state) and 9 rebounds per game and shot over 47% from 3 on over 250 attempts. If those numbers don’t get you excited for his senior season, check your pulse. Keathley led his team to a 15^th Region All “A” championship, hitting a buzzer beater in overtime to beat Belfry in the semifinals then scored 26 points to defeat Pikeville in the championship game. Keathley has already taken “unofficial” visits to Kentucky, Louisville, and other major Division 1 programs. He will be a must watch player heading into his next season and will likely be a front runner for 15^th Player of the Year and Kentucky Mr. Basketball.  

Honorable Mention:  

Austin Slone from Johnson Central earned himself a place on the All-State honorable mention list. The junior guard was one of the best players in the 15^th region; he averaged over 21 points and 7 rebounds per game and helped lead the Golden Eagles to a 15^th Region championship and won tournament MVP.  

Phelps’ basketball star, Tyler Weddington also made the All-State honorable mention list after an insane junior season. He averaged almost 30 points and 17 rebounds per game and shot almost 60% from the field! Weddington is one of the best athletes to come out of Phelps High School and will most definitely be a player to watch next year.  

Mountain Top Sports would like to congratulate these young student athletes on their recognition of their incredible achievements! 

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CARR CREEK, Ky. – Jim Calhoun was a sophomore starter on the great 1956 State champion Carr Creek Indians team. They finished with a 33-3 mark and the big trophy. For the next two years Jim Calhoun remained a Carr Creek Indian as they would finish 25-8 in 1957 and 26-4 in 1958.

In 1957 Calhoun was selected as an All State 3rd Team member.. He also was selected to the All State 3rd Team as a senior at Carr Creek in 1958.

In the fall of 1958 he entered the University of Cincinnati to play on some of the great basketball teams of the day. After playing freshman ball he would join the great varsity team of 1959-60 coached by George Smith. They would finish the season at 28-2 and would finish 3rd in the NCAA Tournament. Calhoun was a teammate that season with the great Oscar Robertson.

As a junior at Cincinnati, Robertson was gone but the Bearcats were a determined group. Third place was not their goal. They won the Missouri Valley Conference once again and this year they had a new head coach, Ed Jucker. They would win the NCAA championship game played in Kansas City over a much ballyhooed Ohio State team. Calhoun was a 6ft. guard on this team.

As a senior at Cincinnati in the 1961-62 season, Calhoun and his Bearcats teammates again claimed the NCAA crown as they once again defeated Ohio State in the title game, this time played in Louisville.

What memories of basketball Jim Calhoun had. He shared many with his nephews, sons of his sister Jane. Jane was a member of that great 1956 Carr Creek team as a cheerleader. She had further ties to it as she married one of the great players, E.A.Couch.

There will be more coverage of memories of Jim and others of the great 1956 Carr Creek team soon, as Mountain Sports Hall of Fame will be doing an interview with Jane Calhoun Couch and her son David in the coming weeks. You can watch for that on Mountain Sports Hall of Fame’s Facebook page and here at Mountain Top Sports and our Facebook page.

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Kentucky just made a much-needed hire after the departure of assistant coaches, Alvin Brooks and Josh Hart. Mo Williams, a 13-year NBA veteran, has joined the basketball staff as of today.  

Mo had a long successful career in the NBA and has many connections to the league that can help Kentucky with recruiting and developing talent for the next level. Just last week, Mark Pope got his first commitment of the 2026 class, point guard Mason Williams. Mo is Mason’s dad and speculation of him following his son to Kentucky started shortly after his commitment. This duo brings much needed life to Kentucky following their disappointing 2025 season; Mo has a level of expertise and understanding of the game only someone who has played in the NBA can bring. His name alone can catch the interest of even the most casual basketball fan; Mo was a respected NBA player who won a championship with the Cavaliers in the 2015-16 season and is very close friends with Lebron James. Could this mean another possible Kentucky connection with the king himself?  

Mo Williams is leaving his position as head coach of Jackson State, where he became head coach in 2022. Mark Pope and company have struggled to recruit elite talent to play for the Cats, Williams may be the missing piece that this staff has needed to relate to these high-level players. Mo joins the staff at the perfect time with the transfer portal opening next week, Kentucky is speculated to already have their eye on a few players planning to enter the portal and will need all the help they can get to replace their two best players, Otega Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen, who are graduating this spring.

Kentucky is still in the hunt for another assistant coach and will surely fill that role sooner rather than later, but they are heading in the right direction with this hire and all of BBN is excited to welcome Mo and Mason Williams to be a part of the program. 

The transfer portal season can be very chaotic and commitments happen fast, stay tuned to Mountain Top Sports’ website and Facebook page as we will be working hard to keep Kentucky fans updated on the latest news and rumors.  

Who’s next?  

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A great player for Wheelwright, the first in its great basketball history to ever make the All-State 1st Team, was Jeff Riley.

Riley accomplished that feat in his senior season of 1977. Steadily through his high school career, Riley’s stats climbed before exploding in his senior season of 1976-77.

As a freshman Riley scored 11 ppg. As a sophomore that average went up to 17 ppg. As a junior it climbed to 21.4 and he was an All-State Honorable Mention selection as he led the Trojans to a 20-6 record before falling in the District Tournament 60-58 to eventual 15th Region champions Betsy Layne.

Riley was second in state scoring in his senior season with a 28.1 avg, scoring 898 points in 32 games. That average came not from just putting up a lot of shots as we witness a lot of times. Efficiency is the word describing Riley’s approach, especially as a senior when he hit 55% of his attempts from the floor.

Riley set a school record with 50 points in a game against Elkhorn City and twice hit for 48 against Menifee County and Whitesburg.

Scoring wasn’t all the talented Riley was noted for. As a senior he averaged 12 rebounds and six assists. He was also a great student. Based on a four-point system he had a GPA of 3.9.

Riley led his Trojan teammates to a 24-8 record in his senior season, teaming with All State Honorable Mention teammate Dewey Jamerson to take the Trojans to the Regional semifinals. After defeating Paintsville 71-58 in the opening round they took it to eventual regional champs Virgie before falling 56-54.

He was selected to the All-State 1st Team at Wheelwright in 1977, making him the first All State 1st Team player in school history. That was quite an accomplishment as you know if you have followed our posts over the years because that school produced several college players.

Riley was coached by Frankie Francis, who we have discovered helped lots of players in the area get scholarships to further their basketball careers. Francis said Riley had all the tools.

“He’s a great perimeter shooter who uses the glass well. He handles the ball exceptionally well and he’s a great passer.”

Prestonsburg’s former star who played at Ole Miss, Fred Setser, was coaching Prestonsburg High School at the time. Setser had played against some of the best the area had ever offered as well as being one himself. He stated his thoughts on Riley.

“He is one of the best basketball players ever developed in eastern Kentucky. He’s big, he’s quick, he’s smart and an excellent shooter… He can go one on one with any high school kid in the state.” Riley received several offers but chose to play at Georgia Tech. He played in ten games there in his first season before transferring to Morehead. He later became an assistant at UK.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va – The Chapmanville Tigers have taken home the Class AAA boys’ basketball state championship after defeating the North Marion Huskies 71-67.

The Tigers, the number one seed going into the tournament, left Charleston with the title on Saturday after a third-quarter surge that set the pace for the remainder of the game.

Chapmanville knocked out Winfield in the semifinals by a staggering score of 72-47 the day prior to earn their spot in the championship game. In the final, two players combined for 43 points alone – Jay Brock and Keaton Terry.

Terry tossed in 23 points along with 19 rebounds while Brock finished with 20 points.

North Marion’s led the Huskies in scoring with 20 points and, for another double-double on the night, Conner Balwanz finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

For most of the game, the teams swapped the lead numerous times before the final buzzer.

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LEXINGTON – Ky. – It is no surprise that the recent list of inductees to the Class of 2026 Kentucky High School Basketball Hall of Fame includes two legends from right here in the mountains.

Bob Tallent and Herbie Stamper join a long line of local legends from Eastern Kentucky inducted into the Hall of Fame joining an elite group of players such as Todd May, Ervin Stepp, “King” Kelly Coleman, JR VanHoose, Elisha Justice, and John Pelphrey just to name a few.  

Bob Tallent is a very fitting name for this Kentucky legend. 

He was the oldest of three brothers who formed an elite basketball trio at Maytown High School. Bob was 6’1 shooting guard, averaged over 40 points per game his senior year (1964) and was named a High School All American, he ended his high school career scoring more than 2,300 points. 

Tallent wasn’t known for his athleticism or speed, but he was an elite shooter who could score the ball with ease. He continued his basketball career playing three seasons at the University of Kentucky for coach Adolf Rupp, from 1965 to 1967. Tallent was part of the Kentucky team famously known as, “Rupp’s Runts”. He scored a total of 240 points and grabbed 72 rebounds in 19 games in his final season at Kentucky before he transferred to George Washington University for his senior year. In his lone year at George Washington. He averaged 28.9 points per game, broke six school records, and led them to their first winning season in nine years while also being named to the Helms Foundation All-America team. After his playing career, Tallent joined the coaching staff at George Washington and eventually became one of the youngest head coaches in the nation after being named the head coach for GWU at just 28 years old. He finished his coaching career with a 102-84 overall record and is one of the winningest head coaches in GWU history.  

Herbie Stamper doesn’t just have an incredible name, he is one of the best players to ever come out of the 14^th region.  

Stamper played three seasons at Hindman High School in the early 70s before transferring to Knott County High School for his senior year. He scored over 2,100 points in his high school career, earning All-State Honorable Mention his junior year at Hindman, then was named First Team All-State and made the Kentucky High School Boy’s All-Star Team his senior season with Knott County. Herbie helped lead Knott County to an impressive 33-3 season, averaging over 27 points per game. The Patriots made their first Sweet 16 appearance after winning the district championship and the 14^th region championship behind Stamper’s leadership and elite level play. He continued his basketball career at Morehead State University (1975-1979), scoring over 2,000 points in his four seasons with the Eagles. Stamper led the team in scoring three seasons in a row, won Ohio Valley Conference honors multiple times, and led the conference in scoring for two seasons. He also led MSU in assists his final two seasons with the team. After his playing career, Stamper came back home and was a very successful coach for the Knott County Central girls’ basketball team for years.  Stamper was also inducted to the Morehead State Hall of Fame in 1990.

Bob Tallent and Herbie Stamper are joined by 10 other HOF inductees including, Makayla & Anthony Epps and Coaches Allen Feldhaus & Chrysti Noble. This class brings the total number of inductees to 203 individuals.  

The introduction ceremony will be held at the Lexington Opera House in Lexington, Kentucky on Saturday, August 22 at 7:30pm.  

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PRESTONSBURG, Ky. – Prestonsburg High School announced Tuesday that Shawn Hager has been named the school’s new boys head basketball coach.

“I am very excited for this opportunity to be part of the Blackcat basketball program,” Hager said. “I am looking forward to getting started and working with the players.”

As a player, Hager won three regional championships during his high school career, later going on to Alice Lloyd College to help lead the Eagles to four consecutive national tournament appearances.

And this won’t be Hager’s first time on the sidelines; he has already helped lead the Blackcats as interim head coach to a 58th District Championship.

Prestonsburg’s principal, Brandon Kidd, said Hager now brings all that experience to the table for the future of the school’s boys basketball program.

“We are excited to name Shawn as our new head coach here at PHS,” Kidd said. “Shawn brings a lot of experience and knowledge to our program. I am excited to watch our boys basketball program continue to grow both on and off the court.”

The school added Tuesday that Hager brings outstanding leadership, passion, and a clear vision for the future of the program, not only focusing on a winning tradition but also character, accountability, and growth.

“Coach Hager is not only a great basketball mind, but an even better person,” the school’s athletic director Tony Pacheco said. “He’s a godly man who understands the game and the impact a coach can have on young people. We are excited to have someone with his character, leadership, and passion guiding our student-athletes and representing Blackcat Nation.”

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With March Madness right around the corner, this time of year brings up a lot of memories for basketball fans around the state.

One team that comes to mind is the dominant Paintsville Tigers in the late 90s. This team was stacked from top to bottom, with a front court of Craig Ratliff, JR VanHoose, and Josh McKenzie; the Tigers were an impossible team to stop down low. On top of that, they were led by two elite guards, Todd Tackett and Matt Ratliff. This starting five was a force to be reckoned with and brought a Region and State Title home to Paintsville, Kentucky.  

The year prior to their 1996 state championship, the Tigers fell short with an overtime loss in the Sweet 16 against opponent Montgomery County. This experience is what helped Paintsville dominate the region and the state tournament the following year.  

Mountain Top Sports recently teamed up with the Mountain Sports Hall of Fame. The Hall posted a great story about the Tigers and their run to a state championship: 

“(In 1996) Paintsville won the regional title and another shot at statewide recognition. This time it would be different. The only similarity this year was an OT in the first game, this time vs. Owensboro.  Paintsville came out on top in that one 80-78.  

Another close one in the second game for the Tigers as they scrapped and scraped by Allen County-Scottsville and its All-Stater Warren Cunningham 78-76 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals it got a bit easier on these tall and talented Tigers, easing by Lexington Catholic 79-55. 

Now it would be for all the marbles – Paintsville against Ashland, who was also loaded with talent: Tony Barrow, Chris Lynch, Kyle Umberger and Tate Tolbert. The Tomcats came into the championship game 27-7. Paintsville entered at 25-10. 

Craig Ratliff had a score to settle in this contest. –with himself. He wasn’t satisfied with his 17 points vs. Lexington Catholic because of his 5-16 shooting from the field. He also was bothered by his six turnovers in that game. So, he set about making it right with himself and scored 30 points in the championship game, going 11 for 15 from the floor, blocking two shots and had only one turnover. That plus a great game from Josh McKenzie, and the whole crew brought the crown to Paintsville. Final score Paintsville 71-Ashland 53. Ratliff, VanHoose and Tackett were named to the All-Tournament team with VanHoose winning the MVP award. Ratliff later along with VanHoose was selected to the All-State 2nd Team. 

Ratliff entered the Sweet Sixteen averaging 18 points and 7.8 rebounds. He was recruited by Maryland, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, and others. 

Ratliff, although the basketball star with good size, opted to play the sport he loved most after high school and signed to pitch in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He had done it well at Paintsville under the tutelage of Charlie Adkins.  He also had signed to play basketball at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. 

After a few years, he signed to play basketball at Pikeville College (now the University of Pikeville). 

He currently teaches and is a coach at (Are you ready?) Ashland. Does the word “ironic” fit here?” 

This team is still talked about today being one of the best to ever come out of eastern Kentucky.  

Former Paintsville Tiger, state tournament MVP, and now Johnson Central assistant coach, JR VanHoose looks to use his playoff experience to help lead the Golden Eagles to a state title of their own, they are set to play George Rogers Clark in the first round of the Sweet 16 this Thursday, March 19 @ 8:30pm.  

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky men’s basketball senior guard Otega Oweh was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Central District Second Team, the organization announced on Tuesday.

It marks the second-consecutive season that the Wildcat star has received all-district honors from the NABC, after being named a first-team selection a year ago.

Oweh leads the Wildcats with 18.2 points per game this season and has scored in double figures in 33 of the team’s 34 contests. He is averaging career highs in points per game, assists per game (2.6) and steals per game (1.8) this season. Oweh’s 618 points this year are the second-most in a single season ever by a transfer at Kentucky. He is also the first Wildcat to score at least 575 points in consecutive seasons since Jamal Mashburn in 1992 and 1993.

The 6-foot-4 guard was particularly effective in Southeastern Conference play where he averaged 21.1 points per game and led the league with 14 games of 20 or more points. Oweh was just the fifth Wildcat to average 21.0 points per game in conference action since 1996-97 joining Jodie Meeks, Jamal Murray, Antonio Reeves and Malik Monk. He was a two-time SEC Player of the Week this season and earned a spot on the All-SEC Second Team.

In his two seasons at Kentucky, Oweh has scored 1,202 points, the second most ever by a Wildcat in their first two years behind only Bill Spivey (1,213). He has 31 total games with 20 or more points, including 23 against SEC opponents, the most at UK since at least 1996-97.

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