Five boys basketball teams that won regional championships last season headline the field announced Wednesday for the 2024 Chad Gardner Law King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic.
The 43rd annual KOB is set for Dec. 18-22 at Fairdale High School.
Adair County (Fifth Region), Ashland Blazer (16th), Butler County (Third), Newport (Ninth) and Trinity (Seventh) all won regional titles last season and are among the 14 Kentucky schools invited for the 16-team field.
The other Kentucky teams in the field will be Bryan Station, Fairdale, Frederick Douglass, Lloyd Memorial, Male, North Oldham, St. Xavier, South Laurel and Woodford County.
The two out-of-state teams will be Bryant (Arkansas) and Mater Lakes Academy of Hialeah, Florida. Bryant was Arkansas’ Class 6A state runner-up last season. Mater Lakes reached the final eight of Florida’s Class 4A playoffs.
Top individual players will include two members of The Courier Journal’s All-State first team from last season: Butler County’s Ty Price and Newport’s Tay Kinney.
Other players in the field who earned All-State honors last season are Ashland Blazer’s Zander Carter (Liberty University commit), Lloyd Memorial’s E.J. Walker (South Carolina commit), Male’s Cole Edelen, Adair County’s Isaiah Cochran, Frederick Douglass’ Armelo Boone and Bryan Station’s Amari Owens.
The tournament bracket will be released in November.
Great Crossing beat Little Rock (Arkansas) Central, 54-47, in last year’s KOB championship game.
More high school sports: Vote for Louisville-area high school boys athlete of week before polls close Thursday
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Follow on X @kyhighs.