Get ready for the ultimate showdown in Kentucky basketball! The 41st Annual Chad Gardner Law King of the Bluegrass brings together the best high school teams and players from across the state and beyond. Six of the Courier-Journal’s top 10 teams will go head to head, including regional favorites from the second, fourth, seventh, eighth, tenth, and eleventh regions. This year’s tournament features a total of ten teams ranked in the top 25 in the state, as well as four former champions, including Fairdale, George Rogers Clark, Male, and Trinity.
The action kicks off on Friday with a four-game slate. The first matchup pits seventh region favorite and third-ranked Trinity against 15th-ranked North Oldham, the favorite in the eighth region. Trinity will look to senior Cam McClain, who made a school record 95 3-pointers as a junior last year, and new additions Jayden Johnson and Drae Vasser to lead the way. North Oldham, on the other hand, will be led by guard Dallas Roberts, who averaged 16.8 points per game last season and helped the Mustangs reach their first Boys Sweet 16 in school history. The second game of the day features host Fairdale against LaRue County, with the Bulldogs led by junior duo Dalton Hicks and Jacob Tucker, and LaRue County led by senior guard Carson Childress. The third game sees 13th-ranked Woodford County take on 24th-ranked DuPont Manual, with Woodford County led by John McCrear and Jasper Johnson, and DuPont Manual led by Damone King, the preseason pick for seventh region player of the year. The final game of the evening pits second-ranked Warren Central against 18th-ranked DeSales, with Warren Central returning four starters from last season’s team, including Omari Glover and Chappelle Whitney, and DeSales led by junior forward Will Gibson.
The first round of action continues on Saturday, with Central Catholic of Pittsburgh taking on Sagemont of Weston, Florida in the opener. The Vikings of Central Catholic will be led by incoming transfer Debaba Tshiebwe, while Sagemont School comes off a Florida Class 2A state runner-up finish last season. The second game features seventh-ranked Great Crossing against Spencer County, with Great Crossing led by sophomore center Malachi Moreno and Spencer County led by junior Luke Erhardt. The third game sees defending Kentucky State Champions George Rogers Clark against sixth-ranked Male, with George Rogers Clark currently ranked 14th in the nation and Male led by senior Jack Edelen. The final first-round matchup pits tenth-ranked Lyon County against Harlan County, with Lyon County led by guard Travis Perry and Harlan County led by junior guard Weston Jones. Don’t miss out on this exciting high school basketball event!
What is the King of the Bluegrass Tournament?
The King of the Bluegrass Basketball Tournament is a highly-regarded high school basketball tournament that has been held annually in the state of Kentucky since 1968. Over the years, the tournament has become known for its strong field of teams and its ability to showcase the top talent in the state. It returns next week with another strong field and will be held Dec 16-22.
The tournament was first held in 1968 at Fairdale High School in Louisville, Kentucky. The inaugural event featured eight teams from across the state, and was won by Pleasure Ridge Park High School. The following year, the tournament moved to Louisville’s Freedom Hall, where it has been held every year since.
In the early years of the tournament, the field was limited to teams from the Louisville area. However, as the event grew in popularity, teams from other parts of the state were invited to participate. By the 1980s, the tournament featured some of the top teams in Kentucky, and had become a highly-anticipated event on the high school basketball calendar.
One of the most dominant teams in the early years of the tournament was Male High School. The team, nicknamed the “Bulldogs,” won four consecutive championships from 1976 to 1979, and established itself as one of the top programs in the state. Other notable teams from the era include Pleasure Ridge Park, which won back-to-back championships in 1984 and 1985, and Ballard High School, which claimed the title in 1982 and 1986.
In the 1990s and 2000s, the tournament continued to attract top-notch teams from across Kentucky. In 1992, Louisville’s Trinity High School won the championship, marking the first time a team from outside the Louisville area had claimed the title. The following year, Lexington’s Dunbar High School became the first team from outside the Louisville and Lexington areas to win the tournament.
In recent years, the tournament has continued to be a showcase for the top talent in the state. In 2011, Lexington’s Paul Laurence Dunbar High School won the championship, and in 2015, Scott County High School became the first team from outside the Louisville and Lexington areas to win the tournament since 1993. The tournament also regularly attracts top players from across the country, including future NBA stars such as Rajon Rondo and Darius Miller.
In addition to the main tournament, the King of the Bluegrass also features a number of other events, including a girls’ tournament and a junior varsity tournament. These events provide an opportunity for up-and-coming players to showcase their skills and compete against top-level competition.
The King of the Bluegrass Basketball Tournament has a long and storied history in the state of Kentucky. Over the years, the event has become known for its strong field of teams and its ability to showcase the top talent in the state. As the tournament enters its second half-century, it remains a beloved and highly-anticipated event for high school basketball fans in Kentucky.
See our coverage over the years of this event: HERE
