How 5 Kentucky targets performed at Grind Session event in Owensboro

Owensboro, KY, was the site of a major high school basketball matchup between two national powerhouses on Thursday night.

Florida schools Prolific Prep and Southeastern Prep, arguably the top two high school teams in the entire country right now, went head-to-head in a primetime matchup at the Owensboro Sportscentter hosted by the Grind Session. Running throughout the weekend, 22 teams (17 boys, five girls) from across 10 states and Canada converged on western Kentucky to showcase their talents. But this event was all about the two Florida prep programs, which are headlined by several of the top high school players around.

And Kentucky is recruiting a ton of them, although we did not see any UK coaches in attendance on Thursday. The only college coach spotted in the building was Louisville assistant Thomas Carr. Kentucky is currently in Nashville preparing for Friday’s showdown with No. 11 Gonzaga.

Prolific Prep came out with the win, 75-64, in a game that they ran away with during the second half. Prolific Prep rosters a trio of Wildcat targets that all saw the floor. Southeastern Prep also has three high-level UK recruits, although one of them, Southeastern Prep’s Obinna Ekezie Jr., the No. 2 ranked player in the class of 2027, was not in attendance as he recovers from a recent minor shoulder injury.

However, that still left us with five major prospects who have significant Kentucky interest. Here is how they performed:

Prolific Prep

• SG Caleb Holt – No. 2 overall in 2026: 26 pts, 16 rebs, 1 ast, 2 stls | 9-18 FG, 2-6 3PT, 6-6 FT
• SF Brunch Branch III – No. 5 overall in 2026: 11 pts, 9 rebs, 3 asts, 1 blk, 1 stl | 4-14 FG, 1-5 3PT, 2-4 FT
• PG Nasir Anderson – No. 6 overall in 2027: 14 pts, 8 asts, 4 rebs, 2 stls | 6-16 FG, 0-4 3PT, 2-6 FT

Southeastern Prep

• PF CJ Rosser – No. 1 overall in 2027: 12 pts, 8 rebs, 2 asts, 3 blks, 2 stls | 3-12 FG, 1-4 3PT, 5-5 FT
• PG Beckham Black  – No. 18 overall in 2027: 14 pts, 9 rebs, 11 asts, 2 stls | 5-12 FG, 1-4 3PT, 3-4 FT

It was admittedly not the best showing from Branch or Rosser, who struggled to shoot the ball and looked out of sorts for a good chunk of the game. Holt was the clear-cut star for most of the night, and his impressive numbers proved that. Scoring around the rim was not a problem. 16 rebounds is not an error, either — Holt was skying for every board and looking to turn it into transition opportunities.

But I came away particularly impressed with the two 2027 point guards.

I’ll start with Anderson, who is generously listed at 6-foot-2, but plays like a 6-foot-6 bowling ball with no fear of anyone in front of him. He gets to the rim at will while making sure his teammates are involved. There was a couple-minute stretch in the second half where he took over the game and had no issue getting to his spots. The shooting numbers fell short, but the talent is undeniable. The same can be said for Black, who nearly posted a triple-double. The younger (and shorter) brother of current NBA player Anthony Black, Beckham played under control and looked the part of a true floor general, even hitting a tough three on the move. Black vs. Anderson was a fun point guard battle.

If you weren’t in the Owensboro area on Thursday night, you can still get a taste of how it all went down. Grind Session livestreamed the entire game, which you can watch by clicking on the video below.