KSR's takeaways from the Derek Smith Invitational in Louisville
On Saturday and Sunday, Made Hoops held the Derek Smith Invitational at St. Xavier High School in Louisville, and KSR was there to catch all of the action. Many top national and in-state recruits, including several Kentucky targets, were in town for the star-studded event. Here are some of the main takeaways that the KSR crew came up with.
AJ Dybantsa is the best player in high school basketball
It’s no secret that Prolific Prep is one of the most talented and best teams in the nation, and they are headlined by not one, but two Kentucky targets in AJ Dybantsa and Tyran Stokes. The two phenoms justified their top rankings in the On3 Industry Rankings during their two games of play in the Derek Smith Invitational.
Dybantsa showed that not only is he the best prospect in the 2025 class, but he is the best prospect in all of high school basketball. Against Link Academy on Saturday, Dybantsa was firing on all cylinders, scoring 26 points in the Crew’s win over Tre Johnson and Link Academy. Though he struggled some against St. X on Sunday, Dybantsa still did more than enough to help his team get to an 83-74 win over the Tigers.
Dybantsa can simply do it all on the floor. He has incredible basketball IQ, for starters. At just 16 years old, the Five-Star Plus+ wing has great instinct on the floor. In transition defense, he knows exactly where to be to stop the fastbreak and get a stop. On offense, he knows when to make the right cuts to set himself or a teammate up for an easy bucket. It’s almost like the game is in slow motion for Dybantsa, and he always seems to be a play ahead.
— Phoenix Stevens
Tyran Stokes is an athletic freak, making him a perfect fit for UK
Of all the players in high school basketball, Tyran Stokes may be the player best suited to step in and do his thing at Kentucky. John Calipari, Orlando Antigua, and Chin Coleman were all in attendance to see the Louisville native dominate in his hometown, and I think it’s safe to say that they’d love to make him UK’s first commit of the 2026 class.
Stokes simply did whatever he wanted to against his competition at the Derek Smith Invitational, making numerous coaches scratch their heads, trying to figure out how to stop him. Stokes had just 12 points against Link Academy, but that was enough to put Prolific Prep on top. Against St. X, Stokes’ size, length, and overall athleticism made the difference in the game.
And those three things are exactly why John Calipari and company are recruiting Stokes as hard as they are. Listed at 6’7 and 225 pounds with a nearly seven-foot wingspan, Stokes already has the physical frame of Calipari’s liking. Stokes is very good offensively, as he is able to create his own shots and finish in the paint at an elite level, but he may be better defensively. That frame of his allows him to cause disruption against opposing ball-handlers and to fight for rebounds. One of the biggest “Calipari guys” in high school basketball.
— Phoenix Stevens
State of Kentucky has best talent it has had in several years
It’s time we narrow our focus from the national scale to taking a look at some of the best teams around the state of Kentucky. Specifically, we’ll take a close look at the St. Xavier Tigers and the Frederick Douglass Broncos. Despite being two of the best the state of Kentucky has to offer, the general consensus was that both teams would crumble against national powers, but to the surprise of many, both teams left the floor with a lot of promise for the rest of their respective seasons.
St. X opened up the Sunday slate of games against Prolific Prep, who is (obviously) very, very good. Coming off of a disappointing 18-14 season in 2022-23, the Tigers seemed to be down for the count heading into Sunday’s game. However, that was not the case. St. X went toe-to-toe with the Crew, and they have nothing to be ashamed of following their loss. Perhaps the rebuild at St. X won’t last so long after all.
Then, there’s Frederick Douglass, who made a very strong case as to why they could be the best high school basketball team in Kentucky. Led by head coach Stephon Harris (and Sources Say co-host and assistant coach Shawn Smith, may I add), the Broncos fought their way to a huge upset win over St. Frances, a traditional powerhouse out of Baltimore, Maryland. Douglass seemed to be able to control the pace throughout the whole game on offense, and their pesky, up-in-your-grill defense helped them get to a 61-56 win.
Oh, and here’s this sick poster dunk from Douglass sophomore DeMarcus Surratt, which was probably the best highlight play from the Derek Smith Invitational.
— Phoenix Stevens
Jayden Quaintance held out of Sunday’s game with injury
Now, the elephant in the room. All week long, Kentucky fans were excited to see the most recent Kentucky signee, Five-Star Plus+ center Jayden Quaintance, in action, but he was held out of Word of God’s lone game on Sunday due to a facial injury.
Even though Quaintance didn’t see the court, Calipari and company still made sure to speak with him when they got the chance. JQ has already signed his NLI to play for the program, but Kentucky is still looking to keep in contact with the 6’9 big man. Good to see.
A good number of Kentucky fans made their way to St. X to watch Quaintance play, but unfortunately, he didn’t end up playing. Instead, Kentucky fans got the “watch him in warmups” treatment. On more than one occasion, JQ showed his premier hops as he threw down a few monster jams for the crowd (while wearing sandals, by the way. I do NOT recommend Quaintance, or anybody for that matter, tries dunking in sandals).
— Phoenix Stevens
Additional thoughts following the Derek Smith Invitational
And after all of that, there’s still more to talk about. With KSR at the Derek Smith Invitational to watch it all, here are some additional thoughts and takeaways from the two-day hoops extravaganza.
- Prolific Prep is loaded with top-tier talent. It’s not just AJ Dybantsa and Tyran Stokes, who are both ranked No. 1 in their respective classes (although they’re a big reason). This team is also deep. Derrion Reid is a five-star talent who can impact the game on both ends. Zoom Diallo has great vision and feel for the game at the point guard position. Aiden Sherrell does everything you could want in a modern big — Jacob Polacheck
- Keep an eye on Douglass’ DeMarcus Surratt. Brother of Kentucky 6-10 student manager Ray Surratt — a big-time hooper in his own right. The sophomore guard was terrific in a statement win, proving his status as a clear stock-riser in the state. He played with poise, knocked down dagger threes and threw down the highlight of the afternoon with the viral poster. Expect the mid-major offers to start rolling in with high-major schools sniffing around before long — Jack Pilgrim
- ‘25 Frederick Douglass standout Armelo Boone is also a player, nice size and skilled in the backcourt. Smooth shooter with three-level scoring, set the tone early with an array of quick buckets before Surratt closed down the stretch. Among the best one-two punches in the state — Jack Pilgrim
- Saint Xavier sophomore Jeremiah Jackson is among the state’s top-rising standouts. He’s a physical presence with tenacity on both ends. A strong finisher and comfortable shot-maker, the son of former NFL player Bernard Jackson, he’s got phenomenal build with room to grow at 6-4. With early offers from Ohio and Cincinnati, he’s already being noticed — Jack Pilgrim
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