Lloyd Memorial High School basketball player EJ Walker has not wasted any time showing who leads the race for his college services. End of season basketball honors have quickly piled up for area high school and college players, and some prestigious scholarships were recently designated. It’s all part of the fastest thousand words in sports.
WALKER NAMES HIS TOP 12: Lloyd Memorial’s EJ Walker said in January one of his goals during the college recruiting process was to finalize before spring a list of teams that he’s most interested in playing for after his high school career. The 6-foot-8, 230-pound Walker finalized his list at 11 a.m. March 1 on his X account. Among the 29 teams that have offered Walker, he listed 12 finalists: California, Dayton, Illinois, Iowa, Louisville, Ohio State, Minnesota, Purdue, South Carolina, Xavier, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
“Thanking God for the skills, talents and abilities he has blessed me with!” wrote Walker as he made the announcement.
Walker is Kentucky’s No. 2 college prospect in his 2025 class, according to Prephoops.com. A statewide panel of coaches ranked him sixth on this year’s list of Kentucky’s top 30 high school basketball players in a poll conducted by the Louisville Courier-Journal. He is an all-Division II first team all-conference by the Northern Kentucky Boys Basketball Coaches Association. Walker leads the Juggernauts with 17.1 points and 11 .2 rebounds per game.
FOOTBALL STANDOUTS PITZER, ABDON HONORED: Covington Catholic senior quarterback Evan Pitzer’s all-around performance has earned him earn the annual Brian Williams “That’s My Boy Award. : The award goes to the Northern Kentucky high school football player who best combines achievements in football, academics and extra-curricular activities. The honor came at last week’s Greater Cincinnati Chapter of the National Football Foundation’s 57th annual Scholar-Athlete Banquet.
Pitzer ranked second in Kentucky Class 4A with 32 passing touchdowns, third with 2,592 passing yards and third with a program-record 69.9% completion percentage. He was second on the Colonels with 637 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, giving him a hand in 43 of CovCath’s 82 TDs. He was the Northern Kentucky Football Coaches Association Class 4A player of the year and an honorable mention all-state selection for the state runner-up Colonels (14-1).
The Northern Kentucky “That’s My Boy” award’s namesake is former award winner Brian P. Williams. The Covington Catholic graduate died in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks at the World Trade Center. Three other Northern Kentucky nominees: Highlands’ Brody Benke, Cooper’s Jack Lonaker and Dixie Heights’ Beni Mwamba.
Among four college players who demonstrated excellence on the field, in the classroom and community was Thomas More University junior Isaac Abdon. He was a former standout at Lloyd Memorial. Abdon got into in all 11 games, was second on the team in total tackles with 52 while earning all-district academic honors in 2023.
ALEXANDER, SHEA EARN GABBARD SCHOLARSHIPS: Cooper’s Maleah Alexander and St. Henry’s Carson Shea have been awarded $2,500 college scholarships by the Ray Gabbard Memorial Scholarship Fund. The seniors receive their awards at the 9th Region boys and girls basketball tournaments at Northern Kentucky University’s Truist Arena. The 9th Region Basketball Officials Association named the scholarship fund after former longtime local official Ray Gabbard. The association helps raise money for the scholarships at an annual golf outing. This year’s event at Kenton County Golf Courses is Sept. 7.
Alexander and Shea were among a strong contingent of nominees who submitted applications. Alexander, a starting guard and defensive stopper for two-time defending 9th Region champion Cooper, will use her scholarship at Liberty University. She averaged 3.3 points and 2.1 rebounds and earned the 2023-24 Northern Kentucky Girls Basketball Coaches Association Division I Miss Hustle Award. Shea (6.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg) won the 2023-24 Northern Kentucky Boys Basketball Coaches Association Division II Mr. Hustle Award.
THOLE ADDS TO FAMILY LEGACY: Villa Madonna senior center Henry Thole finished his basketball career with 1,576 points and 1,029 rebounds. He’s the program’s third all-time leading scorer and leading rebounder. His brother James Thole had 936 points (ninth all-time at VMA) and 616 rebounds (second all-time). That gave the brothers 2,512 points and 1,645 rebounds over the past eight seasons. Over the past six seasons, 30% of Villa Madonna’s total scoring and 35% of the rebounding has come from them.
Henry Thole, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound left-hander, has one college basketball offer, from NCAA Division III Centre College. He scored a team-leading 17.8 points per game this season. Thole leads the area and is second in the state with 15.4 rebounds. He is the 2023-24 Northern Kentucky Boys Basketball Coaches Association Division III conference player of the year. More of his exploits are at henrythole.com.
NKU MEN’S BASKETBALL ALL-HORIZON SELECTIONS: Three players on the Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team are 2023-24 all-Horizon League honorees. Marques Warrick is first-team all-Horizon League for the second straight season and the league’s Sportsmanship Award winner. Trey Robinson is the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and a member of the All-Defensive Team. Randall Pettus II is a member of the All-Freshman Team.
NKU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ALL-HORIZON PICKS: A pair of NKU women’s basketball players are Horizon League 2023-24 honorees. Carter McCray is Freshman of the Year and a member of both the All-Freshman Team and All-League Second Team. Khamari Mitchell-Steen is All-League Third Team.
SPEED READS: Thomas More senior Reid Jolly has had a flair for the dramatic, going back to his Campbell County High School days. But he outdid himself this time. In his final regular season basketball game March 2 on Senior Day, Jolly put up his first career triple-double. He did that in an 82-43 home win over Ohio Dominican. Jolly, honored at halftime for his career accomplishments, turned the trick with 11 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists.
Ryan Lubbers is the new golf coach at Covington Catholic. He was a math teacher at CovCath beginning in 2008. Lubbers was scorekeeper for home basketball games. He played high school golf at Bishop Brossart. He replaces Alex Ammerman, who guided the Colonels to back-to-back regional championships in 2018-19. They had a team-best sixth-place state finish in 2018 during his seven seasons. Ammerman, CovCath’s alumni director as the school gears up for its 100th anniversary, is also a new father. The school said he will continue in an administrative role with the golf program, assisting with scheduling.
Here are locals among the 2023-24 all-10th Region boys basketball honorees. First team: Connor Weinel (Campbell County). Second team: Xarek Sarakatsannis (Scott), Garyn Jackson (Campbell County). Third team: Broc Sorgenfrei (Campbell County). Honorable mention: Dylan Giffen (Scott), Parker Mulberry (Bishop Brossart), Race Zachary (Calvary Christian).