The Lloyd Memorial High School boys basketball team is loaded. So much so that the Juggernauts are the favorites to three-repeat as 34th District tournament champions and contend for a 9th Region title. Lloyd Memorial boasts the best player in the district, if not the best in the entire region, and one of the best in the state in EJ Walker. The Juggernauts also have quality depth, a rare commodity in the district this season.
Dixie Heights is a strong No. 2 and also a threat to make some noise in the regional tournament. St. Henry lost a lot but that doesn’t necessarily mean the Crusaders fall behind a more experienced Ludlow squad. Villa Madonna also lost significant talent.
Here is a team-by-team look at the 34th District with teams listed in order of expected finish along with their record from last season.
This is the third day of six with district-by-district high school basketball previews for Districts 32-37 ahead of the upcoming season which begins Dec. 2.
Boys basketball previews
Girls basketball previews
LLOYD MEMORIAL (25-9)
The two-time defending 34th district champion is looking for a third straight crown with virtually everybody back for coach Mike Walker. This includes 6-foot-8, 230-pound senior forward EJ Walker, the coach’s son. Walker, a South Carolina four-star recruit, is the No. 2 player in the Kentucky class of 2025, according to several scouting services. He led the 9th Region tournament semifinalist with per-game averages of 16.9 points and 11.1 rebounds last season, which ranked 17th in Kentucky.
Walker was a Division II all-conference selection by local coaches and a Kentucky-Indiana Junior All-Star. Walker’s size, athleticism and foot work combined with his versatility and ball skills make for a tough defensive assignment, and he has greatly improved on defense. With 1,322 career points, he needs 267 to become the school’s all-time scoring leader, surpassing Ryan Wilson (1,588).
Following Walker in the scoring column were Isaiah Sebastian (12.3 ppg), Anthony Blaackar (11.2 ppg), Elijah Collins (7.9 ppg) and Carter Bresser (6.0 ppg). They’re all back to help Lloyd extend its 13-game winning streak against district competition. Sebastian hit 53% of his 3-point attempts and 51% from the field. Blaakar shot 62.2% from the field.
All but two players converted at least 70% from the free throw line, helping the Juggernauts rank in the state’s top 50. The Juggernauts ranked sixth statewide in field goal shooting (52.2%) and third in 3-point accuracy (42.1%). It’s not just offense. The Juggernauts ranked 24th statewide in scoring defense (52.4 ppg).
DIXIE HEIGHTS (18-14)
The returning district tournament runner-up has a new head coach in veteran Scott Code, promoted from assistant. He inherits a good shooting basketball team following a much improved 2023-24. The Colonels enjoyed an 11-win uptick last season. They lost by just two points in overtime to Lloyd Memorial in the district final. They were narrowly beaten by Covington Catholic in a two-point loss in the first round of the 9th Region tournament.
“I feel that we have very smart and coachable players, which will allow us to make adjustments when needed,” said Code, last a head coach at Bishop Brossart in 2022. “We will also have more depth and some of these guys will play pivotal roles. But we will have to develop our depth as it is a bit young and inexperienced.”
Another objective is making a breakthrough against Lloyd as the Colonels’ only losses last season against district opponents came against the Juggernauts. Helping the cause are three returning starters. They are Griffen Derry (15.1 ppg), Max Rubemeyer (8.4 ppg) and Owen Niehues (7.2 ppg).
Derry shot 50.6% from 3-point range and needs 251 points to reach 1,000 in his career. Rubemeyer shot 47.4% on 3s. Derry and Rubemeyer both hit better than 54% from the field. Fully half the roster shot 50% or better, helping Dixie rank eighth in the state in field goal shooting (52.1%). The Colonels finished second statewide in 3-point accuracy (43.3%).
ST. HENRY (10-18)
Head man Dave Faust, the 9th Region’s all-time basketball coaching wins leader, is looking for some players to take big steps forward this season. Eight seniors left the program so the coach was already looking at a rebuild, then his top player got hurt.
“Caden Kunstek may miss the entire year because of an injury in football,” Faust said. “Nate Bessler, Jacob Reis and Cooper McIntire got some valuable experience last season. But I don’t think I have had this much inexperience in a long time.”
Faced with this season’s massive overhaul, the resourceful Faust was reaching deep into his bag of tricks to keep the Crusaders respectable. He’s recalibrating again after the loss of Kunstek. The 6-2 forward averaged 8.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore. Faust’s main objective now is finding an on-court leader and the right mix of players at the top of a brand-new rotation. Ideally, he’s looking for the emergence of disciplined players who can score and defend.
“We have to improve on our defense,” said Faust, whose squad beat Villa Madonna last season and Ludlow twice for a 3-2 record against district foes. “We also have to be very fundamentally sound because we don’t have much height.”
LUDLOW (18-13)
Strength in senior numbers has Ludlow feeling optimistic. The Panthers welcome back seven seniors including Division III all-conference standout Spencer Brandenburg. The rugged point guard averaged 16.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last season as part of a three-headed scoring monster at Ludlow.
A dangerous long-range shooter, Brandenburg will get plenty of quality looks at the basket. That works. The team will be asking him to carry a bigger scoring burden as he bears down on 1,000 career points. With 966, he needs 34 points to reach the milestone. Graduated standouts Elijah Perrin and Ethan Powell took 50% of the scoring with them, creating an opportunity for a surge for Brandenburg.
After the big three, the best scorers were Joseph Scott (6.0 ppg) and Byron Conley (3.5 ppg). They’re back along with fellow seniors Matt Brock and Brayden McDaniel, sophomore shooter Gage Grider and freshman point guard Logan Day. They’re adding newcomer Andrew Stevens, a 6-2 senior forward, and freshman Andre Englemon, who is new to Ludlow.
“This team could be as athletic as any team I’ve had since I took the job three years ago,” Stamm said. “We have the potential to be able to play 10 guys on a given night and I feel very good about our team’s overall potential on the offensive end of the floor. We have to get better and buy into the defensive end, including rebounding. It will be an area of concentration for us during the season. If we guard, we have a chance to be good.”
VILLA MADONNA (14-15)
The youthful Vikings are in transition on the hardwood. They have a new head coach in James Meyers, elevated from his assistant position. They also suffered heavy graduation losses so one of the objectives this season is building team chemistry. An additional goal is improving the defense.
“This year is a team-first mentality with no focus on any one player like in years past,” Meyers said. “Also, a big focus on defense this year. With this basically being a new team after graduating so many seniors, it’s not as much about improving on last year as much as it is forging a name for ourselves.”
Seven seniors from last season are gone, including area rebounding leader Henry Thole, now a walk-on at Xavier University. There are reasons for optimism. Versatile Quinn Thomas, the lone returning starter and the Vikings’ only senior, has been a remarkably consistent producer two seasons running. The guard/forward averaged between 6 and 7 points per game each season and about 3.2 rebounds. He is among a handful of players with varsity experience and the team needs him to improve his scoring.
Returning players challenging for starting roles include last season’s sixth man, junior Michael Callioni (5.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg). The team’s junior class could very well wind up being a strength. There are a whopping eight juniors on roster including Michael Popham and 6-foot-8 Drew Thomas, both of whom have improved significantly over the last year. Talented freshman Zach Webb and 6-3 junior Jay Meyers are ready to contribute. Meyers is back after a year’s absence.