Cardinal Classic welcomes high school girls basketball and college coaches

Published 2:20 pm Tuesday, June 20, 2023

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With this past year’s NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Game between Iowa and LSU garnering nearly 10 million viewers, it’s safe to say that women’s basketball is on the rise.

On Thursday and Friday in Winchester, teams and coaches came to watch high school stars.

The Cardinal Classic Shootout – featuring 51 high school teams and college staff from many locations including Division 1 schools – took place at both GRC Arena and the College Park Gym on Wheeler Avenue.

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“This is the first year that they’re allowing college coaches to come out to view high school teams in the summer,” said GRC Girls Basketball Head Coach Robbie Graham. “[We’re] excited about hosting it.”

Along with the Lady Cards, who finished in the Final Four of last year’s KHSAA Girls State Basketball Tournament, several other defending regional champions were present.

Among them were Ashland (Blazer), Bowling Green, Frederick Douglass, Mercy Academy, Owensboro Catholic, Simon Kenton and Mercer County.

Montgomery County, a 40th District, and 10th Region foe, also participated.

Other Kentucky teams included Boyd County, Bullitt East, Corbin, Franklin County, Henry Clay, Notre Dame, Rowan County, Madison Central and Southern, and Louisville’s Ballard and Male programs.

Out-of-state opponents included Tennessee’s Clarksville Christian, Ohio’s Pickerington Central, and Princeton High School – also from Ohio.

At 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, the latter scrimmaged against the Lady Cards in a game that saw some of last year’s players get added playing time and some new players see time on the floor.

In a tight contest that went back and forth, the Lady Cards took a narrow two-point halftime lead into the locker room.

Victory looked to be within their grasp as they built a twelve-point advantage, only to see the powerful squad from Princeton come back and tie the game.

However, the Lady Cards were able to regain momentum.

Following a free throw and late basket by Ciara Byars and the Lady Cards’ stellar defense forcing a late turnover, GRC walked away with a 54-51 victory.

“It’s been pretty fun. This is a great exposure event, especially [because] it’s in the summer,” said Byars, a junior who has already fielded offers from numerous schools. “Our fight and our grit…it’s exciting, and I can’t wait to see more this season.”

While plenty of fans were in the stands, a large section of college coaches bearing their school’s colors occupied the second floor.

The schools represented included UK, Louisville, Western Kentucky, Murray State, Bellarmine, Cincinnati, Ohio State, Clemson, Duke, Purdue, Marshall, West Virginia, the University of Michigan and the University of Illinois.

University of Miami assistant coach Josh Petersen was present, representing a Hurricanes team that made it to the Elite Eight of last year’s NCAA Tournament.

“It’s a great group of talented teams and kids,” Petersen said. “We’ve watched them with their club team, but this is a great opportunity to see them in a high school setting.”

Peterson was asked what he would look for in a potential scholarship athlete.

“I think it’s all about fit, honestly,” he said. “‘What [does] your roster need in the year…How do they fit within your system?’ I think those things kind of mesh together.”

Following the first year of the Cardinal Classic, hopes are high for the future.

“Hopefully, it’ll continue to grow”, Coach Graham said. “We felt like we got some good matchups.”