Homestanding Kentucky Top Prospects Set For Louisville Summer Derby Classic



The Kentucky Top Prospects program is on the rise. After finding success in regional competitions, the club went looking for great challenges this summer. The first step in that direction came at the Deep South Classic in April, and Coach Jon Washington got just what he had hoped to see.

“The Deep South Classic was an amazing environment. The kids enjoyed it, but the big thing was that our parents fell in love with it,” Washington said. “I’ve been telling them what it was like, but then they finally saw it … and they loved it! I can’t tell you how many of them have told me that.

“There is no question that the experience at the Deep South Classic elevated our game. The kids learned a lot at the tournament, and they took it all home and worked just a little harder when they get home.”

Kentucky Top Prospects will hope to continue to improve next month when they compete in their home state at the 2015 Summer Derby Classic, which will be played in Louisville, KY on July 23-24. The tournament, which will include many of the top travel programs in the country, will be played at the Mid America Sports Center.

The No. 1 prospect for Top Prospects is Princess Stewart (2017, 5-10, CG), who is listed as the No. 209 recruit in her class by the All Star Girls Report. Stewart is an aggressive athlete who sees the floor and understands the game. She can hit the three, and she knows how to involve her teammates. Her father, Prince, played at UTEP in the backcourt along with Tim Hardaway.

“Princess is a tenacious competitor. That’s the most important thing with her,” noted Washington. “On her high school team she is the main scorer, but for us she does it all.”

Stewart gets plenty of support from T’laya Lyvers (2016, 5-9, WF) and Zariah Kanvagh (2016, 5-9, PG).

“T’laya is the best athlete on the team,” Washington said. “She plays defense like no other, and she has speed like no other. She is another player who can really do it all for us.

“Zariah has a lot of natural ability, and she is our floor leader. She sees the court very well, she is a vocal leader, and she brings a lot of energy to the court every time out.”