Local kids ready for all-star game

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With basketball season officially in the rearview mirror and all of the postseason accolades awarded, the majority of senior players are trying to make pick a college destination.

And while many players have had several opportunities to showcase their skill set for college recruiters, a select few will have one last opportunity to audition.

On Saturday, boys and girls players from Ohio and Kentucky will be competing against each other in the 25th annual Ohio-Kentucky All-Star game.

“This event has been highly successful over the last 25 years of helping players in Ohio and Kentucky to get scholarships out of this game, on both the boys and girls side,” Event Founder Dick Spencer. “The important thing is a lot of these kids haven’t signed yet and they get exposure with scouts coming out.”

An event that began at Shawnee State University, the all-star festivities now take place at Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Kentucky.

There will be three local player participating in this year’s contest — Minford’s Trey Kelley, Portsmouth’s Ky’re Allison and Valley’s Bryan Rolfe.

Trojans coach Eugene Collins will also participate in his first career all-star game and looks forward to working with each individual player.

“You get to work with some guys that you haven’t worked with in the past,” Collins said. “You’ve got 15 kids that are all very, very good on your team and the Kentucky team as well. You want to have fun and really just enjoy the moment of playing or coaching in such a prestigious game.”

Collins said the experience garnered in the game can be invaluable.

“For the kids, they can measure how they stand up, particularly with the rosters that both teams have,” Collins said. “It’s a very competitive game on both sides. It’s not like your typical All-Star game.”

Falcons coach Josh Shoemaker is excited to see how Kelley performs against the top-rated competition.

“It will be a good opportunity to showcase his skill set against the best competition from Ohio and Kentucky,” Shoemaker said.

The competition will begin Friday night with a variety of skills competitions, including a slam-dunk contest and 3-point shootout. Saturday, the girls game will take place at 5:30 p.m., while the boys are scheduled to play at 7:30 p.m.

By Chris Slone

[email protected]

Reach Chris Slone at 740-353-3101, ext 1930, or on Twitter @crslone.

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