2025 Rankings Update: Top Combo Guards
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The class of 2025 is full of talent. It honestly might be the most talented class collectively that this state has seen in recent years. The combo guard position is especially loaded. 2 of the 5 players in this article…
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Continue ReadingThe class of 2025 is full of talent. It honestly might be the most talented class collectively that this state has seen in recent years. The combo guard position is especially loaded. 2 of the 5 players in this article made the 14 player All-Tournament team at the state tournament this year and all 5 of these players averaged double-digit scoring throughout their freshman seasons. Let’s take a look at the top combo guards in our latest rankings update.
Ciara Byars Ciara Byars 6'2" | CG George Rogers Clark | 2025 State KY | George Rogers Clark
Byars has been nothing short of phenomenal all season long. She is an absolute match-up nightmare for opposing teams. She can play inside or out on both ends of the court, and she does it all at a very high level. She’s got the strength of an upperclassman and outstanding length. She’s very strong with the ball and can handle it well. On the outside, she can knock down the 3 from deep range. Byars can also knock them down with a hand in her face or a player running at her and she did that consistently all season. On the inside, she has phenomenal moves around the rim and she goes after every rebound hard. If you don’t work to box her out around the basket, she’s getting the offensive rebound and put-back. She finishes with contact as well. As mentioned above, the freshman does it all on both ends of the floor and is a great defender & shot blocker. Byars has a couple of D1 offers already, but I’d be shocked if she doesn’t see that number increase substantially by the end of this summer.
Peyton Bradley Peyton Bradley 5'9" | CG Meade County | 2025 State KY | Meade County
I’ve said it all season, but Bradley has consistently been one of my favorite players to watch because she’s so skilled, but yet she still does all of the things that require effort and hard work. She has one of the best shots in the state, regardless of class. Bradley just finished her freshman season as the #1 3-point shooter, a top 10 free throw shooter, and top 30 scorer in the state. She scored over 650 points as a freshman. She also has great handles and excellent court vision. She works extremely hard on the defensive end, not only reading the passing lanes and defending the ball, but also crashing the boards. Did I mention she also led her team in rebounds? As good as she is, however, what might be most impressive is that you can see how much she just wants to help her team win. She doesn’t make it about herself or her own accomplishments at all. She led her team to the quarterfinals of the state tournament where they fell short to the eventual runner-up, but she was 1 of only 14 players to earn a spot on the KHSAA Girls’ Sweet 16 All-Tournament team.
Karmin Riley Karmin Riley 5'7" | CG Owensboro Catholic | 2025 State KY | Owensboro Catholic
Riley is a star in the making. She is a phenomenal shooter. In fact, she finished in the top 20 in the state for 3-point shots this season and shot nearly 40% from deep, but she is a really good scorer overall. She reached the 1,000 point mark in her freshman year and I have a feeling she’s eventually going to surpass not only the 2,000 point mark, but I honestly could see her getting 3,000+ before the end of her high school career. The freshman does a little bit of everything when she’s on the floor and she has really good court awareness. On the stat sheet, it’s not odd to see Riley shine in the points, rebounds, steals, and assists columns. She can handle the ball and makes some really good passes. She can shoot floaters and get to the rim at-will most of the time, and when she draws contact around the basket, she is a very good free throw shooter.
Niah Rhodes Niah Rhodes 5'7" | CG Frederick Douglass | 2025 State KY | Frederick Douglass
Rhodes has a really good shot and she can hit it off the dribble or catch. She’s got a high basketball IQ and is an impressive passer. She’s got a variety of highly skilled moves in her bag. She has good ball handling moves and is comfortable with the ball in her hands, but she also has some excellent moves around the basket. She excels at driving to the rim and it’s hard to keep her from getting there or into the paint. Rhodes plays hard when she’s on the floor and she seems to work really hard to improve her game as well. She finished 6th in the state for 3-point field goals this season and I think she’s going to continue to move her way up the list of the top players in the state, regardless of class.
Addison Terry Addison Terry 5'8" | CG Owsley County | 2026 State KY | Owsley County
Terry is actually only an 8th grader, so she’s technically the class of 2026, but you would never guess it if you were just watching her play. She nearly averaged a double-double for her high school squad this season. She crashes the boards hard and is a good rebounder. She finishes stronger around the basket than most of the older players she faces. She has good skills with the ball, both as a dribbler and passer, and I can’t imagine how much she probably dominated at the middle school level. As a defender, she’s excellent at reading the passing lanes and she actually plays really good post defense, especially considering that most of the players she would guard in the post were much bigger than her.