Adidas 3SSB Championships - Evaluations of Kentucky Targets (2026)

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Kentucky Sports Radio had boots on the ground in Rock Hill, South Carolina for the annual Adidas 3SSB Palmetto Road Championships. Zack Geoghegan was there Friday through Sunday conducting interviews with several Kentucky targets which are linked below (with more to come).

While Zack got all of the inside scoop over the weekend, I was in attendance all week getting evaluations and grinding away with my pen and paper.

Coach Mark Pope made a couple of different appearances in Rock Hill while assistants Cody Fueger and Jason Hart were also around. Live evaluation periods always begin to reveal who coaching staffs make a priority. For Kentucky in Rock Hill, it was players like Nate Ament, Malachi Moreno, and Braylon Mullins to name a few. Let’s dive into some evaluations of the top Kentucky targets in the Class of 2026 that played in the 3SSB Championships. Earlier in the week we evaluated some of the targets in the Class of 2025.

***All star ratings and prospect rankings are via the On3 Industry Ranking.***

Caleb Holt (Buckhorn H.S. 2026 – Game Elite 17u)

5-star, #3 Prospect

Simply watching warmups is enough to understand why Holt is considered a Top 5 prospect in the Class of 2026. He has all of the physical and athletic tools you could ask for in a two-way guard. Then, you see him play, and it just gets even more impressive. Fresh off of winning a gold medal with the USA Basketball U17 team, Holt came to Rock Hill and stood out. After getting his feet wet on Thursday, Holt scored 20 points in a win on Friday and then went off for 26 points and 13 rebounds in an incredibly impressive performance on Saturday. He is very strong off of the dribble, rises up smoothly to score in the mid-range, and plays through contact effortlessly to finish at the rim. Rebounds very well from the guard spot. Projects as a high-level two-way guard/wing.

Ikenna Alozie (Dream City Christian 2026 – Utah Prospects 17u)

4-star, #9 Prospect

Explosiveness is the first word that comes to mind when watching this prospect play. Alozie does everything with supreme effort and a contagious energy. He was the best player on the best team at the 3SSB Palmetto Road Championships leading the Utah Prospects to their second consecutive 17U title. Alozie scored 19 points in that title game and 15 in the semifinal round while also being a consistently disruptive defender. Attacking the basket off of the dribble and using his athleticism is what he does best right now, but the all-around skill level continues to develop. He certainly did enough in Rock Hill to prove himself as a Top 10 player in the Class of 2026.

Moustapha Diop (The Walker School 2026 – Game Elite 16u)

4-star, #13 Prospect

There is a lot of defensive upside with this 6’10” center. Diop is thin but moves around pretty fluidly for a young big man and can cover ground in a hurry to block shots, rebound, and rim run. He will need to continue developing his offensive game as he isn’t much of a threat beyond what gives you as a rim-runner or finisher out of the dunker’s spot right now. However, that is okay as the upside is obvious and his defensive traits establish a pretty high floor for what he can be at the next level.

Adam Oumiddoch (Overtime Elite 2026 – Team Loaded VA 16u)

4-star, #23 Prospect

Oumiddoch is a long, thin guard with good positional size at 6’5” and a really intriguing skill set. He had it all on display in one game specifically at the 3SSB Palmetto Road Championships as the Virginia native poured 35 points in a come-from-behind victory for Team Loaded VA. Whether it is knocking down three-point shots, turning the corner and driving it right, or creating open shots for teammates off of the dribble, Oumiddoch has a well-rounded offensive skill set. There will be some continued development necessary in terms of strength, but that is true for a lot of rising juniors. His recruitment really took off last week and his name will be one to follow over the next year.

Tay Kinney (Newport H.S. 2026 – Wildcat Select 16u)

4-star, #33 Prospect

The list of 2026 guards that had a better week in Rock Hill than this Newport, Kentucky native is very, very short. Kinney was followed closely by many high-major coaches, including the Kentucky staff, as he showcased some truly dynamic playmaking ability for Wildcat Select. He is incredibly quick end-to-end with the ball in his hands, is capable of making multiple moves and changing direction fluidly to get to the paint, and then has an explosiveness to get downhill and finish. Kinney consistently got two feet in the paint and made high-IQ plays from an advantageous playmaking position. One of the best rising junior point guards in the country.

Davion Adkins (Faith Family Academy 2026 – Southern Assault 16u)

4-star, #37 Prospects

Adkins has some impressive physical attributes for a young big man prospect. He is a truly explosive leaper who plays with a high level of verticality on both ends of the floor. Offensively he can rim run, play out of the dunker’s spot, or serve as a lob threat on the roll. Then, defensively, he is an excellent shot blocker with pure rim protection traits. Adkins covers ground in a hurry, can come across the lane quickly off of the ball, and has the footwork to get out and hard hedge ballscreens or corral the ball handler in drop coverage. His defensive upside sets his floor, but there is a lot to like about the overall long-term potential of this prospect.

Dean Rueckert (Tipview H.S. 2026 – Utah Prospects 16u)

4-star, #53 Prospect

It is always nice when an evaluation lines up with the consensus public sentiment. Admittedly, unlike some of these other Class of 2026 Kentucky targets at the 3SSB Championships, I didn’t know who Rueckert was. However, during the game, I had a conversation with another scout in attendance about how he seemed to be a Kentucky-level player and I could see the ‘Cats being interested due to Coach Pope’s and Coach Fueger’s connections to the Utah Prospects program. Really impressive skill level and athleticism at 6’7”. Currently ranked #53 in the On3 Industry Ranking, Rueckert is one that I could see shooting up toward the Top 25 by the time next summer comes to a close.