History has been made. GRC’s own junior basketball phenoms Montez Gay and Kennedy Stamper become the first ever pair of athletes to both be ranked #1 in their respective class for both girls and boys, (according to https://prephoops.com/kentucky/ ) and also attend the same high school as one another.
After a dominant summer with Griffin Elite of the UA Rise circuit, Gay racked up three different Division 1 offers; those being Akron, Morehead State, and Southeast Missouri State University. He also jumped from being the third ranked junior in Kentucky earlier this summer up to first whenever the AAU season finished.
“The summer Tez had was second to none,” said Wincity and Griffin Elite teammate Malachi Ashford. “He was in the gym everyday, lifting, getting shots up, conditioning, all of that, and that work didn’t go unnoticed.”
Now more than ever, it would feel like it is time to rest, due to the fact that Gay is now top of his class. Yet that is far from the truth.
“At the end of the day, rankings are just rankings,” stated Gay. “I am extremely blessed and grateful to be in the spot that I am in, but I am going to continue to work just as hard as I would if I wasn’t ranked at all.”
Additionally, Stamper had a summer of her own as well. Through her summer with United Family 3SSB, she racked up six different Division 1 offers. But in the end, Stamper ultimately decided to go with the Cincinnati Bearcats.
“For me it was an easy decision,” said Stamper. “The bond between everyone involved from players to the staff is like no other, it’s a family. The fans were also very welcoming, and it is close to home.”
As iron sharpens iron, one teammate sharpens another.
“Over the time I have been at GRC, Kennedy has only gotten better,” said GRC Hoops teammate Teigh Yeast. “She is a great leader on and off the court. I’m grateful to be able to battle with someone like her everyday in practice with, and definitely someone I love playing alongside.”
To think that of the 8.2 million high school athletes in the country, only seven percent of those athletes go on to compete in college. With an even lower two percent of athletes that play in NCAA Division 1 athletics.
“Those two are working their tails off,” said GRC Athletic Director Mr. Yeast. “It sets the tone for our teams to be better because those two are getting what they deserve for their hard work, it tells them that they need to step up and play as hard as they can so that our programs can be better.”
Marilyn Graham • Oct 23, 2025 at 1:59 pm
Love this article. Love following Kennedy’s career. Love this Lady.