The basketball talent that has walked the halls at Christian County High School can rival that of most any school in the state, with some of the best players wearing the Blue and Red over the course of the last ten years. Here is YSE’s All-Decade list for the Colonels from 2010-20.
First Team
Detorrion Ware (2014-18) – The program’s all-time leading scorer, Ware totalled 2,314 points during his time as a Colonel. He averaged double figures in points all four seasons, beginning with 10.4 points and a team-high 5.6 rebounds per game as a freshman. He also led the team in made 3-pointers throughout his career, with 27, 81, 80, and 74.
Ware’s only trip to the Sweet Sixteen came during his sophomore season, when he again led the team in scoring at 17.9 ppg and 7 rpg. He upped his average to 20.6 ppg as a junior, while pulling down a team-high 7.4 rpg. After transforming his body before his senior campaign, he posted just over 32 points and 9 rebounds per outing, including performances of 32, 45 and 40 points in the Colonels’ three regional tournament games.
Ware was named to the All-District team all four seasons, while earning All-Region as a junior and senior. As a senior, he earned KABC Region Player of the Year, 2nd Team All-State by both the Louisville Courier-Journal and Lexington Herald-Leader, and was named to the Kentucky/Ohio Senior All-Star game.
At the conclusion of his high school career, Ware signed with NCAA D1 Jacksonville State. As a freshman with the Gamecocks, he averaged 5.3 ppg and led the team with 25 made 3-pointers. He more than doubled his average as a sophomore, posting 12.3 ppg and 5.3 rebounds, while shooting 43% from the field.
Anthony Hickey (2007-11) – Hickey was a part of three 2nd-Region championships, while also guiding the Colonels to their only state championship as a senior in 2011. He also won district titles as a sophomore and junior, leading the way to a record of 51-12 during that span.
A 25-9 record followed in his senior campaign, with the Colonels knocking off Rowan County in double overtime to claim the state title. Hickey averaged 22.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.5 steals and 4.8 assists as a senior, including 18.6 points, 4.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 4 steals during the Sweet Sixteen run, earning MVP. He was named Associated Press Player of the Year, First Team All-State, and the state’s Mr. Basketball.
Hickey signed with LSU out of high school, posting just under 9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, starting 31 games, and making the SEC All-Freshman team. He averaged a high of 11.2 ppg as a sophomore, while also earning All-Defensive team with 2.9 steals per outing. In his last season with the Tigers he led the conference in assist/turnover ratio, before transferring to Oklahoma State.
His professional career has included stops in Poland, Greece, Cyprus and Germany, while he currently plays for Larisa in the Greek League. On April 4, 2019, Hickey recorded the first triple-double in the Greek professional basketball league in 18 years, with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 16 assists.
Tyrik Edwards (2012-16) – Edwards was a 1,000-point scorer for the Colonels, culminating with a trip to the Sweet Sixteen as a senior. He led the team with just over 21 points per game as a junior, while also pulling down 4.6 rebounds, earning All-District and All-Region recognition. His 16.3 ppg was second on the team in 2015-16, including 20 points in a district-title win over Hopkinsville, and 27 in a rematch with the Tigers in the region final.
After the Colonels fell to South Laurel in the first round of the state tournament, Edwards added a Kentucky/Indiana All-Star nod to All-District and All-Region honors. He was also named KABC Region Player of the Year and 2nd Team All-State, and signed with Jacksonville State. He spent two seasons with the Gamecocks, before transferring to Georgetown College to finish his career.
Donovan Kates (2007-11) – As a freshman, Kates and the Colonels struggled to a 12-19 record, but the rest of his career would be much more successful. A 21-7 record, a district title, and the first of three-straight 2nd Region championships followed as a sophomore, with the Colonels falling in the first round of the state tournament.
As a junior, Kates averaged 15 points and 6 rebounds per game to help the Colonels to a 30-5 record and an Elite Eight finish at the Sweet Sixteen, earning All-State Honorable Mention. After a loss in the district tournament in his senior season, the Colonels bounced back to claim another regional title, with Kates averaging 20 ppg and 7 rpg with 77 made 3-pointers. After a run to the state title, he was named to the Sweet Sixteen All-Tournament team and 2nd Team All-State, graduating with over 1,400 points.
He signed with Manhattan College, earning 11 starts as a freshman and posting 5 points and just under 2 rebounds per game. Kates would go on to total 570 points, 277 rebounds, 105 assists, and 50 steals with the Jaspers, helping to win two MAAC titles, eight MAAC tournament wins, and 79 total victories.
After earning a degree in Communications, Kates was named as a graduate manager at Alabama basketball team in April of 2019, while pursuing a masters degree in Sports Business Management.
Jaylen Sebree (2015-17) – After spending his freshman and sophomore years at UHA, Sebree transferred to Christian County and helped the Colonels to the Sweet Sixteen as a junior. He posted 12.5 points and 4.3 rebounds, while leading the team in free throw shooting at 74.7%. Sebree scored 17 points in the regional-title game victory over Hoptown to punch the Colonels’ ticket to the state tournament.
As a senior he was second on the team with just under 17 ppg and 6.4 rpg, including 19 points in a 1-point district championship loss to Hopkinsville. Sebree was a finalist for Kentucky Mr. Basketball, before signing with Coastal Carolina. However, after reclassifying to the 2018 class and spending a season at IMG Academy, Sebree signed with Florida Atlantic. In his freshman season with the Owls he made six starts, averaging 9.4 points and 4.2 rebounds before a shoulder injury ended his campaign in early January.
Second Five
Cory Trice, Jr. (2014-18) – Trice is currently playing football at Purdue, but he also enjoyed a successful stint on the high school basketball court. He was a part of a Colonel team that earned district and region titles as a sophomore, averaging 3 points and 2 rebounds per game.
Trice upped his output to 11.4 ppg and 5.5 rpg as a junior, helping the Colonels to a 27-8 record. After returning from an injury suffered on the football field during his senior year, he posted 11.7 points and just under 7 rebounds per game in 18 games, with the Colonels falling to UHA in both the district and regional title games on the way to a 22-8 record and All-District and All-Region honors.
Stephen Bussell (2017-20) – Bussell averaged double-figure points in both of his upperclassman seasons, finishing third on the team with 11.5 ppg and 3.3 rpg as a junior. He led the Colonels in scoring as a senior with 14.4 ppg, knocking down a team-hig 63 3-pointers, while pulling down 4.5 rebounds per outing.
Bussell scored 16 points in the district semifinal matchup with Hopkinsville, none bigger than his buzzer-beating jumper to give the Colonels a 1-point victory. He followed that with 13 points in the title-game win over UHA, giving the Colonels their first district championship since 2015-16. Bussell was named to the All-District, All-Region, and All-Region Tournament teams.
DaMikeon Mathis (2016-20) – Mathis scored 7.2 points per game and averaged just under 4 rebounds a game a sophomore on the Colonels’ 22-8 team that lost to UHA in both the district and region title games. His junior campaign yielded 9.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, before upping his production to 12.5 points and just under 4 rebounds as a senior.
During his senior year the Colonels struggled with injuries and changing lineups throughout the regular season, before putting things together to top Hopkinsville and UHA on the way to the program’s first district title since 2015-16. Mathis led the team with 23 points in the victory over the Blazers, earning All-District, All-Region, and All-Region Tournament team honors.
Veontae Lewis (2007-11) – Lewis was a part of two district title and three region title teams, helping the Colonels to an Elite Eight showing as a junior. But it isn’t so much his career as it is a single moment that cemented his legacy.
With the 2010-11 state title game against Rowan County tied 63-63 in double-overtime with 12.7 seconds remaining, Anthony Hickey penetrated and found Lewis just inside the 3-point line on the left side of the court. Lewis’ jumper in front of the Colonel bench beat the buzzer to give the Colonels their first state championship and etch his name in Christian County lore.
Lewis averaged 12.6 points per game as a senior, with 4.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists. He signed with Angelina College at the conclusion of his high school career.
Fred Tandy (2016-19) – Like Lewis, Tandy also had a signiture moment during his senior campaign. While not quite as big a moment, Tandy’s 5 points in 5 seconds to beat Hopkinsville in the district semifinals sent the Colonel players and fans into a frenzy.
Tandy scored 2.8 points and pulled down 2.5 rebounds per contest as a sophomore on a 27-8 team that fell to Hopkinsville in both the district and region title games. His scoring average jumped to 8.3 as a junior, with almost 4 rebounds per game, when the Colonels won 22 games and once again fell in the district and region championships. He led the team in rebounding as a senior with 4.8 per game, while his 11.7 ppg were second on the squad. He shot 53% from the field for the season and earned All-District honors, before signing with Spalding University.
