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Basketball event in Shelby County showcases talent and provides opportunity – WDRB

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Updated: June 19, 2022 @ 3:36 pm
Collins High School boys basketball coach Chris Gaither (left) talking with NKU head coach Darrin Horn at the Titans Rockets Summer Shootout

WDRB Sports Reporter/Anchor

Collins High School boys basketball coach Chris Gaither (left) talking with NKU head coach Darrin Horn at the Titans Rockets Summer Shootout
SHELBYVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Some of the top high school basketball talent is converging on Shelbyville as the Titan Rockets Summer Shootout is bringing in a huge slate of teams to play in a three-day tournament that wraps up Sunday.
“This weekend, we have 188 games in three days. We have 96 high school teams. You’ve seen some of the college coaches who’ve been here,” said Chris Gaither, Collins High School head boys basketball coach and organizer of the event, which is held at Collins High School and five other gyms in the area. 
Some of those college coaches include the University of Kentucky men’s basketball staff, who Gaither says is making their first appearance since the event tipped off in 2019. It was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Northern Kentucky men’s basketball head coach Darrin Horn, the event is not just good for scouting out targeted talent, but also discovering players who may not have been on the radar.
“Especially younger guys. You see somebody playing good that you weren’t looking at and you’re like ‘who is that? Oh, that’s a freshman getting his first varsity shot’ at an event like that and that’s always good,” Horn said.
It’s an opportunity for players who may not get NCAA Division I offers a chance to showcase their skills for a plethora of coaches on other levels who are seeking out talent.
“We’ve had a ton of Division II, NAIA, Division III (players). If people know recruiting, less than 1% of high school kids get a Division I scholarship,” Gaither said. “We get enamored with John Calipari and Kenny Payne…but the recruiting corps for Division III, these guys don’t get paid what high level Division I (coaches) do, those guys are in here grinding all weekend.”
The event tipped off Friday and wraps up Sunday.
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WDRB Sports Reporter/Anchor
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