ESPNRadio 106.1, the home of 17th District Basketball is pleased to announce the winners for Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Most Improved Player for 2024-2025.
Player of the Year – Juliana Stith, Central Hardin
Juliana Stith walks into gyms with a target on her back. The biggest scoring threat on a team of complimentary players, Stith has seen every kind of defense, junk or otherwise, this year. And she’s not only found ways to lift the offense for Central Hardin, she’s worked to better get her teammates involved around her opportunities, which has created year-over-year improvement, not just in the win-loss record, but almost every statistical column for her teammates around her, which is predicated on her ability to monopolize defensive attention, but also her ability to create for her teammates. Despite adversity that would challenge many athletes off the floor, Stith has remained a constant for her coaches and teammates, and has Central Hardin sitting on the 2-line heading into the district tournament.
Most Improved Player – Kristen Ritchey, Elizabethtown
Kristen Ritchey could have packed it in after a major knee injury early in her career that has challenged her development, and no one would have faulted her. But she did the opposite, instead working to adapt and change her game to still remain involved as a role-player for the Lady Panthers. This year, she has shined in that capacity, hitting huge shots for her team in games when they need them as a spark-plug player off the bench. We believe that this award belongs to someone who perseveres, that has to earn their success, and Ritchey has done that this season with aplomb.
Freshman of the Year – Maliah Courtney, Elizabethtown
Maybe the best pure scorer the entire region has seen in a decade or more, Courtney is destined for something special. A 3-level scorer, who can create her own shot, Courtney is a top player in the Class of 2028 for a reason. We’re excited about the wave of young talent in the 5th Region, and at the top of that wave is Maliah Courtney, poised to carry E-town into a long run at the top of the 5th Region.
