Three Owsley County Middle School players invited to Hoop Dreams showcase

Three Owsley County Middle School players are headed to a bigger stage. Nala Pittman, Sophia Havicus and Madi Cornett were invited to the E&A Hoop Dreams Middle School Showcase, set for May 31 at Williamson Fieldhouse in Williamson, West Virginia, giving local basketball followers another clear sign that the county’s girls pipeline is drawing attention beyond Booneville.

Pittman has already stood out as the most imposing inside presence of the group. A preseason girls-basketball preview described the seventh-grade post player as 6 feet tall and noted that she brings length, size, rebounding and shot-blocking ability, the kind of profile that can matter quickly as players move into tougher regional competition. For a middle-school player, that kind of attention is unusual, and it helps explain why an event built around showcase basketball can become an early measuring stick for what comes next.

The invitation also comes on top of a broader pattern of success for these students. School records show Madelyn Cornett, Nala Pittman and Sophia Havicus tied for third place in a science demonstration competition, underscoring that the same names showing up on the court are also showing up in academic competition. In a county where families follow local athletes closely, that combination of achievement adds to the sense that this group is part of a deeper talent base, not just a one-sport class.

That matters in Owsley County because the girls program has already shown how far the path can go. The Lady Owls won the 2024 14th Region title and advanced to the KHSAA Sweet 16 State Tournament at Rupp Arena in Lexington, a run that gave younger players a direct view of what success at the next level looks like. Pittman, Havicus and Cornett now step into a showcase setting that can give middle-school athletes exposure to evaluators, coaches and competition outside their home gym.

For Owsley County, the invitation is more than a spring basketball note. It is another marker that the county’s girls program, from middle school through the high school ranks, continues to produce players with the size, skill and recognition to keep the local pipeline moving.