Playing point guard in Harlan County’s magical run at Rupp Arena in last year’s Sweet Sixteen, Maddox Huff has been to the mountaintop of high school basketball in Kentucky. Finding a way to get back has driven Huff since the Bears fell to Lyon County in last year’s state championship game.
Huff and his cousin, Trent Noah, both earned all-state honors after winning three games in the state tournament and finishing as runner-up following a hard-fought loss to Lyon County in the championship game. When Noah headed to the University of Kentucky this season as the first Harlan Countian to play for the Wildcats since Dickie Parsons in the 1950s, Huff was left as the leader of the 2024-2025 squad in the quest for a repeat.
While most would probably bask in the glow of the deepest postseason run by a 13th Region team since 1989 and for a Harlan County team since 1945, Huff was already thinking about next season.
“We got beat on Saturday night, then we had the big celebration here Sunday, so I didn’t do anything, but Monday I was back to it, just like we got beat in the first round,” Huff said. “That experience was great. It showed what we can do, and gave me a taste of the success I’ve wanted for so long. I had two offers at that point, but not really solid. I knew my goals weren’t over, and I knew I had to be much better this year. I just wanted to get to work as quickly as I could.”
Huff grew up around sports in a family with a deep tradition of athletic excellence. His grandfather, Perky Bryant, was one of the all-time greats at Evarts High School who went on to play football at the University of Kentucky as a member of the ‘Thin Thirty’ squad in the early 1960s. His father, Lonnie, was county player of the year at Cawood and led the Trojans to a district title in 1991. Huff’s brother, Cameron, was the first all-state player at HCHS and helped lead the Bears to their first regional title in 2017 before going on to play at Eastern Kentucky University. He’s now an assistant coach with the Bears. Huff played two years with his brother, Jackson, who played on HC’s regional runner-up squad in 2020 and graduated in 2022.
With two older brothers and an older cousin next door, Huff grew up with sports, especially basketball.
“As long as I can remember, it’s been part of my life. I can remember playing in my driveway with Trent and Cameron and Jackson. I see videos of me playing with them, and I’m like a little dog running around there,” Huff said. “I was super tiny compared to them.”
Huff’s love for the game grew as he watched his brothers play while he was still in grade school.
“I watched Cameron play here, and I wanted to play on a state tournament team after watching him do it,” Huff said. “I followed in his footsteps a lot. I also got to see Jackson play and see Trent play. I was super fortunate to have people like that around me who would push me.”
Huff’s father worked/works with him on an almost daily basis going back to grade school, serving as a rebounder and advisor.
“He worked five days a week, then his weekends were spent traveling to AAU tournaments with me,” Huff said. “It was a big sacrifice for him. He’s spent as much time as I have.”
Basketball went from a game to a passion five years ago when his, and everyone else’s, entertainment options were limited by a pandemic.
“I would always go to the gym with my dad and Jackson growing up, but when it finally clicked for me was during covid (2020). There was nothing to do, and I was in my driveway from when I woke up until the sun went down,” he said. “During that time, I realized that was what I wanted to do with my life. I really started to invest my self in it fully.”
Huff became only the second eighth grader to join the HCHS varsity in the 2020-2021 season and played a key role as he averaged six points a game for the 19-6 Bears. His averaged moved up to just under 12 points a game as a freshman and also contributed on the boards with an average of 5.1 rebounds per game as the Bears finished 19-11. An overtime loss to Bell County in the first round of the 52nd District Tournament signaled the start of a new level of commitment for Huff.
“After we got beat (in the district tournament) at Bell County as a freshman, that’s when I really started to take my diet and the off-court things seriously,” he said. “I started to take care of my diet and mind as best I could. I became more serious and mature.”
As a sophomore in 2023, Huff became one of the 13th Region’s top players on a 27-6 squad that won the 52nd District Tournament title in Kyle Jones’ first season as coach. The Bears were upset by Corbin in the first round of the regional tourney and used that loss to drive them heading into the 2024 season.
“We’ve played together as long as I can remember,” Noah said of Huff in last year’s preseason. “Being first cousins and living beside each other, we have a special connection. I hope we can use that and get over the hump.”
The Bears did just that, winning the second 13th Region title in school history. While Noah led the team in scoring and rebounding, Huff also played a huge role by averaging 17.7 points and 8.3 rebounds to earn second team all-state honors from the Lexington Herald Leader and third team all-state honors from the Louisville Courier Journal. He was ranked as the preseason player of the year in the 13th Region by the Cats Pause, as well as the Courier Journal and Herald Leader.
After considering several Division I schools, Huff chose East Tennessee State last fall. He’s excelled in the classroom as much as the basketball court through school with a 4.0 grade point average and a 27 composite score on the ACT.
Huff was inspired by watching the state tournament after his sophomore season and remembers sending a Snapchat from the state tournament finals that year predicting that his Bears would be in that spot next year.
“I remember saying on social media that ‘I’m going to be here next year’ during that state championship game, and a year later I was,” he said. “I really thought we could do it. I remember writing on my wall that we’d win a state championship. We haven’t done it yet, but I’ve always had that belief and confidence in speaking things into truth.”
Despite taking over as the focus of opposing defenses once Noah graduated, Huff has put together a senior season that ranks among the best in county history. He has scored well over 2,000 points in his career and recently topped 1,000 assists for his career. He is averaging 29.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game for the Bears, who bring a 17-7 record into Friday’s Senior Night game against Middlesboro. The Black Bears added a 2A state runner-up finish to their already impressive resume and are ranked as the top team in the 13th Region in the RPI system.
“We feel Maddox is one of the top five players in Kentucky. He has a lot of game experience, and we’re looking for him to take on an even bigger leadership role this year,”Jones said. “He does everything right — the way he approaches basketball and the way he approaches school. He sets a great example for our younger kids.”
Huff knew his job would be tougher this year without his cousin and long-time teammate now wearing a UK uniform.
“I realized I had to be so much better and be able to score when we needed a bucket. Trent got those tough buckets last year, and we don’t win games without them,” Huff said. “I knew I had to be that guy this year, and I knew I couldn’t just be another guy on defense either. The responsibility is a lot bigger, and there are pros and cons with that. I felt the game Tuesday (a last-second loss to Bell County) was on me because I was 10 points below my average, so if I get my average we win that game. I think those high pressure and high intensity moments give me an opportunity to be at my best. I think I thrive in those moments, like in the state finals last year.”
Huff hopes the Bears can learn from their experiences last year as the regular season nears its end.
“I knew coming in there would be more ups and downs year, especially downs with losing two two starters, but through these losses we’ve responded the way I hoped,” Huff said. “Like the loss at Bell County. I’m glad we saw that then instead of the district championship. I’m pretty please so far with how it’s gone, but nothing matters if you don’t make a run at the end. You can be 0-30 going into the tournament and win a state championship. You have to be together. This game Saturday (against Frederick Douglass) will be a good test. I thought the loss to them last year was a turning point. We all took that Sunday off, had a team meeting and had some hard truths told. I think we’re kind of at that point this year. We’ve taken two hard losses, and the schedule is not getting any easier.
“We just have to continue to stay together and do the work that got us to where we are this year and where we were last year. Everybody has to buy into their specific roles. In those games last year it was like perfect harmony with everyone. At the end of the day, it comes down to whoever wants it more and does the right preparation. We have to believe we can win.”