article 2016/2017 11th Region Season Preview

The new basketball season is vastly approaching and as always should be a fun and exciting season, especially in the always tough 11th Region. This region has produced a team that has reached the finals of the state tournament 4 of the past 5 seasons and 2 state champions in the past 4 years. Don't be surprised if that is once again the case this season. While the region will not be as competitive from top to bottom as last season, still a lot of talented teams this year.

TEAM RANKINGS

1. Scott County

The Cardinals return all but one key player from last season's regional runner up squad. Michael Moreno is one of the top players in the state and should be even better this season with added experience and strength. Also, back are guards Bryce Long and Cooper Robb who are as good of a backcourt tandem as you are going to find anywhere. Plenty of experience and key guys coming off the bench and more experience on the coaching side then anyone in the state. Anything less then a trip to Rupp would be considered a disappoint in Georgetown this season.

2. Lexington Catholic

The Knights also return a ton of talent and experience this season. Back is leading scorer Luke Johnson and key big man Zan Payne. Payne should be a force on the glass for Catholic this season. Also, add in sharp shooter Blake Scott and another good perimeter player in TC Price and the Knights have all the weapons needed to claim a regional championship. Coach Salsman as always will have his team near the top of the region all year long.

3. Paul Laurence Dunbar

The defending state champions lost a ton to graduation but do return Sweet Sixteen MVP and top contender for Mr. Basketball, Taveion Hollingsworth. The Bulldogs took a huge hit in the offseason with the loss of big man Dontell Brown to a knee injury during football season. If Brown was healthy a case could be made for the Bulldogs to be the top team in the region. Look for guards Jared Gadd and JaQuice Gray, who both had outstanding summers, to make big strides this year for the Bulldogs.

4.Madison Central

Another team who lost a ton to graduation last season but not all is lost in Richmond. Isaiah Cozart is a game changer on defense and virtually impossible to shoot over. Add in another big in Blake Muntz and the Indians are gonna be a load down low for any team. If their point guard makes a healthy recovery and play at a high level the Indians can challenge anyone, especially with Coach Feldhaus on the sideline.

5. Lexington Christian Academy

Gone is Trevor Hill and Tre King, but Kyle Rode is back and as good as anyone in the region. Add in Carter Hendrickson who can shoot it from deep and attack off the bounce and the Eagles will be a tough out for anyone. Its all about point guard play for LCA. Isaiah Hunt and newly added Chandler Stewart from Woodford County will be the key for the Eagles this season. Could be a big year for the Eagles at both the All A and state level!!

6. Henry Clay

For the first time in what seems like forever, there will not be a Tisdale leading the Blue Devils on the court. Another team that lost a ton to graduation but not all is lost. Back is Justin Mitchell who has really developed into a top tier player in the region. Add in Ramond "Razor" Jackson and Keaston Brown and the Blue Devils should be right where they want to be come Feburary.

7. Madison Southern

This could be the best team Coach Buttry has had at Southern. The loss of Tanner Kidwell could be a lot to overcome but Michael Jefferson and Caleb Miller are back and score in bunches. Jefferson has a chance to be a really really good player and someone you've probable never heard of. If they can find any depth on the bench this might be the season they finally get by Madison Central and claim that ever elusive district championship.

8. Lafayette

ANOTHER team who lost a lot to graduation, but not all is lost. The Generals do return Chris Wharton, Cameron Greenup, and JuJante Carpenter all who spent time in the starting lineup last season. For the first time in what seems like forever the big question with the Generals is post play. They don't have the dominant big man they seem to always have. Also, in the always tough 43rd district the guards are going to have to lead the way early for the Generals.

9. Franklin County

The Flyers are an under the radar team that have the potential to be very good by the end of the season. Diablo Stewart is back to lead the way and might be pound for pound the best player in the region at getting himself to the free throw line. Anthony Valentine is a kid nobody knows about but will when the season is over. If Kyle Stivers and Ryan Staples can knock down some outside shots the Flyers will be a tough out for anyone come Feburary.

10. Bryan Station

This is going to sound familiar but again another team that lost a lot to graduation. Expect Terrance Murphy to have a huge year for the Defenders. Also, Eric Boone is back at Station after a year at Tates Creek and is a steady presence at the point. The Defenders will need to find some depth on the bench to take the next step. Coach Johnson always has his guys ready to play and expect them to surprise some teams this season.

11. Tates Creek

Still in rebuilding mode for the Commodores but expect them to be competitive. Isaiah Allen is back and one of the better sophomores in the state. Also, back is big man Isaiah Patterson who is a dynamic player when he really wants to be. bad news for Tates Creek is they play in the 43rd District, which is never fun for anyone. Should improve from beginning of the season to the end.

12. Woodford County

Its a new beginning for the Yellow Jackets under first year head coach Ryan Wilson. The Yellow Jackets took a huge blow in the offseason with the transfer of Chandler Stewart to LCA. Wilson will have senior Keagan Stromberg back to work with though. The Yellow Jackets goal has to be to compete with Franklin County for the district championship.

13. Frankfort

The Panthers are another team who lost an absolute ton to graduation. Its rebuilding mode for Coach Barton this season but he has some players to work with. Look for Cody Carter and Maurice Walker to help lead the way for the Panthers.

14. Sayre

The Spartans will be a gritty bunch who always play hard. Senior Jake Duby is a scoring machine and Robbie Goodman is also another good guard. The Spartans will be focused on the All A all year long.

15. Western Hills

The Wolverines also lost a lot of experience from last years team. Senior Cameron Barton will be relied on heavily for Coach Cody's team. As always they will be looking to compete in the 41st district.

16. Model

The Patriots lost big man Alex Chen and top guard Ephraim Otieno and will be looking to rebuild. Coach Scarberry will always coach his guys up and they will play as hard as anyone in the region.

17. Berea

New Coach Eric Swords will have his hands full dealing with the Pirates this season. Not much back so the team will need to find its identity.

PLAYER RANKINGS

1. Taveion Hollingsworth - Paul Laurence Dunbar

2. Luke Johnson - Lexington Catholic

3. Michael Moreno - Scott County

4. Kyle Rode - LCA

5. Justin Mitchell - Henry Clay

6. Zan Payne - Lexington Catholic

7. Chris Wharton - Lafayette

8. Diablo Stewart - Franklin County

9. Michael Jefferson - Madison Southern

10. TC Price - Lexington Catholic

SLEEPERS

Jake Duby - Sayre

Terrance Murphy - Bryan Station

Carter Hendrickson - LCA

Anthony Valentine - Franklin County

JaQuice Gray - Paul Laurence Dunbar

Great write-up and I can't wait for the season to start.

Madison Central will be a much better team as the year goes on. They are young, as you mentioned with the two bigs who are sophomores, but the other major contributors on their team will be juniors. Dustin Geralds would fit nicely on your sleeper list, and will be banging on the door of top players list By season end, he can flat out score. Isaiah Minter comes back from a summer injury, and is one of the only returners who got meaningful minutes last year. Jacori Miller comes back from injury last year, and should add a good deal to the lineup. The 3 seniors should provide leadership and some quality minutes. All said, this team should be able to hold its own against anybody in the region and come tournament time should most defiantly be in the mix.

The strength of schedule should also get them ready, besides all the 11th region powers they also go out of region to play:

Male, Trinity, Hopkinsville, Covington Catholic, Cordia, Mason Co, Oldham Co.

Can't wait to see what the Knights can do this year. Coach Salsman always gets the most out of his guys. Should be a good season for Lex Cath.

Sayre is overlooked and underrated. Sayre will be a top 10 team in the 11th and could end up higher than that. As for Jake Duby being a sleeper....the only one sleeping on him is the author of this article. Leading scorer in the 11th region and the best shooter in the 11th. Scores from every where on the floor. Gets face guarded, boxed, chased and/or doubled teamed most games and still manages to shoot 51+% from the field and 41+% from 3 pt range while getting 7.5+ rebounds. No other player in the 11th faces this night in and night out.

Love me some Isaiah Minter. Does anyone know if he is fully recovered and playing right now?

Love me some Jake Duby! He is legit.

Sayre is overlooked and underrated. Sayre will be a top 10 team in the 11th and could end up higher than that. As for Jake Duby being a sleeper....the only one sleeping on him is the author of this article. Leading scorer in the 11th region and the best shooter in the 11th. Scores from every where on the floor. Gets face guarded, boxed, chased and/or doubled teamed most games and still manages to shoot 51+% from the field and 41+% from 3 pt range while getting 7.5+ rebounds. No other player in the 11th faces this night in and night out.

Taveion Hollingsworth?

Taveion Hollingsworth?

Tavion has always had a strong surrounding cast with the exception of the start of his junior year when Dunbar had several players out for various reasons. He still did his thing but they did not win many games and it was much more difficult for him to get his shots. As I stated in another thread it will be different for him this year unless/until his teammates can produce and make teams pay for double teaming, etc. Tavion will still be the best player on the floor most nights but he will just have to work a little harder to get his.

Taveion Hollingsworth?

Tavion has always had a strong surrounding cast with the exception of the start of his junior year when Dunbar had several players out for various reasons. He still did his thing but they did not win many games and it was much more difficult for him to get his shots. As I stated in another thread it will be different for him this year unless/until his teammates can produce and make teams pay for double teaming, etc. Tavion will still be the best player on the floor most nights but he will just have to work a little harder to get his.

Meant no disrespect to Jake. I think he's an outstanding player. The season you're talking about when Taveion was missing his teammates was his sophomore year, and he averaged 30 points a game for the first 6 games of the season. Facts are the region is loaded with talent and it's hard to produce a list of only 10. That's why I did a "sleeper" list. Maybe sleeper wasn't the right term. I'm sure Jake will have an outstanding year. My question is this though. If Jake and Taveion switched teams and schedules do you think the results would be similar? If Jake played Dunbar's schedule and Taveion played Jake's what do you think the numbers would be? Like I said Jake is an outstanding player and has had a great career. Wish him and the Spartans nothing but the best this season. You can't please everyone when doing something like this and the team and player rankings will change throughout the season as always.

Love me some Isaiah Minter. Does anyone know if he is fully recovered and playing right now?

Yes, he is fully recovered and looking very nice.:thumb:

Yes, he is fully recovered and looking very nice.:thumb:

Good to hear. I've always enjoyed watching him play. I look forward to following his high school career.

Meant no disrespect to Jake. I think he's an outstanding player. The season you're talking about when Taveion was missing his teammates was his sophomore year, and he averaged 30 points a game for the first 6 games of the season. Facts are the region is loaded with talent and it's hard to produce a list of only 10. That's why I did a "sleeper" list. Maybe sleeper wasn't the right term. I'm sure Jake will have an outstanding year. My question is this though. If Jake and Taveion switched teams and schedules do you think the results would be similar? If Jake played Dunbar's schedule and Taveion played Jake's what do you think the numbers would be? Like I said Jake is an outstanding player and has had a great career. Wish him and the Spartans nothing but the best this season. You can't please everyone when doing something like this and the team and player rankings will change throughout the season as always.

Let's be clear I was not comparing the two players. I stated that no one in gets boxed, doubled teamed, face guarded more than Jake Duby. Someone else brought up Tavion and I responded that Tavion has not faced that as much because he was surrounded by teammates that could make you pay. That is not a knock on Tavion at all and I said he could and would get his. I even said in another thread he would average 30+. Sorry, I meant Sophmore year when Tavion played without his surrounding cast and I said "he did his thing". But just to be factual he averaged 25.1 pts not 30 according to khsaa and it was tougher for him and they did lose a lot of games. One player can't win every game. As for your questions about if they switched teams and schedules and the results and numbers. Again, I was never comparing the two players. I do know what they think of each others game and the mutual respect they have gained playing/practicing with and against each other.

As for some of the other players on the list..there is no comparison between them and Jake Duby.

Was curious what d1 offers Wharton , Stewart , Jefferson & duby have?

Was curious what d1 offers Wharton , Stewart , Jefferson & duby have?

Duby has zero D-1 offers. He will most likely chose not to play in college so he can focus on academics.