Bullitt East

 

A final four team last season, Bullitt East suffered a big midseason setback when 6-7 junior Elliott Young, who was scoring 15 points a game and shooting 55 percent from the field, was sidelined by a stress fracture in his back.

 

"He tried to play through it but he couldn't," said coach Troy Barr, "and it really changed a lot of what we do offensively. He was our best 3-point shooter, a shot blocker and rebounder, and we had to retool everything.

 

"Of course, we started from scratch with a kid that's committed to Kentucky and another that's one of the best guards in the state, so we had it better than a lot of people. We figured everything out and we're playing well."

 

And how. Bullitt East navigated its way through a tough 6th Region field, beating Jeffersontown, Butler and Pleasure Ridge Park in the postseason en route to its second straight regional title.

 

And with 6-8 forward Derek Willis, a junior who pulled back on his initial commitment to Purdue to cast his lot with the Wildcats, and guards Rusty Troutman and Trey Rakes, the Chargers still pack plenty of punch with one of the state's best junior classes.

 

"We've got guys with high basketball IQs," Barr said. "Rakes and Troutman are three-year starters, and they've been on the floor for 79 wins. They're winners."

 

Rakes, who drained a 35-footer at the buzzer to beat Pleasure Ridge Park in the regional final, averaged 8.5 points a game, while Willis and Troutman score at 18- and 17-point clips.

 

"Trey is as solid a point guard as can he had, schooled by his dad who played at Kentucky Wesleyan," Barr said. "Rusty and Derek both had their average go up when (Young) went out.

 

"Willis has learned that he needs more strength because the way teams have responded ti having to guard him is to beat him to death," Barr said. "He's so big, so skilled and shoots the ball so well and he's crafty in the lane, so teams just get physical with him.

 

"Early in the year, he didn't handle it that well, but he's fought through it and grew up a lot. In the regional final, anyone that saw it knows how brutal it was, but he handled it."

 

In most circumstances, the Chargers (27-4) would have the resume of a team capable of making a long Sweet 16 run — Bullitt East beat Ballard to finish third in the King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic, then fell to Ballard in the Louisville Inviational Tournament after losing Young.

 

But Bullitt East has the toughest of first-round assignments, this one with top-ranked Trinity.

 

"They're the most athletic team in the state, quicker and stronger than anyone," Barr said. "We beat them in a preseason scrimmage, but we had Young and they didn't have James Quick, so it's a little different look for them and us."

 

 

Trinity

 

No longer is Trinity just a "football school."

 

The Shamrocks have made a steady incline since Mike Szabo came from Texas to turn the school's basketball program into a state powerhouse, and have managed to break through a couple of times from what is arguably the state's toughest region.

 

This Trinity club looks like it's ready to break down the door and enter the Sweet 16 throne room.

 

With a deep and talented ballclub led by a trio of Division I signees and prospects, the Shamrocks have been the consensus #1 team in Kentucky for virtually the entire season. Even after a midseason slipup at the hands of Madison Central, a game decided on free throws after a controversial foul in the final second, Trinity remained the top-ranked team in the BGP rankings, and it lived up to that billing by knocking off #2 Ballard in the 7th Region semifinals.

 

Trinity is 31-3 with just one in-state loss, the other coming to Catholic-school powers St. Raymond's (New York) and Salesian (Calif.) at a Christmas tournament in Florida. That preceded tournament titles at Lexington Catholic and the Louisville Invitational Tournament.

 

Ask any informed observer about Trinity, and they're likely to tell you they're big, fast and athletic. "They look like a college team, really," said one informed observer.

 

Several of them will extend their careers on the Division I level. Nathan Dieudonne, a rangy 6-5, 190-pound senior, has signed with Boston University. Charles Foster, a 6-1 guard, will play at Morehead State.

 

Sweet-shooting guard Troy Saxton, whose older brothers played key roles on Trinity's 2004 state tournament team, has signed with Division II Alabama-Huntsville. James Quick, a 6-1 junior, would draw some Division I interest next year, but he will take the football route to stardom.

 

And then there is junior guard Daryl Hicks, a 6-4 junior who made a splash in the Sweet 16, when he scored 30 points for Shelby County as a freshman against a very athletic and talented squad. The next summer, he ensured he would bedevil Ballard for a couple of seasons by transferring to regional rival Trinity.

 

Hicks has been stellar even after sitting out a high school season, averaging 12.5 points per game as part of a balanced attack and shooting 35 percent from 3-point range.

 

They're modest numbers for a player being courted by the likes of Indiana, Arizona, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Dayton and Butler (among others), but it's also testament to how many weapons the Shamrocks have at their disposal.

 

Hicks, Foster and Dieudonne each average between 11 and 14 points per game, and Quick and Saxton can break out at any time. Throw in a deep bench (10 players are in the regular rotation) that includes athletic guard Miles Rice, 6-3 sophomore Craig Owens and 6-2 Andrew Perito, and the Shamrocks have the distinct look of the tournament favorite.

 

Trinity is the favorite in the upper bracket and owns a 13-point win in early December over a Scott County club that is expected to emerge from the lower bracket.

Will be interesting to see what kind of numbers Trinity turns out with.

 

If they overflow the place, then I'll believe that they are no longer just a football school.

Will be interesting to see what kind of numbers Trinity turns out with.

 

If they overflow the place, then I'll believe that they are no longer just a football school.

 

We will be well represented, but look for a hostile crowd. Any team from Louisville faces a lot of hostility at Rupp and against BE you add in a UK conmmit. This game will hinge on Nathan staying out of foul trouble. If he does, it's win and advance.

Will be interesting to see what kind of numbers Trinity turns out with.

 

If they overflow the place, then I'll believe that they are no longer just a football school.

 

They had really nice crowds back when they were beaten by Chris Lofton & company.

Edit

Edited March 14, 201214 yr by Randy Parker
Double post

Winner of this game takes the title IMO. Trinity can beat you in so many ways. I just don't see them losing.