His Jr. year yes. They were both a grade ahead of him. 9th region champs both years. ......and yes Ken Shields was the best coach ever in the 9th region IMHO.

 

As a former player who played for Coach Shields, I would agree with you. He was tremendous and one similarity he had with Dale is that he made the game fun. He gave his players the freedom on the court to try to score and not confine them in a system that was suffocating - leading to scores in the 40's or 50's. Heck, Draud averaged 36 his senior year HIMSELF!

 

One of Coach Shields sayings (and I remember about 100 of them) was "basketball TEAMS are made in the winter but basketball PLAYERS are made in the summer". One thing he demanded of his basketball players was that they played in the summer. I can still remember him sitting in a chair on Monday and Wednesday nights at the armory to see which players showed up to play in the summer pickup games.

Coach Shields is and was the best, but even a biased look would admit that some of his best players (Draud and Blasingame) came from outside of Ft. Thomas. One of coach Shields best attributes was the ability to praise folks and get them to come look at Highlands and then show them how they would fit in. I wish nothing but the best for the current crop of players.

As a former player who played for Coach Shields, I would agree with you. He was tremendous and one similarity he had with Dale is that he made the game fun. He gave his players the freedom on the court to try to score and not confine them in a system that was suffocating - leading to scores in the 40's or 50's. Heck, Draud averaged 36 his senior year HIMSELF!

 

One of Coach Shields sayings (and I remember about 100 of them) was "basketball TEAMS are made in the winter but basketball PLAYERS are made in the summer". One thing he demanded of his basketball players was that they played in the summer. I can still remember him sitting in a chair on Monday and Wednesday nights at the armory to see which players showed up to play in the summer pickup games.

 

Different time, different era. All sports are now year round. Heck you have basketball in the summer when football is getting ready and summer baseball is just getting in full swing. You have football going on and fall baseball. Basketball games going on in the gym and look out on the football field and see pitchers and catchers getting ready for baseball season. There are still kids that play only one sport and when they do, you need to constantly be talking to them as a coach IMO. Football has always been number one at HHS, but basketball and to an extent baseball were successful as well with many of those same kids. JB is doing good things with the baseball program as he has a core of kids that are baseball only and he then works on the kids that play football and/or basketball to compliment those kids and thus make them competitive year in and year out. That program is on the rise. Basketball can do the same thing, but right now there is a big void of kids that play only basketball. The one good one that they had in the program found his way to the hill. Why did that happen? Only the kid and his family know why, but he would have had a huge impact on the program for the next four years. Couple him with some athletes from the football program and you have a recipe for success.

Different time, different era. All sports are now year round. Heck you have basketball in the summer when football is getting ready and summer baseball is just getting in full swing. You have football going on and fall baseball. Basketball games going on in the gym and look out on the football field and see pitchers and catchers getting ready for baseball season. There are still kids that play only one sport and when they do, you need to constantly be talking to them as a coach IMO. Football has always been number one at HHS, but basketball and to an extent baseball were successful as well with many of those same kids. JB is doing good things with the baseball program as he has a core of kids that are baseball only and he then works on the kids that play football and/or basketball to compliment those kids and thus make them competitive year in and year out. That program is on the rise. Basketball can do the same thing, but right now there is a big void of kids that play only basketball. The one good one that they had in the program found his way to the hill. Why did that happen? Only the kid and his family know why, but he would have had a huge impact on the program for the next four years. Couple him with some athletes from the football program and you have a recipe for success.

 

I agree with you about times being different. I also think it is sad that at the HS level, it is much more difficult to play multiple sports now than it was in the past. It is not a good thing.

Different time, different era. All sports are now year round. Heck you have basketball in the summer when football is getting ready and summer baseball is just getting in full swing. You have football going on and fall baseball. Basketball games going on in the gym and look out on the football field and see pitchers and catchers getting ready for baseball season. There are still kids that play only one sport and when they do, you need to constantly be talking to them as a coach IMO. Football has always been number one at HHS, but basketball and to an extent baseball were successful as well with many of those same kids. JB is doing good things with the baseball program as he has a core of kids that are baseball only and he then works on the kids that play football and/or basketball to compliment those kids and thus make them competitive year in and year out. That program is on the rise. Basketball can do the same thing, but right now there is a big void of kids that play only basketball. The one good one that they had in the program found his way to the hill. Why did that happen? Only the kid and his family know why, but he would have had a huge impact on the program for the next four years. Couple him with some athletes from the football program and you have a recipe for success.

 

And NewCath is more than happy about it. He definitely would have made an impact for the Birds, that's for sure.

9th Region Champs

 

Holmes (12) 48-51-76-77-78-80-88-90-05-07-08-09

Highlands (9) 79-82-83-86-87-97-98-99-01 .........10th Region Champs 23-34

Newport (8) 37-40-50-52-54-55-62-10 ...............10th Region Champs 25-32-35-36

NewCath (8) 53-63-66-73-74-75-84-00

CovCath (8) 67-68-69-70-71-92-04-06

 

2001? Wow. I didn't really realize the drought at Highlands was that long. Hard to believe that Holmes went 15 years between titles.

9th Region Champs

 

Holmes (12) 48-51-76-77-78-80-88-90-05-07-08-09

Highlands (9) 79-82-83-86-87-97-98-99-01 .........10th Region Champs 23-34

Newport (8) 37-40-50-52-54-55-62-10 ...............10th Region Champs 25-32-35-36

NewCath (8) 53-63-66-73-74-75-84-00

CovCath (8) 67-68-69-70-71-92-04-06

 

Your Regional Runners-up since 1999

 

CovCath (4) 99-02-07-08

NewCath (3) 06-11-12

Holmes. (2) 00-10

2001? Wow. I didn't really realize the drought at Highlands was that long. Hard to believe that Holmes went 15 years between titles.

 

Flynn was the coach for a couple of those Holmes titles I believe.

Mike Flynn's only regional title at Holmes was 1990, and they got to the state finals. 76-77-78-80-88 were all Reynolds Flynn, no relation.

Are there many potential basketball only players at Highlands who are not playing? If so, is this attributable to the coach?

As a former player who played for Coach Shields, I would agree with you. He was tremendous and one similarity he had with Dale is that he made the game fun. He gave his players the freedom on the court to try to score and not confine them in a system that was suffocating - leading to scores in the 40's or 50's. Heck, Draud averaged 36 his senior year HIMSELF!

 

One of Coach Shields sayings (and I remember about 100 of them) was "basketball TEAMS are made in the winter but basketball PLAYERS are made in the summer". One thing he demanded of his basketball players was that they played in the summer. I can still remember him sitting in a chair on Monday and Wednesday nights at the armory to see which players showed up to play in the summer pickup games.

 

I know this is off the subject, but I wonder what Draud's average would have been if there had been a 3 point line back then?

Are there many potential basketball only players at Highlands who are not playing? If so, is this attributable to the coach?

 

I doubt it.

I know this is off the subject, but I wonder what Draud's average would have been if there had been a 3 point line back then?

 

Not sure if this is accurate, but someone close to that team once told me you could add about 13 pts. to his avg. Considering a lot of his shots came from the outside.

Not sure if this is accurate, but someone close to that team once told me you could add about 13 pts. to his avg. Considering a lot of his shots came from the outside.

 

He would have averaged more but not 13 more per game. Keep in mind that teams would have guarded him differently if there was a 3 point line. They would have chased him out further and not let him shoot from behind the line as easily as when the long shot is only worth 2 points.

He would have averaged more but not 13 more per game. Keep in mind that teams would have guarded him differently if there was a 3 point line. They would have chased him out further and not let him shoot from behind the line as easily as when the long shot is only worth 2 points.

 

You are probably right, but as I remember, other teams were guarding him pretty closely once he crossed the mid court line. But that was quite awhile ago, so my memory may be off.