1. Graves County

2. Calloway County

3. McCracken County

4. Paducah St. Mary

5. Marshall County

6. Paducah Tilghman

7. Murray

8. Ballard Memorial

9. Mayfield

10. Hickman County

11. Carlisle County

12. Fulton City

13. Community Christian

14. Fulton County

(Fellowship Christian will not field a Varsity team this season)

 

 

1. Patrick Hubert St. Mary

2. Austin Renfrow Marshall County

3. Peyton Puckett Graves County

4. Parker Adams Calloway County

5. Jake Williams Graves County

6. Michael Arnett Calloway County

7. Deante Love Mayfield

8. Saveyon McEwen Paducah Tilghman

9. Kam Chumbler McCracken County

10. Zach Kimbler Graves County

11. Skyler Hunter Calloway County

12. Caleb Stonecipher McCracken County

13. James Boone Murray

These player rankings are really not good. Really curious who this guy got his info from. Almost laughable. Arnett should be Top 3 at worst. Williams from Graves is a good player but 5 is a stretch. McEwen and Love at 7 and 8 almost made me fall out of my chair. Good players again but.... The McCracken kids are way underrated. Chumbler and Stonecipher both deserve higher rankings and how Jared Burnett didn't get on this list is beyond me. Bryce Rodgers also for that matter. Skyler Hunter is also rated too low. Not sure whoever fed this info has actually watched all the kids play.

 

My list would look something like this:

1 Hubert, St Mary

2 Arnett, Calloway

3 Rentfrow, Marshall

4 Puckett, Graves

5 Adams, Calloway

6 Stonecipher, McCracken

7 Burnett, McCracken

8 Chumbler, McCracken, throw these 3 in a hat really

9 Hunter, Calloway

10 Williams, Graves

11 Kimbler, Graves

12 Rodgers, McCracken

13 Love, Mayfield

14 Boone, Murray

15 McEwen, PTHS

 

I actually always kind of laugh when folks from Eastern Kentucky try to discuss first region bball. His team rankings aren't bad really. I would rank Calloway first, McCracken 2nd, Graves 3rd at this point.

Another way to look at this is to take the voting done by the coaches last year for All-Region and remove last years seniors. That would look like this.

 

1 Hubert

2 Rentfrow

3 Puckett

4 Adams

5 Stonecipher

6 Arnett

7 Burnett

8 Kimbler

9 Williams

10 Chumbler

 

I personally think this underrates Arnett, but this isn't my opinion these rankings are of the coaches that watched and scouted them. Leaving Burnett out is obviously the most egregious omission.

The other egregious miscalculation is rating Stonecipher 12th. Just not correct at all.

I think the Boone kid is underrated.

I wouldn't put Burnett on there either. He has had a good career but it has been on a bad team. I don't care how many games they have won, they did it against a very weak schedule. I've never seen him play defense and now at McCracken, he won't have the ball in his hands all of the time as a point guard. Stonecipher is a good offensive weapon also, but I've never seen him guard anyone either.

Your statement is the same as mine, an opinion. I would say the coaches of Region 1 disagree with you on Stonecipher and Burnett based on All-Region voting last year. I am sure the McCracken kids are seeing this stuff so they will have their opportunity to prove or disprove on the court. One thing I do agree with you on as I think about it. The Boone kid probably is underrated but he has a few years to change that.

One interesting thing about Region 1 this year. Not sure the gap between the top and bottom has ever been wider. Calloway, McCracken, Graves will be top echelon. St Mary, Marshall, and maybe Tilghman will be next. Murray might could push toward the second tier and then it drops off significantly. The chore for the small schools, other than St Mary, to get to the Regional semifinals will be nearly impossible. With these big schools continuing to sprout it's time for Kentucky to have a serious discussion about Classes. The Carlisle's, Ballard's and Hickman's of the world have no shot. Kind of sad. That being said a Regional semifinal of Calloway vs. St Mary and Graves vs. McCracken sounds pretty fun to watch. Lastly when is the last time Tilghman didn't make it to the Regionals? A very distinct possibility this year.

Both of us are just posting opinions, that is correct. But Burnett and Stonecipher were big fish in very small ponds, now they are just fish in a big pond. Will they even be able to play together, much less when you throw in the other talent on that team. I don't think so. I feel they are both very "Me first" players. If you look at that list, every kid in the top 10 plays defense. You just can't say that about Burnett and Stonecipher. Burnett is too busy whining to the ref and his poppa after every missed shot. It is all to be seen, maybe they can play together and with the others, we will see.

Love and McEwen are not Top 10 players. They're just not. Defense or not. I don't want to start disparaging them like you are Burnett but they aren't. Williams is not the 5th best player in the region. He just isn't. This is why I would like to know who provided the info for this list to BlugrassBball or FatNate or whoever.

We will just have to disagree then.

These player rankings are really not good. Really curious who this guy got his info from. Almost laughable. Arnett should be Top 3 at worst. Williams from Graves is a good player but 5 is a stretch. McEwen and Love at 7 and 8 almost made me fall out of my chair. Good players again but.... The McCracken kids are way underrated. Chumbler and Stonecipher both deserve higher rankings and how Jared Burnett didn't get on this list is beyond me. Bryce Rodgers also for that matter. Skyler Hunter is also rated too low. Not sure whoever fed this info has actually watched all the kids play.

 

My list would look something like this:

1 Hubert, St Mary

2 Arnett, Calloway

3 Rentfrow, Marshall

4 Puckett, Graves

5 Adams, Calloway

6 Stonecipher, McCracken

7 Burnett, McCracken

8 Chumbler, McCracken, throw these 3 in a hat really

9 Hunter, Calloway

10 Williams, Graves

11 Kimbler, Graves

12 Rodgers, McCracken

13 Love, Mayfield

14 Boone, Murray

15 McEwen, PTHS

 

I actually always kind of laugh when folks from Eastern Kentucky try to discuss first region bball. His team rankings aren't bad really. I would rank Calloway first, McCracken 2nd, Graves 3rd at this point.

 

I am looking forward to your input on keeping us updated on these teams and players during the season. Of course this is a preseason ranking, but will be interesting to review it as the season ends.

Thought about this some more. On two consecutive nights last year Mayfield played Heath and Reidland (both supposedly weak teams where Stonecipher and Burnett were the big fish). From what I saw of Mayfield last year Love was the number 4 option. The first night Heath beat Mayfield 63-62 with Stonecipher leading his team in scoring with 16. The second night Mayfield beat Reidland in a close game 66-61 with Burnett leading his team with 22 points. Reidland played Mayfield one other time with Mayfield again winning close. Sounds like pretty even teams. So the 4th option on Mayfield last year is now a top 10 player and the number 1 option on Heath and Reidland aren't. Your logic as well as the rankers seems strange. These were two really good players on two good teams last year.

 

One other thing I looked up. Stats for last year in region 1 disregarding last year seniors (from Paducah Sun).

 

Scoring

1. Hubert 20.5

2. Stonecipher 20.1

3. Burnett 17.1

4. Arnett 14.8

 

Assists

1. Burnett 5.1 (this doesn't seem like a selfish player)

2. Hubert 3.4

3. Adams 3.2

4. Chumbler 3.1

 

Conclusion: Leaving Caleb Stonecipher or Jared Burnett out of any preseason Top 10 invalidates the rankings in total. Now they both have to prove it and they have to prove they can play together but just assuming they can't is foolish.

As long as Burnett's daddy keeps stats then they are skewed. Five assists per game? Serious. Maybe five turnovers per game. I don't care what Heath or Reidland did against Mayfield. Mayfield didn't get out of the district either. Mayfield blasted Heath as Stonecipher clanged shot after shot, but I'll be dang, he kept hoisting it from anywhere on the court. That was the All A. The could both be top 10 players if they put winning above personal stats. But they don't. You may have a point with Love and Mckewen not belonging on there. But with the exception of those two I believe every other kid in the top ten has been on the Regional All Tournament team at one time or another. They win. Plain and simple. They don't worry about personal stats, they just win. All of them have been on the All Tournament Team and you are complaining about two kids that haven't even been to the tournament. They have to prove they can play an all around game and put winning first, then maybe they will get some respect.

Edited August 11, 201313 yr by Randy Parker

Just simply trying to make my original point. All the McCracken kids were underrated in this ranking. Chumbler will be the best point guard in the region and yet is ranked below McEwen for whatever reason. Stonecipher may be a top 5 player but at least 6 or 7. Burnett and Bryce Rodgers from Heath are unranked. I have no angst against any of these kids as you seem to have. Just looking for an accurate assessment. I also think Skyler Hunter was underrated. He is a Top 10 player period. I noticed in the Paducah Sun that he nearly averaged a double double last year.