It has been 8 years, but the Covington Catholic Colonels and their "Crazies" are heading back to the KHSAA Sweet 16 State Tournament after winning the 9th region tournament over the Holmes Bulldogs, 56-51.

 

The Colonels come in to the tournament with a 29-2 record and are led by one of the most underrated senior guards in the state in 5'11 Nick Ruthsatz.

 

Ruthsatz, who is also the son of head coach Scott Ruthsatz and a Findlay commit, comes in averaging 21.7 ppg and 4.2 rpg. The senior lead guard was named 9th region tournament MVP after posting 11 points, 4 rebounds in a 74-40 win over Ryle, 20 points, 6 rebounds in a 51-43 win over tournament favorite Newport Catholic, and 24 points, 5 rebounds over a Holmes team who had beaten the Colonels just 9 days prior to give the Colonels their only 9th region loss of the season.

 

While Ruthsatz gets the majority of the publicity, and rightfully so, he has a great supporting cast starting with back court mate Cole Vonhandorf. CVH, as they call the 6'1 freshman, is a strong defensive player who can also hurt you offensively with his penetration and pull up jumper. For the year, VonHanforf was the Colonels second leading scorer at 10.3 ppg. How good has the freshman guard been this year? He is second on the team in field goal percentage at 54%, second on the team in 3FG percentage (42%), and the best free throw shooter amongst the starters at a cool 86%.

 

As good as the Colonels back court is, it is their front court that has come up huge for them down the stretch.

 

6'3 senior Mark Schult kicked off the region tournament with a career high 30 point, 8 rebound performance against Ryle and followed that up with 8 points against Newcath and 11 points, 5 rebounds against Holmes in the region finals on his way to an all region tournament selection. Schult is undersized at the 5 but provides a toughness and work ethic inside and down low that are matched by very interior players that play the 5 at his size. Schult comes in to the tournament averaging 9.8 ppg, 5 rpg.

 

Along side Schult is a 6'5 junior forward in Bo Schuh.

 

Schuh has progressed throughout the season but saved his best for when it mattered most. During the region tournament, the long, athletic forward averaged 10 ppg and just under 10 rebounds per game at 9.7. In the region finals against Holmes, Schuh finished with 15 rebounds in one of his most impressive performances of the year. His rebounding and length on the defensive end will be one of the biggest keys for Covcath to make a deep post season run.

 

The fifth and final starter for the Colonels is 6'2 forward Ben Heppler. While Heppler averaged 9.1 ppg throughout the regular season, his scoring dropped off a bit during the region tournament run. Still, he was one of the biggest keys in the Colonel run as he provided key three's in both the Newcath and Holmes' games that allowed the Colonels to either pull away or take a lead. His outside shooting is a major asset for the Colonels to have in a tournament like this where most teams like to make it a half court, slow it down game. Covcath thrives in transition and off penetration so he will get plenty of looks from outside.

 

The Colonels biggest strength is their depth. While they don't have much size off the bench, the Colonels are a very tough, defensive minded team that will throw waves of players at the opposition to wear them down over 32 minutes.

 

With the draw that the Colonels received, they have a very good shot at getting to the Sunday afternoon game to play for a state championship. While it won't be easy, these Colonels are ready and built for the ride. The fun begins Thursday night at 8:00 as the Colonels take on 13th region winner, Clay County (23-8).

 

While it's easy for me to sit here and rattle off stats and give my breakdown of each player, the best way for me to preview the Colonels is to SHOW you what to expect......see you at Rupp!

 

.........

 

Very well done, Walter. :thumb:

.........

 

Very well done, Walter. :thumb:

 

Appreciate it.

 

I think Covcath has a very good chance at getting to Sunday and possibly winning this thing if they continue to defend the way they have down the stretch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=jmYxTTOpBy0Cov Cath Colonel Crazies - Regional Championship 2014 - YouTube

 

 

 

 

They're good.

Nice write up, Walter. Job well done.

Skinner article on the father/son vs coach/player relationship.

 

 

 

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/college/university-of-kentucky/2014/03/19/covcaths-nick-scott-ruthsatz-bonding-court/6637557/