Basketball season for 2014/2015 should provide another exciting year. What should we expect from Whitley County Remember, please be constructive.

Finally got some solid information on Whitley County. Look for them to be one of the top 10 teams in the 13th, and one that some are predicting to even be one of the top 5 or 6 teams once the end of the year rolls around. Some of this may be a little repetitive since I've mentioned bits and pieces of it in different threads so, I apologize for that.

 

 

The Lowdown:

 

Young team last year that split regular season games with Corbin. They beat Corbin 61-50 on Jan. 17th, and then Corbin beat them 74-46 at Corbin. Corbin beat them by 2 in the first round of district play at Corbin, 59-57. They only lost 1 senior from last year's team, who, from what I can tell, was not one of their top 3 scorers.

 

As far as what they have personnel wise, it seems like they have a really balanced scoring attack and have been playing together for awhile now. Their leading scorer will likely be senior guard James Sasko. He'll be joined by senior guard Levi Barton and junior guards Casey Crisologo and Luke Woods, each of which is capable of stepping up and complementing him by providing plenty of scoring punch.

 

They are very guard heavy, and scoring from the perimeter doesnt look like it should be a problem. However, they'll likely have to have some kids who step up and find ways to help out on the interior if they want to advance deep in regional play.

 

 

 

What To Expect:

 

I always think it's interesting to look at team's schedules as a gauge of what those around the program think they may have, and this year, they have a pretty reputable schedule. They open with Bell County, then have a return game with Wayne County, who crushed them last year, at home. Another intriguing game will be an away contest against Iroquois.

 

Their holiday tournaments will be at Knox Central and the Berea Invitational Tournament.

 

Aside from their district games, and games in-region against with Jackson County, Bell County twice, Knox Central, North Laurel, and Harlan County.

 

 

 

The Steady Rise:

 

In 2011, Coach Jerry Overbey took over, and since then they've steadily improved each season. This will be the first year that Overbay will have coached a group of seniors that he's had since their freshman year. In 2012, the Colonels were 5-26, in 2013 they were 8-22, and in 2014 they saw drastic improvements, making the jump with a 17-13 record that included big wins over city-rivals Corbin and Williamsburg, as well as Harlan County and Bell County.

 

 

 

Summer Play & The "Next Steps":

 

I talked to an area insider who said he saw them beat Harlan County by 10 in summer play. I'll be expecting a good bit of noise from them, and really think that this year could be a "make or break" type of year for them. They're either going to make the jump up to being one of the better teams in the region and someone that no one wants to play in a one and done, or they're going to be a mediocre team that is capable of beating anyone on a given night but doesn't really strike fear into the hearts of other teams in the way that others will.

 

Their district is loaded in terms of parity (at least as far as the 13th goes). Only two out of Corbin, Whitely, Williamsburg, and South Laurel will advance to regional play. Glancing at most people's preseason rankings, you seem to get the impression that South is most likely to be one of the odd teams out, and you'd think that if things hold as they are, whoever gets the #1 seed in that district, even though it will be played at South Laurel, is going to be happy to avoid being the odd team out of the Corbin/Whitley County/Williamsburg 1st Round elimination game.