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

Next year, Dunbar has to take the next step.

 

This past season, they had some ups and downs, but at the end of the year, no one in the 11th would have been dying to play them in a one and done.

 

I think that Dunbar and Lexington Catholic were two teams who had some really bad luck last year in the sense that the way the weather forced the cancellation of a lot of games in a really condensed span that had to be made up in a really short period of time. Both of them went through a meat grinder right before district, then faced off in a first round game.

 

 

For an idea of what a Murder's Row the cancellations forced their schedule to end up being, just look at what they were up against.

 

 

 

Dunbar was a relatively young team last year, so as you might imagine, running through that late was very trying and I'm sure there were some tired legs in many of those games. Call me crazy, but most impressive to me, all things considered, was that they went across town and only lost to Henry Clay by 3 after Jeremiah Tisdale banked in a 3 at the buzzer. Someone who was at the game told me it was one of those shots "you just have to tip your hat to". That's the same Henry Clay team who really challenged eventual State Runner-Up Scott County in the Regional Final (after beating them in the District Finals). I know the Devils were without Jordan Green when the Bulldogs took them to overtime, but hear me out on this.

 

I pick that game as the one that's most impressive to me because Henry Clay is one of the teams people might be pegging to be atop the 11th next season, especially after their performance at the KBA. But, but, but... no Jordan Green in that one. Well, guess what, Jordan Green won't be back at Henry Clay next season and the Dunbar and Henry Clay teams that squared off in that one are essentially the same ones that will square off in '14-'15. If we see that matchup next year, it might not be Dunbar's 6th game in 9 days either.

 

As of today, I think it's very safe to say that Dunbar, Henry Clay, and Lafayette are in a 3-way race for the #1 spot amongst the rankings of the Lexington-Fayette Publics (with Bryan Station and their new Coach being a bit of an unknown but still ahead of Tates Creek). If we're include the Lexington privates then you're talking Lexington Catholic and Lexington Christian Academy too. The rest of the 11th, then mix in a rebuilding Scott County and don't underestimate Madison Central or Woodford County. Even when we broaden our horizons past the L-F Publics, for my money, the aforementioned public trio will occupy three of the top four or five slots in next year's rankings if we're just going off of what we know now.

Darius Williams, Guard, Class of 2016:

 

It all starts with Mr. Williams. Remember his name folks, he's about to blow up this season. Coming into his sophomore season, those who were familiar with the 11th were already aware of what Darius could do. After this summer and with the kind of year he'll have next year, the rest of the State will be on notice too.

 

Williams, along with Jeremiah Tisdale (Henry Clay) and Matt Rose (LCA), are all vying for the ranking of #1 player in the 11th. The kid can SCORE the ball. I am under the impression that schools like Western Kentucky University and Northern Kentucky University are already showing what I'd consider to be serious interest in him, and think that both the number and types of programs who start (or keep) showing the love will only grow with time. Did I mention Darius Willaims can score? He dropped a cool 54 in an AAU game at the KBA this summer, including a run of 8 consecutive treys that turned his team's 33-20 deficit into a 52-39 lead at the half.

 

Look out folks, because by the end of his career, you'll probably be seeing plenty of his name because it might end up being near the top of Mr. Basketball ballots.

The Supporting Cast:

 

Dunbar's last appearance in Rupp was with a guy named Cameron who went on to hit a shot against a team from Durham that Kentucky some past history with. The Bulldogs were State Runners Up that season, but that was in 1994 run is now two decades old (ironically, they were State Runners Up in '93 as well).While Williams is the talent who'll be counted on to do the heavy lifting, it won't be a one man show that leads the Dawgs to the promised land should they return.

 

 

Last season, Dunbar relied on a pair of freshmen to complement Williams, and this year, those kids will be a year older, a year wiser, and might have a bit of an edge that others they'll go up against will lack considering they were thrown into the fire so early as Coach Scott Chalk laid the foundations for the future once he took the reigns.

 

Tavieon Hollingsworth is quick on quick. He's a point guard who can penetrate, score, and get everyone else involved as well. If he works hard, and I mean "works hard", he could wind up being one of the kids who makes "the jump" this year. If he does, then it's possibly him that ends up being the reason the Bulldogs make a special kind of run. The talent is there, that much is already evident. I'm not saying the kid isn't a hard worker, because I have no idea about what type of work ethic he has, I'm just saying that if he builds on what he was able to do as a freshman and stays hungry, he could end up bursting down the door and leaving everyone no choice but to name him one of the top players in the 11th as well.

 

 

Dontell Brown will man the middle for the Bulldogs. A scrappy player who'll do a little bit of everything, he came on late last season to end his Freshman campaign, and should only continue to develop. He'll take charges, rebound, and defend. There's a lot to like about what he's able to do, and his emergence really seemed to spark Dunbar late. Like Hollingsworth, if he keeps working and is able to continue to build on the momentum he already has, then the Bulldogs' future is quite bright.

 

 

Both Hollingsworth and Brown played AAU with the MATTS Mustangs, a relatively new squad on the summer scene, but one who had some nice talent nonetheless. That experience should prove quite valuable once winter rolls around, as I'd imagine each played a significant role on their summer squad.

 

 

Likely rounding out the lineup/rotations will be a trio of Juniors.

 

Jordan Lewis and Trey Penny ran with the 859 Nuggets during the AAU session. Jordan is the younger brother of recently graduated Bulldogs floor general Donnie Lewis. Like his older brother, Jordan is a point, and will probably be called upon in varying roles this season. Vince Clark was the sole Bulldog who got burn with Lexington AAU power Charlotte Court this past summer, so don't count him out. He'll likely be asked to fill a variety of roles and find a niche that, while it might not be noticeable to casual observers, is still nonetheless vital in getting the team to where they want to go.

 

Joining the team's veteran, senior guard PJ Corio. Corio had a very nice game against Tates Creek last season, notching a season high 27 points, most of which came from the 7 trifectas he knocked down. Though that was by far one of his better efforts of the season, you can see that he's capable of getting hot. As you might expect, he also shoots a nice clip at the free through line. Looking at the stats, you get the impression that if he is able to refine his shot selection, he could be an important piece of the puzzle.

Edited July 2, 201412 yr by JokersWild24

Great info!!!!

Darius Williams, Guard, Class of 2016:

 

It all starts with Mr. Williams. Remember his name folks, he's about to blow up this season. Coming into his sophomore season, those who were familiar with the 11th were already aware of what Darius could do. After this summer and with the kind of year he'll have next year, the rest of the State will be on notice too.

 

Williams, along with Jeremiah Tisdale (Henry Clay) and Matt Rose (LCA), are all vying for the ranking of #1 player in the 11th. The kid can SCORE the ball. I am under the impression that schools like Western Kentucky University and Northern Kentucky University are already showing what I'd consider to be serious interest in him, and think that both the number and types of programs who start (or keep) showing the love will only grow with time. Did I mention Darius Willaims can score? He dropped a cool 54 in an AAU game at the KBA this summer, including a run of 8 consecutive treys that turned his team's 33-20 deficit into a 52-39 lead at the half.

 

Look out folks, because by the end of his career, you'll probably be seeing plenty of his name because it might end up being near the top of Mr. Basketball ballots.

 

Nice info. How big is Williams?

JW24,all the kids you’ve mentioned will be juniors and sophomores, Dunbar should have a couple of good years. PJ Corio will be a senior and definitely be an important part of the rotation.

 

Chemistry could be the torpedo, the coach could use some Dale Carnegie. It was a big issue last year.

JW24,all the kids you’ve mentioned will be juniors and sophomores, Dunbar should have a couple of good years. PJ Corio will be a senior and definitely be an important part of the rotation.

 

Chemistry could be the torpedo, the coach could use some Dale Carnegie. It was a big issue last year.

 

 

Thanks, I didn't get an update on where he was playing AAU and didn't double check my lists against the KHSAA rosters, so that one's my fault. I'll add him into the main section and give him some more pixels here too.

 

 

P.J. Corio - Class of 2015, Junior Year Highlights:

Pj Corio - Hudl

Nice info. How big is Williams?

 

6'3-6'4 range. Could use some more muscle

Nice info. How big is Williams?

 

Height: 6'3 Weight: 170 Wingspan: 6'7

6'3-6'4 range. Could use some more muscle

 

He has 2 seasons to achieve this and has been in the gym but Darius is cut up and stronger than what he appears to be. He has heart, determination, drive and will! 5 to 10 pounds of muscle would really make him a handful to deal with.

This information is a little misleading. Dunbar had 6 seniors that played last year (1 left in the middle of the year). Of these 6, at least 3 started and played significant minutes throughout the year. Coach Chalk played a lot of players and tried to get minutes for all. I suspect because he knew there was a lot of younger talent and wanted to get them some minutes as well. In my mind, this type of play style left the team a little chaotic at times and caused difficulty in finding a rhythm, but did get a lot of playing experience for the younger players and the future of the program. Next years team is not necessarily the same team as last, but this may bode well for the next season, as I agree that next years Dunbar team is very capable of making a lot of noise in the 11th.

 

The Henry Clay game was as you mentioned, but I would say the most impressive game was that against Scott Co the next to last game in the season. There was a lot to play for in this game as it determined whether or not they would have to play the 4-5 game in the district or get a pass to the second round. The team showed a tremendous amount of determination and will, but at the end were defeated by three to the eventual state championship runner-ups.

 

Lastly, next years Dunbar team will rely heavily on the players you mentioned, but another player you did not mentioned is Senior to be Jeremy Ward. Jeremy is a very solid inside player that can fill many different roles. Jeremy has a very good basketball IQ and is a very smart player as well. He is the kind of player that will give around 10-15 pts a game and can go strong into the basket and make players bounce off him in the lane. However, his best attributes typically don't get recorded in the stat books. He is a big space eater and uses his body well inside the paint. He always has a bigger man on his back and does the work to stay in position to either grab the rebounds or give his teammates a chance at the ball by keeping the opponents away from it. He is unselfish and typically never receives any accolades, but the team will struggle to win without his presence in the game. Jeremy plays hard as nails, but is also one of the nicest players on the court. He rarely complains, is courteous to the officials and is very complimentary of his opponents and teammates. There have been a few times this summer that coach has brought Dontelle in and moved Jeremy over to the 4 which I believe is thier best lineup. Hopefully they will go more to this once there is more time to practice before the season.

I saw Hollingsworth play at KBA. Someone in this thread said he was a PG. That's a little far off base from what I saw of his game. He's a nice player, but it looked like his AAU coach was begging him to play hard. He looked like he took some possessions off. I've only seen him the one time, so I could've just witnessed an off day.

I saw Hollingsworth play at KBA. Someone in this thread said he was a PG. That's a little far off base from what I saw of his game. He's a nice player, but it looked like his AAU coach was begging him to play hard. He looked like he took some possessions off. I've only seen him the one time, so I could've just witnessed an off day.

 

PJ Corio has been playing point for Dunbar during the summer games. PJ is a very capable ball handler, drives the basket with vigor, and is an outstanding shot as well. Anyone that has witnessed his play this summer in AAU and summer team play will have to attest to this.

 

Hollingsworth is a very talented player. He typically plays the 2, as he did last year as well. He has a good shot, comes off the high screen really well and makes very difficult shots in traffic. He typically plays very hard and has great enthusiasm for the game. I would say that anything you witnessed at KBA probably has more to do with being a young player than a question of talent. This will be Dunbar's biggest issue next season - getting all the players to play with consistency and as a team each and every game.

PJ Corio has been playing point for Dunbar during the summer games. PJ is a very capable ball handler, drives the basket with vigor, and is an outstanding shot as well. Anyone that has witnessed his play this summer in AAU and summer team play will have to attest to this.

 

Hollingsworth is a very talented player. He typically plays the 2, as he did last year as well. He has a good shot, comes off the high screen really well and makes very difficult shots in traffic. He typically plays very hard and has great enthusiasm for the game. I would say that anything you witnessed at KBA probably has more to do with being a young player than a question of talent. This will be Dunbar's biggest issue next season - getting all the players to play with consistency and as a team each and every game.

 

Thanks for the input. You're definitely more in the know with them than I am. I don't doubt the kids talent at all. He made several instinctive plays. Like I said, he noticeably took some plays off, but that's not uncommon when it comes to AAU. I just thought it was odd because they were in a close game. I enjoyed watching him and Brown play. From my home in Shelby, it's less than an hour to Dunbar. I'll definitely come watch them play this season.