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

My questions:

 

How good are the exchange kids?

 

How do they blend as a team?

 

How do they replace Hudson's athleticism?

 

What kind of supporting cast is there to step up in terms of kids who've been in their system for a few years?

Hazard has a lot of big shoes to fill, after losing probably 90% of their scoring and returning only one starter (Wells). However, with Big Al still at the helm,Hazard will continue to complete in the 14th.

Bulldogs will be in the running come tournament time.

I am hearing the exchange students might not be eligible

I don't see why they would be. They sat out the whole year, from what I understand.

It's my understanding only one of the three exchange students came back to Hazard this year. But the one that did come back, the guard from the Netherlands, is the best of the three.

As far as eligibility, I would think he would be okay. He sat out all of last year.

All three of the foreign kids did come back but they will not be elidigible. They did sit out last year but due to the communist KHSAA rule making process, after the cordia Canadian kids came in and played the KHSAA changed their rules it will now be nearly impossible for a foreign kid to play basketball in Kentucky. Reasons like this is why Kentucky never has top level talent in the country. The KHSAA tries to micro manage too much. I am by no means a hazard fan but these kids sat out all last year they should be allowed to play. I heard from al holland and he said the KHSAA was not going to allow them to play. They will be able to play until sometime in December then they are done. This season is going to be a long year for the dogs I would say they will be lucky to win 10 games but looking at their schedule they should surpass that. They will easily be the worst team in the district. It will be a success if they make it to the region this year.

Hate to hear this for Hazard's kids. Going to a school and staying there for a year shows commitment and now they're potentially going to be missing out on opportunities they might have had otherwise.

Any reasoning why they are ineligible after sitting out a year already? That's very strange.

Given these kids sat out a year, they should be eligible.

All three of the foreign kids did come back but they will not be elidigible. They did sit out last year but due to the communist KHSAA rule making process, after the cordia Canadian kids came in and played the KHSAA changed their rules it will now be nearly impossible for a foreign kid to play basketball in Kentucky. Reasons like this is why Kentucky never has top level talent in the country. The KHSAA tries to micro manage too much. I am by no means a hazard fan but these kids sat out all last year they should be allowed to play. I heard from al holland and he said the KHSAA was not going to allow them to play. They will be able to play until sometime in December then they are done. This season is going to be a long year for the dogs I would say they will be lucky to win 10 games but looking at their schedule they should surpass that. They will easily be the worst team in the district. It will be a success if they make it to the region this year.

Lion pride, I just discovered some more info on the 3 foreign exchange students. You're partially right in your post, but it's not the KHSAA that has them ruled ineligible this year (as it was last year). This time it's the KDE. The exchange student's visa's have expired and they need a different type of visa for this year but can't get it. They could still get some kind of arrangement where they could attend Hazard and play sports, but they'd each have to pay $8,000 per year tuition. Hazard can't pay it for them per KHSAA rules, due to it being seen as a recruiting benefit. So it looks like they will have to move back to their home countries.

But it appears the KDE, and not the KHSAA, is the governing body that's enforcing the rulings this time, albeit through the KHSAA.

If the exchange kids at Hazard are ineligible, it does not look good for Cordia's upcoming ruling and the potential suit that might follow. Might be the same for some other schools awaiting rulings too.