You live in Ky. Right?

 

Yep, doesn't mean I support the rules. I coached an 8th grade ky state champion in shot put while I lived in Ohio, didn't agree with it. Great kid., great family. Finished all-American at U of L. Played BBall too.

As long as Ky and KHSAA allow it , coaches will use it, manipulate it, parents of those kids will support it. Why not, it gives them exposure and the "OMG, an 8th grader is as good or talented enough to play at HS? They must be the next Britney Griner..." But sadly they are not. Parents get to boast and gloat about their super star. It's not humbling, it's about exposure and the ugly truth about athletics. It about teaching your kids, right from wrong. Waiting your turn to show greatness. As a former athlete, I would have been beyond upset if I knew I had to play against a MS player when I was on Varsity. Not because they were good enough to play, but the integrity of being in HS and what it meant to be on Varsity. For all those that tried and never made it, it was to be special, getting that letter. Now it's watered down because there are not enough to fill a team? Trust me, plenty of talent that walk the halls that say forget it because of politics of MS players, playing in Ky.

 

This may be very true. But lets use this what if. Lets say there is a very talented 7th grader coming up. As a sopohmore, there is an avg player that makes the varsity team. Could develop and may not. She makes the team again JR, but still middle of the row. Now, her senior year tryouts come. guess what. That outstanding 7th, along with maybe some others are now freshman. They out play the senior in tryouts. Do you cut the senior?

 

My point is, if the MS kid is better, it's just a matter of time before she has an effect on the HS kid that quit anyway. Meaning you can bring the MS kid up and challenge the older girl with her on the court OR you can hide the outstanding MS kid and shock the girl as a senior because she just got cut. You can say there is talent walking in the halls because of MS kids and you're right. Because they saw the writing on the wall that the kid behind them was already better. When you realize that, you have two options. Work your tail off and get better or quit. That's why they are walking the halls. Because they quit. I can give you examples of both situations.

 

I can tell you the 8th grade class coming in as freshman next year to HHS is loaded. Now they are eligible. There are only so many spots on a varsity roster. What do they do. Not play the best girls in the high school because one is older than the other? I have no idea how it will play out next year, just a scenario. If kids may eventually get cut next year because of the talent coming in, what's the difference if those kids actually got to see the incoming players for a year. Then they can decide if they want to come back or not.

As long as Ky and KHSAA allow it , coaches will use it, manipulate it, parents of those kids will support it. Why not, it gives them exposure and the "OMG, an 8th grader is as good or talented enough to play at HS? They must be the next Britney Griner..." But sadly they are not. Parents get to boast and gloat about their super star. It's not humbling, it's about exposure and the ugly truth about athletics. It about teaching your kids, right from wrong. Waiting your turn to show greatness. As a former athlete, I would have been beyond upset if I knew I had to play against a MS player when I was on Varsity. Not because they were good enough to play, but the integrity of being in HS and what it meant to be on Varsity. For all those that tried and never made it, it was to be special, getting that letter. Now it's watered down because there are not enough to fill a team? Trust me, plenty of talent that walk the halls that say forget it because of politics of MS players, playing in Ky.

 

We are very close to agreeing. I just feel there are some exceptions and you can't blanket a rule when there are exceptions and those exceptions should be allowed to play. I know that it gets abused like everything else (example...the HS transfer rule in KY), but there is some good that comes from it too.

If I'm not mistaken the girl all time scorer in ky played 5 or 6 years of varsity.

 

Uhhhh...Hellbird...all time girls or boys scorer!!! And she coaches Highlands!

Lexi Held for Cooper was an 8th grader last year.

 

I know and Cooper was the talk of the town for "stretching the rules". They also brought up Aysha Mitchell. The rest of the Boone coaches were on suicide watch!!! :jump: LOL

This may be very true. But lets use this what if. Lets say there is a very talented 7th grader coming up. As a sopohmore, there is an avg player that makes the varsity team. Could develop and may not. She makes the team again JR, but still middle of the row. Now, her senior year tryouts come. guess what. That outstanding 7th, along with maybe some others are now freshman. They out play the senior in tryouts. Do you cut the senior?

 

My point is, if the MS kid is better, it's just a matter of time before she has an effect on the HS kid that quit anyway. Meaning you can bring the MS kid up and challenge the older girl with her on the court OR you can hide the outstanding MS kid and shock the girl as a senior because she just got cut. You can say there is talent walking in the halls because of MS kids and you're right. Because they saw the writing on the wall that the kid behind them was already better. When you realize that, you have two options. Work your tail off and get better or quit. That's why they are walking the halls. Because they quit. I can give you examples of both situations.

 

I can tell you the 8th grade class coming in as freshman next year to HHS is loaded. Now they are eligible. There are only so many spots on a varsity roster. What do they do. Not play the best girls in the high school because one is older than the other? I have no idea how it will play out next year, just a scenario. If kids may eventually get cut next year because of the talent coming in, what's the difference if those kids actually got to see the incoming players for a year. Then they can decide if they want to come back or not.

 

Again, all within the rights of KHSAA. As much as its about talent, it's about supply and demand as well, fact you pointed out earlier on. The what if senario about not enough to fill a roster. So KHSAA has given schools that flexibility. I don't agree. To me it's about the HS experience and being an actual high schooler playing in HS. The HS students supporting their HS classmates. Those 8th graders will get their turn and glory in time.

This is great conversation with great points on both sides. It's refreshing to be able to give and take in a conversation and not get your head cut off!!! So kudos to all in this conversation! It doesn't happen too much like this on here these days...Which...the other way can be fun too!

Yep, and KHSAA rules allow for that. Now that it's changed to just 8th graders, will that record ever be broken? If they change to only HS, then what? Have an asteric * beside it?

 

 

 

UNBREAKABLE! !

And there will always be exceptions!! Funny to think about Lebron sitting on some middle school bench in Akron huh!

And for the record I am glad my daughter kicked the cheerleading habit and picked up the basketball again!! (Thanks Hannah Tubbs) and I am all for doing what's best for each individual young man or lady!!

Great discussion! I coach one of the boone schools 8th grade girls teams. We only had 4 girls show up to tryout. 3 of our 8th graders are playing on the hs teams. I think if a young lady can play varsity they should probably play up, but two of the girls that were moved up will probably not play varsity. I know freshman numbers are down but now our ms program is hurting. I wish boone would adopt a policy and stick to it.We picked up 4 more girls that have never played before. Going to be an interesting year! Hopefully I can make it fun for all of them

Great discussion! I coach one of the boone schools 8th grade girls teams. We only had 4 girls show up to tryout. 3 of our 8th graders are playing on the hs teams. I think if a young lady can play varsity they should probably play up, but two of the girls that were moved up will probably not play varsity. I know freshman numbers are down but now our ms program is hurting. I wish boone would adopt a policy and stick to it.We picked up 4 more girls that have never played before. Going to be an interesting year! Hopefully I can make it fun for all of them

 

I assume you are a ryle feeder school. So the question that comes to mind is...why such low numbers at the middle school?

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Great discussion! I coach one of the boone schools 8th grade girls teams. We only had 4 girls show up to tryout. 3 of our 8th graders are playing on the hs teams. I think if a young lady can play varsity they should probably play up, but two of the girls that were moved up will probably not play varsity. I know freshman numbers are down but now our ms program is hurting. I wish boone would adopt a policy and stick to it.We picked up 4 more girls that have never played before. Going to be an interesting year! Hopefully I can make it fun for all of them

 

That's terrible. If they don't get to play Varsity, then what's the point to move up at all? To save the freshman team? Why? Leave them at MS, develop them, give them more time on skills work, more time to play and get better. And....let them have fun playing with their school mates at MS. Build that team comradery. Sorry to hear. Good luck coach, hope those girls have fun and keep the interest into HS.

This is what we are talking about!

 

However, I am hearing rumors of Boone Co schools starting to reach into the MS because of the new rule change and trying to get their hands on the best of the middle school kids and playing them against other Boone schools. Again, rumors, but if that's happening, then they better figure out how to put a stop to that asap or it will escalate into a ton of issues. I hope that's not really the case...bringing up kids because they can and to keep the other schools off of them.

 

That strategy is a very real & common strategy used by coaches in more than one sport. Once a player has played at Varsity level (no matter what age), they are locked in to that school & unable to transfer without sitting out a full year. The exceptions would be change in address or fighting the matter with school board. In theory, a HS coach cannot "recruit" players from different schools & that would include MS, but we all know it happens. If this practice of snatching top MS talent to play up for that purpose continues to be allowed, before you know it we'll see freshmen forego their last 3 yrs of HS to play college or better yet have HS Draft selections!! Sounds extremely outrageous, but a few years ago so did seeing a 7th grader playing on a large school Varsity team!! Just another example of how politics ruin sports!! Whatever happened to letting the talent speak for itself?

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That strategy is a very real & common strategy used by coaches in more than one sport. Once a player has played at Varsity level (no matter what age), they are locked in to that school & unable to transfer without sitting out a full year. The exceptions would be change in address or fighting the matter with school board. In theory, a HS coach cannot "recruit" players from different schools & that would include MS, but we all know it happens. If this practice of snatching top MS talent to play up for that purpose continues to be allowed, before you know it we'll see freshmen forego their last 3 yrs of HS to play college or better yet have HS Draft selections!! Sounds extremely outrageous, but a few years ago so did seeing a 7th grader playing on a large school Varsity team!! Just another example of how politics ruin sports!! Whatever happened to letting the talent speak for itself?

 

That's why MS needs to stick with MS and HS to HS, then it doesn't matter what, where, who the MS player did or played at. No one is locked into anything.