Hezekiah Miller isn't a brother of the frosh Miller. He is the younger brother of Janice Stovall from Holmes girls varsity team this yr. He is related to the simpsons from Newport. (Dave Simpson).

 

He is also an outstanding football player, along with being an all around gook kid!

I do not think so.

 

are you sure, I have heard talks of all schools in the regional tourney??

are you sure, I have heard talks of all schools in the regional tourney??

 

Check out nkmsaa.org. They are different. Finals for small school is 2/21 and Large school is 2/28

Check out nkmsaa.org. They are different. Finals for small school is 2/21 and Large school is 2/28

 

Large School final on Feb. 14

He is also an outstanding football player, along with being an all around gook kid!

 

I already know! Have been watching him for yrs. Excellent field vision for his age and really fast!

Large School final on Feb. 14

 

Last regular season game is Feb 12 for large school div, districts start on Feb 16th.

Last regular season game is Feb 12 for large school div, districts start on Feb 16th.

 

Not sure now. Schedule has changed several times. Ugh!

We were told no districts. Straight to regionals.

We were told no districts. Straight to regionals.

 

Do all teams make the regional?

Do all teams make the regional?

 

Info I have for Big School tourney shows Championship games 2/14. East Division winner v. West Division winner. #1 seed gets bye in each division, then 2v.7, 3v.6, 4v.5.

Do all teams make the regional?

 

Yes. All teams make regional. (14 teams - big school).

 

IMO, the tourney should be cross-seeded (east v. west). The two best teams could be in same division, yet not play in championship game. For example, Conner & St.Pius were two best teams in both 6th & 8th grades last year. They played in Championship games. Under current set up, that would not be possible. Hopefully, they will change that by end of year (?)

Info I have for Big School tourney shows Championship games 2/14. East Division winner v. West Division winner. #1 seed gets bye in each division, then 2v.7, 3v.6, 4v.5.

 

Are they seeded by only division games or by overall NKMSAA record?

Ben Zalla is a great 8th grader from Villa. Big kid, real fast, really smart, and very athletic.

In 6th grade action HMS beat Beechwood 34-31 in the final of the Woodfill Tournament. This was a much better game than the pool play game last week. If someone in NKy beats HMS I will be very surprised. Congrats to the Baby Birds.

More rants based upon watching more middle school basketball this past week -

 

Dear Coaches -

 

1) Please teach your kids, especially your inside players, to "finish" through the contact. Stop fading away from defenders, and trying to avoid contact when shooting the basketball. How many missed shots does your team have because they are trying to avoid the contact and they throw up a shot that has NO chance of going in the basket.

 

2) Teach your kids that a blocked shot at this level is not the "ultimate basketball play". On offense, kids are so afraid of having their shot blocked, that they resort to taking a bad shot. (See #1). I tell my kids that I don't care if the other team blocks all of our shots. Playing against teams that like to block shots leads to one of three things - a) We get to take the ball out of bounds and run a good inbounds set; b) We are going to ball fake, the defender is going to jump out of position and we will get a better shot; c) They are going to foul us, and we are going to shoot a lot of FTs.

 

3) On defense, kids like trying to block shots. Again, they think it is the "ultimate basketball play". For every blocked shot, I will show you 5 times that jumping to block shots puts the defense in bad position. Instead, stay in your defensive stance, get a high hand up on the shooter, and force the dribbler into a position on the floor towards the help defender. Then, finish the possession with the defensive rebound.

 

4) If your player fouls a jump shooter, make it an "automatic sub." On our team, if you foul a jump shooter, you might as well head to the bench because that is where you will be. The bench is a good reminder for these kids. Plus, it is a deterrent to stop trying to block shots. And, I don't care which one of my players it is - fouling a jump shooter earns some time on the bench.

 

5) Does anyone teach the bounce pass? The next time you are at a game, observe the number of passes that are stolen or deflected because a bounce pass wasn't utilized. It often seems like the defender's hand is invisible to the dribbler. Bounce pass the basketball.

 

6) When you have a player double-teamed in a trap, don't bail them out by reaching in and trying to take the ball. This usually results in a foul. Stay in good defensive position, and try to get a deflection or a tip on a pass. Stealing a pass usually leads to a transition shot attempt.

 

 

Lastly, and this is a "repeat", why do kids dribble the ball across half-court, and pick up their dribble as they head to the side lines? Why? Defensively, your players should be taught to trap in this position on the floor. It is an automatic trap spot. And, at the middle school level, if it is properly executed, it is probably worth 6 - 8 PPG due to live ball turnovers.