Who cares what their age is.

 

 

I don't care about their age but man this is hilarious. Well done. :lol2: :lol2:

We are quibbling over semantics.

 

All 3 (Butt, Dykes, and Fitzgerald) are old enough to be very young Juniors or older Sophomores.

 

Agree but they are also not to old to be freshman. If the extra year helps the student athlete get $4-5000 in athletic aide and helps increase ACT 3 points which is another $5000 then that's $40,000 saving in college tuition. So what they win a few more HS basketball games. There's probably not 1 kid in Ky that will make a living playing basketball. There are only a handful that will receive DI full scholarship.

Agree but they are also not to old to be freshman. If the extra year helps the student athlete get $4-5000 in athletic aide and helps increase ACT 3 points which is another $5000 then that's $40,000 saving in college tuition. So what they win a few more HS basketball games. There's probably not 1 kid in Ky that will make a living playing basketball. There are only a handful that will receive DI full scholarship.

 

I stated previously that they are within the age limit guidelines for their senior seasons. That is not the point of my discussion. The point is that they should not be compared to freshmen who are 14 or just turned 15 since each is already 16 years old.

 

Many people make the argument that the extra year will assist them in getting help towards college. I am not one of them. My children had 13 years of school (K-12). They did not need (nor were they going to receive) a 14th year to get 3 more points on the ACT or get a better look by a head coach from a D1 school.

Lets not kid ourselves about the ACT scores or any reference to academics. The reason the majority are held back is because of sports. Say that out loud, I think we should hold little Johnny back so he can maybe be better at sports than the kids in his grade. Yeah thats a good idea, good for his self esteem to dominate younger kids, etc. In my opinion, if the child does not need to be held back for social or academic reasons then it's not the right thing to do and should not be allowed. I don't blame the kids though, it's entirely on the parents and school systems that allow it. Again, just my thoughts and opinion.

Adam Kunkle is the best freshman in the 9th IMO. I know it was mentioned earlier but this player can flat out shoot the ball. Poured in 19 last nite for Cooper with 5 3s. Typically is Cooper's first player off the bench and has been and will be a major contributor this season.

I realize that they are quality players... you cannot convince me that being 1-2 years older than their classmates does not present an advantage. Would people consider them an impact player if they were a Sophomore, or Junior, this season?

Yea I believe they would still be considered a huge impact. Fitzgerald had 21 pts and 15 rebounds in championship game against Hop town. 7pts and 18 boards against Warren Central

I agree with your comment, these numbers support it.

 

If these boys were Juniors, would they still be considered some of the best in that class?

I agree with your comment, these numbers support it.

 

If these boys were Juniors, would they still be considered some of the best in that class?

 

 

Tough question. I think possibly so even though that class has Goodin, Wright, Hager, Dow and Carson Williams in it. Isaiah Tisdale. Trey Blevins. Corey Stearns. Lots of talented juniors in that class. If they were sophomores I think they'd be mentioned with sophomores like they are with freshmen.

I just figured all the whining over age would stop when the kids got to high school. I guess not. I never hear a thing about Quentin Snider or Anthony Hickey or Elisha Justice etc. They are all hold backs and were all Mr. Basketball.

It is a bit of a stretch to casually throw out they could be classified as Juniors. Granted they are now 16 years old, but if indeed their birthdays are referenced correctly they are the beneficiaries of a fall birth date which is not a calculated move to improve their chances to succeed in sports. The hold back year may have been a planned move for an advantage, but that would place them as a "normal" sophomore in the case of Butts & Fitzgerald. In my opinion, at least Fitzgerald would be in the Top 30 of the sophomore class. In the freshmen class he is likely a Top 10 player in the state. He will be a star his entire career at the high school level for SW regardless of being a hold back or not. I also feel it is not that unusual for kids to be one year hold backs. It is sort of like the steroids era in MLB, at some point it is almost like a culture that made it a move to keep up with others that were doing it.

 

At some point it no longer is an advantage. Many college coaches when recruiting a class will actually favor a kid who is young for their grade if all things are equal between two players. They will view the younger kid with more upside graduating at 17 than a kid who graduates at 19. I would suggest that a freshmen who is 14 or 15 that is making an impact on varsity level is more noteworthy than a 16 year old freshmen. I mentioned before that Fern Creek in Region 6 starts 3 freshmen (Hill-15, Price-15, & Wales-14) who are not hold backs and that team is 9-5 against a tough schedule. That is a very rare situation in Jefferson County to even see a single freshmen starter, but to see a team with 3 is virtually unheard of.

All 3 of those kids can really play. There are a few college coaches that will still take age in consideration but most that I talk to could care less. They want somebody to help them now, not 2 years from now or even next year.

It is a bit of a stretch to casually throw out they could be classified as Juniors. Granted they are now 16 years old, but if indeed their birthdays are referenced correctly they are the beneficiaries of a fall birth date which is not a calculated move to improve their chances to succeed in sports. The hold back year may have been a planned move for an advantage, but that would place them as a "normal" sophomore in the case of Butts & Fitzgerald. In my opinion, at least Fitzgerald would be in the Top 30 of the sophomore class. In the freshmen class he is likely a Top 10 player in the state. He will be a star his entire career at the high school level for SW regardless of being a hold back or not. I also feel it is not that unusual for kids to be one year hold backs. It is sort of like the steroids era in MLB, at some point it is almost like a culture that made it a move to keep up with others that were doing it.

 

At some point it no longer is an advantage. Many college coaches when recruiting a class will actually favor a kid who is young for their grade if all things are equal between two players. They will view the younger kid with more upside graduating at 17 than a kid who graduates at 19. I would suggest that a freshmen who is 14 or 15 that is making an impact on varsity level is more noteworthy than a 16 year old freshmen. I mentioned before that Fern Creek in Region 6 starts 3 freshmen (Hill-15, Price-15, & Wales-14) who are not hold backs and that team is 9-5 against a tough schedule. That is a very rare situation in Jefferson County to even see a single freshmen starter, but to see a team with 3 is virtually unheard of.

 

Ahmad Price is a stud and would be a top player in any region, regardless of age, in my opinion. I'm not sold on the other two just yet. I tend to think the pressure will be on the Fern Creek coaching staff to develop all of those kids.

 

I wonder if they will try to play up again at AAU state in May? Travelers have played their 16s up the last couple years and it was disastrous for them last year. Those Gator kids would be playing up 2 grade levels. Could be tough.

6th region typically does not have many freshmen contributing, but several teams and one in particular have freshmen playing major roles. Fairdale has a freshmen who hit a game winning shot against J-Town, Glenn Queen who scored 4 points in their victory. PRP had to call upon Gerald Gray a back-up PG after the players in front of him fouled out against Taft out of Cincinnati. Gerald hit the game winning 3 point shot with less than a minute to go.

 

Fern Creek has by far the most talented freshmen bunch in the region and likely the state. 6 players from the dominant 2018 AAU program, KY Gators all went to Fern Creek. That AAU team won the Division 1 State tournament three years in a row and also played up in the 9th grade State AAU tournament this past May and won the 9th grade title as an 8th grade team. Three players are major contributors for the Fern Creek Varsity. Trey Hill is averaging double figures in points and 2nd on team in rebounds. Ahmad Price is averaging 9 points and is 3rd in rebounds for the team and 2nd in steals. PG Anthony Wales is averaging 7.5 PPG and leads the team in assists (5/game) and steals (5/game) with only one turnover on the season. The team is 2-0 and the three freshmen are major contributors. Fern Creek could be a major force in the region perhaps much earlier than expected even with playing three freshmen in major roles.

 

Didn't North Laurels Bayley Rice play with this group of kids? I think he is also a top prospect as best incoming frosh.

Yes Rice played with this group. Rice has a huge upside.