Matt Rose from Lexington Christian Academy so far this year:

 

7 points & 6 rebounds vs. CAL (LCA up 30 at the half)

32 & 10 vs. Collins

23 & 13 vs. Tates Creek

33 & 11 vs. Scott County

19 & 9 vs. Paris

14 & 10 vs. Dunbar (injured ankle in 2nd qtr.)

32 & 7 vs. Fleming County

Its hard for anyone to post a legit top 10 without seeing everyone in the state. People in different areas are going to have different opinions. Obviously i would put Eli Wright and Aric Holman on the list. Eli is the best talent i have seen come through Owensboro since Rex Chapman and its really not even close. Aric was a really good player a year ago and he has improved light years from the timid kid i watched last season. He is a floor general, leader and one of the best defenders ive seen at a high school level. His shot blocking ability changes games. Both of these kids are top tier talents in this state. Its hard for me to stack them vs others, because i havent seen everyone else.

I'm already casting my vote for him as Mr. Basketball in 2017.

 

It's December. Here's to hoping you don't get a real vote.

It's December. Here's to hoping you don't get a real vote.

 

Agree. A lot of time between now and his senior year. Hopefully he can continue to develop. But how many kids do we hear about on here as 8th, 9th, and 10th graders only for them to have a dramatic fall off later. It's also a little reckless to predict Mr Basketball for 2017 this early. I'm sure there are some sophomores you haven't heard of yet that aren't getting playing time or publicity for various reasons. Schools in the 6th and 7th region can generally afford the luxury of having a kid sit and learn.

It's December. Here's to hoping you don't get a real vote.

 

Agree. A lot of time between now and his senior year. Hopefully he can continue to develop. But how many kids do we hear about on here as 8th, 9th, and 10th graders only for them to have a dramatic fall off later. It's also a little reckless to predict Mr Basketball for 2017 this early. I'm sure there are some sophomores you haven't heard of yet that aren't getting playing time or publicity for various reasons. Schools in the 6th and 7th region can generally afford the luxury of having a kid sit and learn.

 

I'm sorry... I wasn't aware that I was not at liberty to take a stab at future possibilities. Indeed, so much can happen between now and then. I'm probably imagining things when I've personally witnessed his development since his 8th grade season, and how he consistently demonstrates such a high basketball I.Q., progressing steadily to now be playing like a highly seasoned senior in this his sophomore year.

 

I'll ignore all of this and listen more keenly to those of you who are more informed about him. I humbly admit my ignorance and that I spoke out of turn. What could I possibly have been thinking? I've not the experience on these matters to be making such wild predictions. Forgive my foolishness, and I beg to be given the chance to prove in the future that I will demonstrate only well thought out logic.

I'm sorry... I wasn't aware that I was not at liberty to take a stab at future possibilities. Indeed, so much can happen between now and then. I'm probably imagining things when I've personally witnessed his development since his 8th grade season, and how he consistently demonstrates such a high basketball I.Q., progressing steadily to now be playing like a highly seasoned senior in this his sophomore year. I'll ignore all of this and listen more keenly to those of you who are more informed about him. I humbly admit my ignorance and that I spoke out of turn. What could I possibly have been thinking? I've not the experience on these matters to be making such wild predictions. Forgive my foolishness, and I beg to be given the chance to prove in the future that I will demonstrate only well thought out logic.

 

Calm down. I didn't say anything bad about the kid. I saw him at Rupp and I was really impressed with how well he played in such a pressure packed atmosphere. I'm just pointing out that there's a lot of time still. A lot of players will come and go between now and then. There are several good 2017 kids in the state that this same argument could be made for.

Calm down. I didn't say anything bad about the kid. I saw him at Rupp and I was really impressed with how well he played in such a pressure packed atmosphere. I'm just pointing out that there's a lot of time still. A lot of players will come and go between now and then. There are several good 2017 kids in the state that this same argument could be made for.

 

I am calm. Calm and humbled. All your points are valid. Hopefully I've successfully conveyed that yours are solid, and mine were left field, and uninformed. I only ask for forgiveness, and the chance to do better in the future. I promise to stay conscious of my place here and choose my words more carefully. Thanks for your guidance and helping me to think more clearly.

Dwayne Sutton's Line so far:

 

29 points, 11 rebounds, 20 minutes. (Manual 81 Christian Academy 52)

36 points , 14 rebounds, 22 minutes (Manual 104 Shawnee 71)

24 Points 8 Rebounds, 16 Minutes (Manual 86 Ashland 36)

13 points, 8 Rebounds, 20 minutes (Manual 77 Bardstown 43)

27 points, 14 rebounds, 23 minutes (Manual 88 Seneca 70)

22 points, 15 rebounds, 27 minutes (Manual 66 Butler 64)

Justin Miller for Owensboro is a load - I don't know that I would trade him for many others in the state. He's a dominating force down in the post.

Imo there's no way you can put Braxton Beverly and Cole VonHandorf on this list ahead of Peyton Broughton of North Laurel and Blake Smith of Clay County. Can't much argue the rest of the names.

 

We will see a CVH v Broughton match up next year after a Goodin v Wright match up from what I'm hearing...

As for this thread title...if you're giving me 10 players to go against any team in the country, I'm taking the following:

 

James Bolden- Holmes

Cam Justice- Knott Co Central

Quentin Goodin- Taylor Co

Eli Wright- Apollo

Jalen Perry- Ballard

Jaqualis Matlock- Hoptown

Carson Williams- Owen Co

Drew McDonald- Newcath

Aric Holman- Owensboro

Ray Spalding- Trinity

 

I could care less about stats...those are the top 10 players in the state, IMO.

I'm gonna leave out my thoughts on this until Jan 1. I will know a whole lot more about how many guys are for real, or just padding stats against inferior competition. One guy for sure who is on the list is Perry from Ballard. He did it literally against the nation's best.

As for this thread title...if you're giving me 10 players to go against any team in the country, I'm taking the following:

 

James Bolden- Holmes

Cam Justice- Knott Co Central

Quentin Goodin- Taylor Co

Eli Wright- Apollo

Jalen Perry- Ballard

Jaqualis Matlock- Hoptown

Carson Williams- Owen Co

Drew McDonald- Newcath

Aric Holman- Owensboro

Ray Spalding- Trinity

 

I could care less about stats...those are the top 10 players in the state, IMO.

 

Great list but I must have Braxton Beverly on the list; just can't figure out who I would delete.

Great list but I must have Braxton Beverly on the list; just can't figure out who I would delete.

 

Which is why the list is so good

Imo there's no way you can put Braxton Beverly and Cole VonHandorf on this list ahead of Peyton Broughton of North Laurel and Blake Smith of Clay County. Can't much argue the rest of the names.

 

I put Beverly as a career thing and because of what he's been able to do during the AAU seasons as much, if not more, than anything else. I do see why people would want to include Broughton and/or Smith in the discussion though if we're just talking about this year and holding things in a vacuum.