Basketball season for 2015/2016 should provide another exciting year. What should we expect from Clay County. Remember, please be constructive.

Clay County will return 4 starters this season from a team that was upset In the region finals last season. Blake Smith, reigning 13th region POY, and Trey Farmer are 2 of the top 5 players in the region. A healthy Wes Wolfe this year also will improve the Tigers as he played all of last year with a hurt Achilles. Will Sexton will be the 4th state returning and could the spark that keeps this high powered offensive motor running.

 

The Tiger weakness will be there inside presence as they have no true post player. Tyler "Big Red" Gray could fill that void if he continues to develop. The Tigers must also get better on the defensive end of the court as Smith is there only tru lock down defender.

 

There Bench should be better than last year's teams, with Logan Gabbard, Coty Arnold, and Jacob Vaughn seeing the bulk of playing from the bench.

 

Overall I expect the Tigers to be a top 2 team in the 13th region. And anything short of a 3rd regional title for this group would be a disappointment.

With Smith & Farmer, I would think Clay County would be favored to claim another 13th title. Who else will be in contention?

South Laurel and North Laurel both have benefited from some transfers. South got Andrew Griffith from Williamsburg and North got Jaret Lips from West Virginia.

I would put Clay County #2 in the 13th region preseason rankings. (just behind South Laurel). I would put Blake Smith (Clay) as the #1 player in the 13th region.

Rick Bolus has Farmer ranked 23rd top sr and Smith 41st. Peyton Broughton ranked 15th top jr.

This is a general claim and not meant to reflect the rankings of Bolus in particular, but many scouting services put on camps as a major income generator. In many cases the rankings seem to have a good deal of players that also attended the camp of the ranking service. You will also find some players who did not attend the camp of a ranking service either fall out of the rankings or are listed lower than in many other rankings.

I just tend to be a bit cynical when I see some of the rankings. It may be they are just influenced because they get the time to see them much longer at their camp than players they seldom see who have never attended their respective camps.

There's not 40 seniors in Kentucky better than Blake Smith. I don't care if John Wooten said it, it's wrong.

Boyle County visits Clay County in January. I'm excited and praying for no snow already.

There's not 40 seniors in Kentucky better than Blake Smith. I don't care if John Wooten said it, it's wrong.

 

Maybe not even 20 seniors better than him for that matter.

I agree.I just put that up just to see what people thought.

Maybe not even 20 seniors better than him for that matter.

 

 

That should be a great match up. I may have to circle that one on the calendar.

South Laurel will be in the mix but Clay is better and won't get upset this year.

I think Clay County will be pretty good this season. Are they Top 10, Top 15, Top 20 in the state?

I think Clay County will be pretty good this season. Are they Top 10, Top 15, Top 20 in the state?

 

I think both Clay and South Laurel have the talent to be top 20 in state.