SVA 8th is 6-3 in the regular season. Have a few other wins/losses in tournament play and preseason action.

 

This is why i love basketball...

 

SVA beats Pius.

Pius beats CE.

CE beats SVA.

 

Add in Highlands...

 

They beat SVA and Pius.

Lose to CE.

 

Those 4 teams are the cream of the crop at this point and should and will only get better. If that is the final 4... LOOKOUT! All well coached with talented players.

Beechwood 8th grade is 8 - 0 in their small school division, and 19 - 2 overall.

 

While we have currently only played 8 of the BIG school teams, (not including Pius, Highlands, and Camp Ernst), we are expecting to play Highlands and Camp Ernst in the next few weeks. Then maybe we will be worthy of being in the conversation with the "cream of the crop" discussions.

Beechwood 8th grade is 8 - 0 in their small school division, and 19 - 2 overall.

 

While we have currently only played 8 of the BIG school teams, (not including Pius, Highlands, and Camp Ernst), we are expecting to play Highlands and Camp Ernst in the next few weeks. Then maybe we will be worthy of being in the conversation with the "cream of the crop" discussions.

 

No need to get feelings hurt. Obviously I was talking about the big school division. I'm well aware of what Beechwood is doing, as I've seen them play. Well coached, and have added talent this season that has put them at the top.

 

Beechwood is the crop in the small school division. If they played in the big school division and played these teams on a week in, week out basis, they'd be in the same mix.

Beechwood 8th grade is 8 - 0 in their small school division, and 19 - 2 overall.

 

While we have currently only played 8 of the BIG school teams, (not including Pius, Highlands, and Camp Ernst), we are expecting to play Highlands and Camp Ernst in the next few weeks. Then maybe we will be worthy of being in the conversation with the "cream of the crop" discussions.

 

Beechwood is much improved over the past couple of years. New coaching and adding one of the top players around in Jefferson has definitely catapulted Beechwood into the upper tier discussions. I'd say if you roll through and beat Highlands and Camp Ernst it would be hard to leave you out of that mix.

 

Who did you guys end up losing to so far?

Beechwood is much improved over the past couple of years. New coaching and adding one of the top players around in Jefferson has definitely catapulted Beechwood into the upper tier discussions. I'd say if you roll through and beat Highlands and Camp Ernst it would be hard to leave you out of that mix.

 

Who did you guys end up losing to so far?

 

I don't disagree at all. Just primarily talking about the big school division specifically.

 

Question: who decides what is big and small? Is it school choice? Or, mandate by the league?

 

I'm assuming based on grades 6-8 enrollment...

Nobody will likely challenge Beechwood in the small school division so it is hard to have a discussion based on them. I am curious to know results when they play over Christmas. There should be some good games.

 

If Beechwood played in the large school division and Jared Hicks didn't move up then there would be 6 relevant teams in the discussion for the large school 8th grade "cream of the crop" but as of right now, I agree there are 4 top teams (for the 8th grade large school division).

Nobody will likely challenge Beechwood in the small school division so it is hard to have a discussion based on them. I am curious to know results when they play over Christmas. There should be some good games.

 

If Beechwood played in the large school division and Jared Hicks didn't move up then there would be 6 relevant teams in the discussion for the large school 8th grade "cream of the crop" but as of right now, I agree there are 4 top teams (for the 8th grade large school division).

 

Oh, how great would that be for a basketball fan?? With Hicks on Conner, and Beechwood added, that would be some great basketball!

No feelings are hurt. I was just making the point that Beechwood belongs in the same conversation.

 

We lost to an AAU team in a non-school tournament and we lost to Blessed Sacrament the first week of the season.

 

We tried to get the Beechwood Boy's teams moved up to the Big school division. But, with the way things are structured, the Girls teams have to play up as well. Our Girls program is building up, and aren't quite ready for that level yet. But, we reached out to many of the BIG schools and scheduled all of them that were willing to play. We also entered tournaments in hopes of finding more competitive teams.

 

As mentioned, we will get to play Camp Ernst in the Turkeyfoot tournament, as well as Conner and Ockerman (both of which we have already played). We are finalizing dates with Highlands as we didn't want to play them until Huddleston was back with them. Actually, I had made a commitment to Brycen that I wouldn't agree to a date until he was back from injury. So, we are trying to get that finalized.

You put Rolf and Mattingly back on the Beechwood 7th grade team and they are one of the top 2 or 3 in the large school divison also..

SVA 8th is 6-3 in the regular season. Have a few other wins/losses in tournament play and preseason action.

 

This is why i love basketball...

 

SVA beats Pius.

Pius beats CE.

CE beats SVA.

 

Add in Highlands...

 

They beat SVA and Pius.

Lose to CE.

 

Those 4 teams are the cream of the crop at this point and should and will only get better. If that is the final 4... LOOKOUT! All well coached with talented players.

 

I agree the four teams u mentioned r pretty good and hopefully that will be the final four in the big school division. Beechwood is a great team with two great coaches. Truthfully we all no I'm for CE but I'm really impressed with their coaching and St. Pius coaching. CE and St. Pius only have 1 AAU player on each team and their in the talk of being in the upper teir or cream of the crop. Beechwood and highlands have 5 players total that was on the D2 national championship team Ahlfeld wasn't part of that team but he's a pretty darn good AAU player himself and summit view has several AAU players also , I'm not slamming anyone in this post I'm just saying that's pretty impressive how these what those two coaches get out of there kids to compete against such great talent

Big School/Little school... I don't think any of it matters that much. It's all about players and coaches not numbers. I think there are good teams in the catholic school league also that don't get mentioned here.

 

Conner 8th lost a couple players and they fell of the dramatically. Ockerman added a couple nice players but has a coach that doesn't care AT ALL. The Ockerman 7th grade coach does a great job. I wish he would have moved up and that team would be in the discussion.

 

Tonight I saw Walton Verona 7th grade team blast. Big school Twinhofel by 30 something with two 6th graders starting. Then the WV 8th grade won by 20 ish. Two years ago this same WV team couldn't tie their shoe strings.

 

I coached with Dave Rankin and Gray 2 years ago. We lost to Beechwood in the Semi's that year in a 2-3 point game (Current 8th graders were 6th then) Now that same group of Gray players are really struggling.

 

Back that what letsgetit said. At this level coaches are having a huge impact. Some of these teams are poorly coached some are not. The other thing is some coaches are developing players for High school others are trying to win at all cost. Some are balancing winning and development.

 

BTW - The Walton Verona 7th grade team has only lost one game all season. It was to a team they'd crushed a couple times already. As far as dominating a schedule, I don't know that anyone has dominated their schedule like they have. They are not in either big or small school division. They are in NCKC. I'd like to know how they compare to the better 7th grade teams in NKY.

WV has really good coaching in that system.

WV has really good coaching in that system.

 

Agreed. They run some nice sets that get good shots. Coaches are intense and fiery which , even as an official on the other end of some conversations , I like.

Big School/Little school... I don't think any of it matters that much. It's all about players and coaches not numbers. I think there are good teams in the catholic school league also that don't get mentioned here.

 

Conner 8th lost a couple players and they fell of the dramatically. Ockerman added a couple nice players but has a coach that doesn't care AT ALL. The Ockerman 7th grade coach does a great job. I wish he would have moved up and that team would be in the discussion.

 

Tonight I saw Walton Verona 7th grade team blast. Big school Twinhofel by 30 something with two 6th graders starting. Then the WV 8th grade won by 20 ish. Two years ago this same WV team couldn't tie their shoe strings.

 

I coached with Dave Rankin and Gray 2 years ago. We lost to Beechwood in the Semi's that year in a 2-3 point game (Current 8th graders were 6th then) Now that same group of Gray players are really struggling.

 

Back that what letsgetit said. At this level coaches are having a huge impact. Some of these teams are poorly coached some are not. The other thing is some coaches are developing players for High school others are trying to win at all cost. Some are balancing winning and development.

 

BTW - The Walton Verona 7th grade team has only lost one game all season. It was to a team they'd crushed a couple times already. As far as dominating a schedule, I don't know that anyone has dominated their schedule like they have. They are not in either big or small school division. They are in NCKC. I'd like to know how they compare to the better 7th grade teams in NKY.

 

I have seen those kids play for years in AAU. They would be middle of the pack in the large school divison. Highlands, Conner, IHM, Blessed Sacrament, Woodland and Beechwood with their full roster of 7th graders would beat WV handily imo..

I don't know any of those schools/kids so I can't comment. But, the simple fact that a school the size of WV would be mid pack of the large school division makes my point.

 

I don't think success is related to enrollment. It's a factor, but I think coaches and social class effect middle school performance more than anything.

 

These kids that have had the opportunity to play growing up (elementary age) are far more skilled than the kids that haven't.