Back to the topic.

Who will be the Blazer coach?

I say Buddy Biggs on a hunch.

Just some local names for discussion:

 

Grady Lowe - Pretty successful at West Carter

 

Matthew Perry - Morgan Co. has risen. Plus Matthew has shown some willingness to leave West Liberty.

 

Shawn Johnson - Winningest coach in Raceland history.

 

Merle Kidwell - Russell's girls in the mix yearly under the former Lewis Co. Lion Player/Coach.

 

Joe Hampton - Lewis Co. always a tough opponent under Joe.

 

Randy Ward - Cam the Former Ram is a Mountaineer now, could the general be back in the 16th?

 

Bill Bradley - In the system and experienced. Holy Family was always tough to prepare for.

 

Rex Cooksey - Reigning king of the 64th District. Former Tomcat Coach.

 

Brandon Baker - Seasoned and great coaching bloodline. Also former Tomcat Coach.

 

Steve Dodd - Tomcat looking to come home? Reigning king of the 16th Region.

 

Rick Mayes - The Dean of the 16th.

 

Roger Zornes - Took Ironton to the edge of a championship against the OJ machine.

 

 

I left several good assistant coaches out of the mix, knowing the Tomcats wouldnt dare give a new name or face a shot.

 

 

 

Just a couple names that might come up from just outside the area. Willie or Allen Feldhaus.

Only Zornes could meet their criteria but he is from Boyd.

Ward could meet it but style of play would not fit Tomcat Nation.

Perry is from little ole' Morgan County.

Who do the radio voices of the Tomcats want? That might be the key.

TBF set forth a list of good prospects. Several of them would make good coaches for Ashland. At the risk of hurting any chance he may have, I think that Merle Kidwell deserves serious consideration. He comes from a fine basketball background. He is young, personable, and has great energy and enthusiasm which is certainly needed at Ashland. He knows the ins and outs of basketball from the usual Xs and Os to the inevitable (moreso at Ashland that anywhere else around here) political considerations and pressures. He has done a fine job with the Russell girls. I don't know that he would leave Okora and Fortman for Ashland but he is a worthy candidate.

:thumb:

I think I'm going to get sick now!!!:creepy: I didn't realize that Mark Swift had a son who posted on here??????

It is hard for me to believe that a guy who is from West Virginia that lives in Ohio would even care to know the situation of KY high school basketball! I guess my point is proven of how big the Ashland job really is! I've been in basketball circles all over the country at various levels and people ALWAYS know or have heard of Ashland Basketball!!!

Maybe so, but it doesn't mean the Ashland position is as highly coveted as you make it out to be. It might be the best job in the 16th Region, but that doesn't make it one of the best in the state or the country.

Just some local names for discussion:

 

Grady Lowe - Pretty successful at West Carter

 

Matthew Perry - Morgan Co. has risen. Plus Matthew has shown some willingness to leave West Liberty.

 

Shawn Johnson - Winningest coach in Raceland history.

 

Merle Kidwell - Russell's girls in the mix yearly under the former Lewis Co. Lion Player/Coach.

 

Joe Hampton - Lewis Co. always a tough opponent under Joe.

 

Randy Ward - Cam the Former Ram is a Mountaineer now, could the general be back in the 16th?

 

Bill Bradley - In the system and experienced. Holy Family was always tough to prepare for.

 

Rex Cooksey - Reigning king of the 64th District. Former Tomcat Coach.

 

Brandon Baker - Seasoned and great coaching bloodline. Also former Tomcat Coach.

 

Steve Dodd - Tomcat looking to come home? Reigning king of the 16th Region.

 

Rick Mayes - The Dean of the 16th.

 

Roger Zornes - Took Ironton to the edge of a championship against the OJ machine.

 

 

I left several good assistant coaches out of the mix, knowing the Tomcats wouldnt dare give a new name or face a shot.

 

 

 

Just a couple names that might come up from just outside the area. Willie or Allen Feldhaus.

 

I dont think any of those names are being considered. Zornes is the only one I would like to see on the Ashland sidelines.

Who do the radio voices of the Tomcats want? That might be the key.

 

:lol: You guys are funny.

What about Randy Anderson from Lawrence County? I know he entertained offers from Pikeville last year.

Here is a name that Ashland should consider, Bill Mike Runyon.

:confused:

I'm still shocked! IMO the Ashland job is the BEST high school job in the State of Kentucky and one of the top high school jobs in the country! Ashland basketball is in Springfield, MA for a reason! They are the most feared progrm in our area period. And I would guess 99% of the coaches in the 16th region don't want to pull the Cats out of the hat come disrict or regional time!!!! Ashland basketball job (in high school) is equal to the coaching job at UK, Duke, North Carolina, or Kansas!

 

I didnt realize there were 100 coaches in the 16th region. I guess your right, they must be known nationwide for basketball, not for math.

I still say Ashland, in the long run, would be better off with a coach who knows the job and its nuances firsthand. For the next coach to succeed, he needs to be aware of the political climate as well as the basketball climate in this region in general and in Ashland in particular. Kidwell is a good choice. He has no ties to Boyd County or to Rose Hill and, with some boosters, that is a requirement. Youth is needed to breath life into this program from elementary through high school. Though not high profile statwide, he is a winner. Ashland needs a winner and not someone who has a good past history. Flynn had a good past history but I still say that he left a lesser program than he received nine years ago and, by Ashland requirements, past history, and standards, he had a mediocre tenure.

I still say Ashland, in the long run, would be better off with a coach who knows the job and its nuances firsthand. For the next coach to succeed, he needs to be aware of the political climate as well as the basketball climate in this region in general and in Ashland in particular. Kidwell is a good choice. He has no ties to Boyd County or to Rose Hill and, with some boosters, that is a requirement. Youth is needed to breath life into this program from elementary through high school. Though not high profile statwide, he is a winner. Ashland needs a winner and not someone who has a good past history. Flynn had a good past history but I still say that he left a lesser program than he received nine years ago and, by Ashland requirements, past history, and standards, he had a mediocre tenure.

 

 

Lets preface my post here by saying I think Mike Flynn did a great job at Ashland and is an excellent coach.

 

I disagree that Mike Flynn's piloting the ship called Ashland basketball has much to do with the state of players coming through the system right now. And I doubt that many of the previous coaches took a hands on approach to youth basketball through middle school basketball. So to say he left it worse than he received it does not necessarily fall in his lap.

 

I think Scooters previous post concerning the lack of 2 middle schools as a more pertinent reason that Ashland now does not dominate the 16th region. Along with a mirade of other reasons, I don't think you will see teams have the runs the Tomcats had in the glory days. And Tomcat fans need to temper their goals and sometimes be satisfied with non region title seasons. True success as a coach or program should not necessarily equate to the number of regional titles a school cranks out.

 

On another note, I think Merle would do a great job at Ashland, as would several of the gentlemen I listed in my previous post.

I didn't mean to imply that the state of the Ashland basketball program was caused entirely by Flynn. However, I think some of his policies contributed to the situation. Certainly, the consolidation of the two middle schools has slowly- but surely- resulted in enormous hurt to the program.

 

Ashland is still the hallmark program in this area. It always has been the hallmark program. However, its days of dominance of the district and region are over. Hard work, increased interest, better coaching, and better financial support at other schools have changed the equation. I am fully aware that there was a time when it would have been seen as a near humiliation for Ashland to consider hiring a coach with ties to another area school. Those days should be long in the past. As 007 posted, Ashland is now in a position to compete and not to dominate. I think that 15 schools in this region would agree that this is a welcome fact. Now the other school needs to assess its immediate past (don't go back to 1961), its present, and its likely future. I am a Rose Hill partisan (needless to say) and I personally would have liked to see Flynn stay another 5 or 6 years. However, I wish Ashland well as they seek the right leader for the program.

I think there are about 5 or 6 names on TBF's list that could do a solid job of coaching at Ashland. I also think that there are other coaches around the state that could do an equally solid job of it.

 

I think Kidwell will be an excellent boys' coach, when he gets his break.

 

I think Dodd does an excellent job at Russell.

 

When you look down the list that TBF put up, there are some very solid coaches on it.

 

Will anyone on that list be the final name? Heck if I know, but the next coach may not even be on that list.

 

 

Frances

How about pulling Sam Sparks out of retirement? Ron Reed? Lake Kelly? Troy Lee Thomas? Charlie Baker? Rex Cooksey? Jim Bob Hicks?