Fern Creek will have their hands full getting out of the 6th. They do have talent, but must prove to me that they can handle the big stage! #2 seems a big stretch.

 

I would agree with that, any year when you come out of the 6th or 7th you must be battle tested and handle the big stage games. If you emerge from either on any given year there is the possibility of playing in the final game of the Sweet 16. Doss is a perfect example of that last year. Until somebody knocks them off, they are the back to back defending 6th region champs.

UHA only has a few players and if they get in foul trouble it will not be good for them

I would agree with that, any year when you come out of the 6th or 7th you must be battle tested and handle the big stage games. If you emerge from either on any given year there is the possibility of playing in the final game of the Sweet 16. Doss is a perfect example of that last year. Until somebody knocks them off, they are the back to back defending 6th region champs.

 

I agree, learning how to win is an underrated component. However, Fern Creek has been competing and had good showings in not only the region, but the LIT. They will have a lot of opportunities to become battle tested during the year. Biggest question is who gets the ball when the game is on the line and do those kids play well together.

I'd like to hear who everyone thinks are the best teams in the state. I'll start with my top 10.

 

1. Bowling Green- The Purples return most of their team from last year that lead Dunbar at halftime in the state quarterfinals and add an 8th grade who averaged 17ppg on the EYBL circuit.

2. Fern Creek- They will be quick and athletic, they've been young and talented for a couple years now and I think this their year. The addition of Chance Moore is what makes this team a true state championship contender in my mind.

3.Louisville Trinity- The Shamrocks when they were shooting well were as good as anyone in the state last season and only lost 1 player. I expect to see them at Rupp in March.

4.Lexington Paul Dunbar- The reigning state champions lost 3 starters but return IMHO the best scorer in the state in Taveion Hollingsworth. They also beat Christian County and Scott County in the KBA this summer.

5. Covington Catholic- The Colonels are gonna be very good as always if they make it out of the very tough 9th region they'll have a good chance to win a state championship.

6. Scott County- The Cardinals are still young but this is a team that beat Henry Clay last season and they return almost everybody.

7. Lexington Christian Academy- Kyle Rhode is one of the best sophomores in the state and Tre King is a very under rated senior.

8. North Hardin- The Trojans have 2 top 10 players and will dominate the 5th region but I'm not sure who deep they are.

9. University Heights Academy- The Blazers have IMHO the best backcourt in the state. Tray Hollowell is a top 3 player in the state and KyKy Tandy is the best sophomore in the state.

10. Cooper- I don't know much about Cooper but I know they were good last year and return most of that team.

 

Other teams to consider

• Hopkinsville

• Christian County

• Graves County- no body in the state has a player like Chris Vogt.

• Louisville Doss

• Lexington Catholic

• North Laurel

 

 

I purposely left Louisville Ballard off both of these lists because of the rumor that David Sloan will be ineligible, I have no knowledge of the situation and hope he is ruled eligible. If he can play they will be a top 10 team.

 

Just to make sure you are clear. Dunbar Lost to Scott County by more than 10 points at KBA this summer and Scott Co. lost to Christian Co in the semis of the tournament. Scott County will contend for the 11th region and can go 11 or 12 deep legit. They have athletes everywhere and their youth is very talented. They are strong and quick, they can shoot the 3 and have some good post players and the Mareno kid is legit.

I was thinking Dunbar beat Scott County by double digits, I could be wrong but that's what I thought.

I was thinking Dunbar beat Scott County by double digits, I could be wrong but that's what I thought.

 

Either way, it's hard to put much stock into a game that happened in June. North Oldham beat Ballard. North Bullitt beat Fern Creek, Male, and Bullitt East. Pretty sure if they replay those games in December, there will be drastically different results.

Just to make sure you are clear. Dunbar Lost to Scott County by more than 10 points at KBA this summer and Scott Co. lost to Christian Co in the semis of the tournament. Scott County will contend for the 11th region and can go 11 or 12 deep legit. They have athletes everywhere and their youth is very talented. They are strong and quick, they can shoot the 3 and have some good post players and the Mareno kid is legit.

 

Dunbar lost to Scott County by 7-8 points in pool play at the KBA Summer State Tournament or whatever you want to call that. It was Dunbar's only loss of the summer. The game is on YouTube actually. Hollingsworth had 41 and didn't play well. With all that said Scott County will be really good this season. Like someone else said though it's summer ball. You can't really put much stock into summer ball. You don't know who wasn't playing who will be where so it is what it is. I expect Scott County, Lexington Catholic, and Dunbar to all be towards the top of the 11th this season. Moreno is already really good and has a chance to be great. He's special. Scott County has a lot of pieces that is for sure. Definitely a team I would put in the top 3-5 to start the season.

 

For what it's worth, which is not much here is my preseason top 10...

 

1. Bowling Green

2. Covington Catholic

3. Scott County

4. Trinity

5. Dunbar

6. Fern Creek

7. Lexington Catholic

8. Christian County

9. Doss

10. North Hardin

Where does Pulaski County come in at?

Where does Pulaski County come in at?

 

In my opinion they are somewhere between 15-20 right now. That could change though. The couple of times I saw them this summer I saw a load of talent but didn't see the chemistry just yet. That will come with more time together and pre season practice. They are my favorite to win the 12th though.

I feel the same on Pulaski right now I'd put them around #15 but they definitely have the talent to move up. Possibly a top 10 team by the end of the year and I expect them to be at Rupp I'm March.

Dont know about 17u, but actually they were number in AAU in the nation according to AAU D! when they entered the tournament because they won it 2015! When they played in EYBL they lost a couple of kids to behavior issues they were not allowed to participate. My facts are right on, you can check the aau records. Secondly its derespectful to keep Hoptown off the list because we have two top 10 ten juniors shorty and Jalen. One top five sophomore james nicholas and one top twenty sophomore, with at least four more really solid contributors really solid pieces so if you can say two players can beat hoptown your dont know the region. Only lost one starter but still have six or seven that started most of last season. Maybe the strongest team they ever especially skill wise and close to atheletically also.

Furthermore if you only have three high schools in a town of 35,000 people and all of them are ranked top fifteen in the state, colleges are over looking Hopkinsville, Ky because we ball down here!!!

Dont know about 17u, but actually they were number in AAU in the nation according to AAU D! when they entered the tournament because they won it 2015! When they played in EYBL they lost a couple of kids to behavior issues they were not allowed to participate. My facts are right on, you can check the aau records. Secondly its derespectful to keep Hoptown off the list because we have two top 10 ten juniors shorty and Jalen. One top five sophomore james nicholas and one top twenty sophomore, with at least four more really solid contributors really solid pieces so if you can say two players can beat hoptown your dont know the region. Only lost one starter but still have six or seven that started most of last season. Maybe the strongest team they ever especially skill wise and close to atheletically also.

 

I agree Hoptown will be a top 10 team when it is all said and done. I do see that Team Penny did win the AAU D1 National Championship in July 2015. Being the 9th grade AAU National Champion and being the number 1 team in 2016 playing 16U is a leap considering most of the best teams do not travel to Memphis for a live period where only 9th grade kids are playing. 38 teams attended the D1 AAU championship in Memphis last July of which I counted less than 10 total shoe sponsored programs. When you combine UA, Adidas, and NIKE there are over 100 shoe sponsored teams who generally are the best teams from each state so having less than 10 at the AAU event in Memphis the previous year does not make Team Penny the best of the best, just best of that tournament. Many of the better programs play their 15U teams up in July so they play in front of more college coaches during the live periods where Coaches tend to watch older age kids. Team Penny is a very good team/program, but to state they beat the #1 team in the country at the time is a bit misleading in my opinion. Still, it is true they could easily return to RUPP and it is a very realistic possibility.

Furthermore if you only have three high schools in a town of 35,000 people and all of them are ranked top fifteen in the state, colleges are over looking Hopkinsville, Ky because we ball down here!!!

 

The sad truth is that colleges aren't overlooking Hoptown but that most Hoptown athletes can't qualify for anything but junior college after high school. The coaches and administrators at County and Hoptown are failing these kids. They should be watching out for the young men and women and pushing them to make sure they academically qualify for the NCAA. Unfortunately most of the Hoptown athletes of the last 5 years have been forced to head to Juco and most don't last.

 

In the past 5 years, I'm not sure anyone but Jordan Majors qualified D1 academically.

 

I'm not from Hoptown and don't have a dog in the fight but I wish all their athletes were getting pushed academically enough that they would be qualifiers and have the opportunity to go D1.

1. Dunbar

2. Scott Co

3. Trinity

4. Covington Catholic

5. Ballard

6. Bowling Green

7. Pulaski Co

8. Hop town

9. Lexington Catholic

10. Fern Creek