THIS IS THE COURIER JOURNAL PREVIEW OF EVERY TEAM. I HAVE POSTED THEIR REGIONAL RANKINGS.

Seventh Region preview | Trinity team to beat | | USA Today High School Sports

 

CJ ORDER

 

Teams:

1. Trinity

2. Ballard

3. St. Xavier

4. Waggener

5. Central

6. Male

7. Eastern

8. Christian Academy

9. Kentucky Country Day

10. Manual

 

CJ ORDER

 

* Players:

1. Jamil Wilson (Ballard)

2. Jacob King (Trinity)

3. Anthony Mathis (Kentucky Country Day)

4. David Johnson (Trinity)

5. x-Deâ Von Cooper (Waggener)

6. Clivonte Patterson (Ballard)

7. Parker Jones (Christian Academy)

8. Pierce Kiesler (St. Xavier)

9. Hogan Brownley (Male)

10. Jay Scrubb (Trinity).

x-currently ineligible after transfer from Henderson (Nevada) Findlay Prep

 

MY ORDER

* It is Trinity at the top Ballard Waggener 2nd and 3rd Then 5-7 teams chasing them. The 28th district is going to be a battle with KCD, CAL, Ballard and Eastern. We know who will come out of the other 3 districts. As always it will be a fun year in the 7th region.

 

1. TRINITY

* Coach: Mike Szabo (16th year).

* Last season: 29-7, lost to Newport Central Catholic 48-33 in first round of Sweet 16.

* Player to watch: Jacob King, a 5-10 senior point guard, averaged a team-high 14.2 points per game last season and has signed with Campbellsville University. “He is quick, strong and can score from anywhere on the floor,Szabo said. He will be one of the best point guards in Kentucky this season.

* Outlook: The Shamrocks are the coaches pick to repeat as Seventh Region champs and are ranked No. 2 in the state in The Courier-Journals preseason poll of coaches. King and Burkman are both deadly 3-point shooters who hit 44 percent from long range last season. Burton and Harris do a lot of the dirty work for the Shamrocks, and Johnson emerged last season as one of the states top players in the Class of 2019. Scrubb, a transfer from Central, could be the X-factor. He has yet to play in a high school game on the varsity level but is the most athletic player on our team,Szabo said.

 

 

2. BALLARD

* Coach: Chris Renner (19th year).

* Last season: 22-11, lost to Trinity 67-62 in overtime in Seventh Region semifinal.

* Player to watch: Jamil Wilson, a 5-7 senior point guard, averaged 17.4 points, 3.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds last season and was an honorable-mention All-State selection by The Courier-Journal. Wilson said he focused on improving his jump shot during the summer.

* Outlook: Ballard has one of the area’s top 1-2 punches in Wilson and Patterson, but theres not a whole lot of varsity experience surrounding them. The Bruinsâtitle chances took a blow when Taylor County transfer David Sloan was ruled ineligible by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association and moved to Florida. âWe will rely heavily on pressure defense and up-tempo offense,Renner said. We will be looking to create organized chaos for 32 minutes.” Renner expects 12-15 players to see time in every game.

 

3. WAGGENER

* Coach: Bryan ONeill (sixth year).

* Last season: 15-13, lost to St. Xavier 57-51 in Seventh Region quarterfinal.

* Player to watch: If hes eligible, 6-4 senior guard DeâVon Cooper will be a game-changer in the Seventh Region. Cooper averaged 17.2 points and 4.0 rebounds as a sophomore at Waggener before transferring to Henderson (Nevada) Findlay Prep last season. Hes now back at Waggener and awaiting an appeal ruling by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association, which originally declared him ineligible.

* Outlook: Currently in the second tier of Seventh Region teams, Waggener becomes an immediate contender if Cooper becomes eligible. Taylor, Hobbs and Kalakon are the only players with much varsity experience. Taylor is a strong shooter, and Kalakon is poised to break out this season after playing in 28 games as a freshman. Newcomers Fell and Brewer “should provide us with energy,” O’Neill said.

 

4. CENTRAL

* Coach: Doug Bibby (13th year).

* Last season: 15-12, lost to Ballard 81-79 in overtime in Seventh Region quarterfinal.

* Player to watch: Devin Firman, a 5-foot-10 senior guard, is the Yellowjackets’ top returning scorer after posting 13.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game last season. Firman is a streaky shooter who connected on 35.8 percent (48 of 134) of his 3-point attempts as a junior.

* Outlook: Central must replace its top two scorers from last season in Dai’Von Thompson and Brandon Wells. Bibby said he was “very disappointed” with the way last season ended and is using that as a teaching tool for this season’s senior class. “Hopefully we can learn from that and create a more competitive nature in practice,” Bibby said. The Yellowjackets are small and will have to rely on their quickness. “As long as we play with a big heart we’ll be fine,” Bibby said.

 

5. MANUAL

* Coach: Jimmy Just (10th year).

* Last season: 17-13, lost to Eastern 52-46 in Seventh Region quarterfinal.

* Player to watch: Noah Hawkins, a 6-5 forward, returns after a breakthrough sophomore season in which he averaged 10.5 points and 5.8 rebounds.

* Outlook: The Crimsons lost five of their top six scorers from last season to graduation, but Just said he believes he’ll still have a deep team capable of contending in the Seventh Region. “Nobody’s expecting much out of us right now – we don’t have much name recognition – but that’s OK right now,” Just said. Along with Hawkins, Britt should provide leadership after serving as the quarterback on Manual’s football team.

 

 

6. MALE

* Coach: Willie Feldhaus (second year).

* Last season: 25-6, lost to Trinity 71-64 in Seventh Region quarterfinal.

* Player to watch: Hogan Brownley, a 6-4 senior forward, is the Bulldogs’ top returnee after averaging 8.2 points and 4.5 rebounds last season. Brownley said he’s dropped about 30 pounds since the beginning of last season, when preseason foot surgery forced him to be inactive for a while.

* Outlook: Graduation hit the Bulldogs hard, as eight of the team’s top 10 scorers were lost to graduation. With several of his players on the football team, Feldhaus wasn’t sure what he would have this season beyond Brownley and McCauley. “There are a lot of unknowns out there,” Feldhaus said. “Early on, I’m not sure how competitive we’ll be. … There are about 10 kids that are in the mix. I’ve just got to figure out the pieces of the puzzle.” Hobbs, who has committed to play football at Western Kentucky, is expected to be among the leaders once he joins the basketball team.

 

 

7. EASTERN

* Coach: David Henley (fifth year).

* Last season: 18-12, lost to St. Xavier 68-55 in Seventh Region semifinal.

* Player to watch: Caleb Williams, a 6-foot-4 senior forward, returns after averaging 9.2 points and a team-high 5.7 rebounds last season.

* Outlook: The Eagles lost their top scorer from last season, Chance Moore, when he transferred to Fern Creek, but Henley is excited about the return of three starters in Williams, Rushin and Wyche. “All of them are threats to shoot the 3 and get to the basket and score,” Henley said. Henley said he has focused on changing the culture of the Eastern program and so far this has been his “most enjoyable of my 29 seasons as a basketball coach. …. We might win five games. We might win 25. But we’re going to have fun.”

 

8. ST. XAVIER

* Coach: Kevin Klein (ninth year).

* Last season: 23-10, lost to Trinity 52-48 in overtime in Seventh Region final.

* Player to watch: Pierce Kiesler, a 6-7 junior forward, is the Tigers’ top returning scorer after posting 7.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game last season.

* Outlook: The Tigers lost an electric scorer in Connor McKim (24.6) to graduation but will have one of the area’s biggest frontcourts with Kiesler, Walker and Barnes. Klein said Kiesler and Walker “are primed for breakout seasons.” Klein expects Barnes to be one of the region’s most improved players. “His length and versatility will be counted on heavily.” Taylor, ranked among the state’s top freshmen, should contribute right away. “We must play together, defend at a high level and take high-percentage shots,” Klein said.

 

9. CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

* Coach: Chad Carr (third year).

* Last season: 14-14, lost to Ballard 65-49 in district semifinal.

* Player to watch: Parker Jones, a 6-1 senior guard, averaged 19.1 points and 3.2 rebounds last season on his way to first-team All-Seventh Region honors. He shot 43.8 percent (60 of 137) from 3-point range. It was a meteoric rise for a player who averaged just 2.8 points as a sophomore.

* Outlook: The Centurions return three of their top four scorers from last season in Jones, Purvis and Woodward and have added “a few transfers and some really skilled younger players that will contribute,” Chad Carr said. Carr said the team goals are to qualify for the Seventh Region Tournament for the first time since 1990 “and win a few games in the LIT.”

 

 

10. KENTUCKY COUNTRY DAY

* Coach: James Booker (ninth year).

* Last season: 14-10, lost to Eastern 59-54 in district semifinal.

* Player to watch: Anthony “J.R.” Mathis, a 6-1 senior guard, is one of the region’s top players and averaged 21.3 points, three assists and three rebounds per game last season. He has committed to Navy. “His leadership has been tremendous this preseason, and we look for him to have another spectacular season scoring, assisting and playing tough defense,” Booker said.

* Outlook: The Bearcats lost six players to graduation off last season’s team but have a solid group returning, led by Anthony Mathis. Booker expects Solomon Mathis, Anthony’s cousin, to have a breakout season. “He may be our most improved player,” Booker said. Kraus is a threat from the outside after shooting 43.5 percent (37 of 85) from 3-point range last season.

 

11. ATHERTON

* Coach: Mark Tudor (third year).

* Last season: 7-23, lost to Trinity 71-36 in district semifinal.

* Player to watch: Senior guard/forward Flynn Calnon is “a four-year player who has progressively improved each year,” Tudor said. “He’s an explosive player that can go inside and outside.” Calnon averaged 12 points, five rebounds and three assists last season.

* Outlook: Tudor is expecting to improve on a seven-win campaign last season. “We played a lot of younger guys last year and were in a lot of close games,” Tudor said. “With the returning experience, I expect this team to compete and play hard every night.” Barthelemy returns after missing last season with an ACL injury. “He’s a terrific player who leads his team by example,” Tudor said. Lauderdale is a solid ballhandler and defender.

 

12. SENECA

* Coach: Daniel Hawkins (fourth year).

* Last season: 7-21, lost to Waggener 67-45 in district semifinal.

* Player to watch: Keyontez Leach, a 6-3 senior forward, returns after leading the Redhawks in scoring (11.6 ppg) and ranking second in rebounding (5.4 rpg) last season.

* Outlook: The Redhawks return two of their top three scorers from last season in Leach and Smith. Ninamou, Armstrong and Parker all got significant playing time as freshmen last season. Newcomers Gordon and Malone are solid shooters from the outside, Hawkins said.

 

13. SHAWNEE

* Coach: Clayton Reeves (first year).

* Last season: 5-24, lost to Manual 90-53 in district semifinal.

* Player to watch: Reeves said 6-1 senior combo guard Nick Warf “will provide great perimeter shooting and ballhandling.”

* Outlook: Reeves takes over for Kevin Geary, who stepped down after one season. Warf, Mitchell and Cunningham give Reeves a solid trio of seniors to build around, and he expects Gray and Heck to be solid newcomers.

 

14. COLLEGIATE

* Coach: Shannon Weaver (first year).

* Last season: 8-16, lost to St. Xavier 58-22 in district semifinal.

* Player to watch: Ryan McDaniel, a 6-9 senior forward, led the Titans in scoring (13.5 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 rpg) last season after transferring from St. Xavier. He has signed with Alabama-Huntsville, an NCAA Division II school.

* Outlook: Led by Ryan McDaniel, the Titans return five of their top six scorers from last season. Four of those five seniors have played together since middle school, with McDaniel joining the squad last season. Weaver expects Tyler McDaniel, Ryan’s younger brother, to make an immediate impact as a freshman. “This group of veterans and talented newcomers should be poised to have a nice year,” said Weaver, the Titans’ third coach in three seasons. “The progression of the younger players will determine the Titans’ ability to challenge in the district and region.”

 

 

15. ST. FRANCIS

* Coach: Richard Butcher (third year).

* Last season: 9-20, lost to Portland Christian 50-49 in district quarterfinal.

* Player to watch: James Risley, a 6-2 senior guard/forward, averaged 18 points per game last season and is on pace to surpass 1,000 career points this season.

* Outlook: The Wyverns hope to continue their steady improvement under Butcher, who went 3-15 in his first season and tripled that number of victories last season. Four starters return from last season, led by Risley, who has topped 30 points several times in his career.

 

16. PORTLAND CHRISTIAN

* Coach: Jeremy Niestadt (first year).

* Last season: 11-17, lost to Central 65-18 in district semifinal.

* Player to watch: Quincy Dye, a 6-2 sophomore guard/forward, led the Eagles in scoring (11 ppg) and rebounding (5.4 rpg) last season. “He’s a pretty good leaper and a good scorer,” Niestadt said. “He’s kind of unorthodox and quirky, but he’s fun kid and he had a really good summer.”

* Outlook: Niestadt served as interim coach last season as head coach Joseph Meredith was battling cancer. Meredith, who coached the Eagles for six seasons, passed away in May at the age of 44. “It was a super-emotional time, but I was really proud of the way the kids played last year through that,” Niestadt said. “They have not forgotten Joe, but it doesn’t come up a lot now. They’re focused on this year and the task at hand.” There’s not a senior on the roster, but most of the Eagles got plenty of varsity experience last season.

 

17. BROWN

* Coach: Erin Spalding (first year).

* Last season: 7-19, lost to Male 80-24 in district semifinal.

* Player to watch: Senior guard/forward Jared Fife returns after leading the Bears in scoring (15.9 ppg) and ranked second on the team in rebounding (5.6 rpg) last season.

* Outlook: Spalding, the girls coach at Brown the past three seasons, replaced Scott Cissell as head coach for the boys program. Spalding is the first female to coach a boys team in the Seventh Region since Patti Jo Hedges coached at Eastern in the mid-1990s. Spalding inherits a program that hasn’t enjoyed a winning season since going 20-7 in 1999-2000.

No major quibbles, although I might have St. X higher. Their size will cause some problems for opposing teams. Admittedly, McKim is a huge loss. Key will be if anyone can step up and provide consistent scoring from the outside.

STX defeated Oldham Co in scrimmage tonight by around 20. STX controlled the boards with height. Frosh James Taylor started at point and this kid going to be a good one over next 4 years.