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KY High School Basketball Book: You Ask The Author Questions

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Clyde

Clyde

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First batch of responses:

 

 

What's the name of the book? Where can you buy it?

-How Sweet It Is, I will have a table set up at the Sweet Sixteen but it is also available at Sports History Foundation.

 

What is an expectation you had about this project that never really came to be?

Conversely, what is something you didn't expect that did happen?

-I didn’t expect the programs to all fit so perfectly into three distinctly different molds. I wanted three different towns/programs/schools, but it worked out well as far as how different they all were from each other.

 

Why those 3 schools? Did any others turn you down?

-I actually go into a very detailed explanation as to how I chose the three schools at the beginning of the book. In short, I wanted three programs that were very different from each other, that had proud basketball traditions, and that had a shot of making it to Rupp that year. I interviewed probably a dozen schools, all of which I felt like fit the criteria in some fashion, but the three I ended up choosing just seemed perfect at the time. Only one school didn’t say yes of the 10+ I talked to.

 

What preconceptions were wrong ?

-I figured that Covington Catholic, as a private school, would play finesse ball, shoot lots of threes, etc. In reality, I think they were the most hard-nosed, toughest team I saw all season.

I figured Quentin Goodin at Taylor County would be good, but he was much better than I had anticipated.

I underestimated how much basketball means to the people of Clay County and how proud residents down there are of the Tigers’ success.

 

Did you notice different styles of play between the 3 regions?

-YES. The Ninth region is very low scoring compared to the other two. Lots of defensive slugfests.

 

Using just one word, describe each coach's approach or coaching style?

-Scott Ruthsatz: professional (If I ever have a son and he turns out to be a basketball player, I want him to play for Coach Ruthsatz, and I say so in the book. He is an incredible motivator and coach. He can be tough on his players, but it is always in order to get their best out of them. All of his players love him and he keeps in touch with all of them after they graduate from CovCath)

-Robert Marcum: lovable (*SPOILER* He is no longer a coach, but I still consider him a good friend. I actually had lunch with him yesterday, as a matter of fact. You will never hear anyone say anything negative about Robert Marcum. During the 2015-2016 season he was working close to 100-hour weeks, coaching the Tigers while also working full-time at the prison in Manchester and raising two daughters.)

-Richard Gatewood: energetic (passionate and ambitious would have also been good words. Kids flock to him. On several occasions I would ride back to his house with him after a practice or a game and there would already be several players lounging in his living room by the time we got back. They liked to just hang out at his house. He has a gift for relating to young people and will be a star in the coaching world one day)

 

Did you see a public/private school difference in discipline, resources, parental pressure?

-Covington Catholic was the only private school of the three. The CovCath program, top to bottom, is impressive. It really is like a small college program. They are practicing or working out seven days a week during the season, and by late February/March, you can see it paying off. The team managers have to commit about as much time as the players, and many of them go on to the next level as well. I would say that at Covington Catholic there is a big emphasis on preparing the kids for life after basketball (mental fortitude, discipline, good work habits, etc.). This was the case at all three schools, but it definitely stood out at CCH.

 

How many miles did you put on your car?

-11k+

 

How did you earn a living while writing the book?

-I wrote freelance articles, dipped into my savings, and moved in with my dad.

 

What did you think about the Crazies?

-I was blown away. They did something every night that made me laugh. They appear regularly in the book.

 

What are the cultural differences between the programs?

-It was interesting because many of the players at both Clay County and CovCath had fathers who also went to that school. Clay County’s two best players, Trey Farmer and Blake Smith, are both sons of Tiger legends.

At Taylor County, most of what they did revolved around their two stars, and for good reason. They had some great role players who were largely overlooked (Ezra Oliver, Dylan Gaines, and Devin Rafferty each had at least one game that they single-handedly won for the Cardinals), but for the most part the Cardinals went as Sloan and Goodin went. It was a similar situation at Clay County with Smith and Farmer.

CovCath had a lot more depth and balance. Cole VonHandorf was obviously the go-to guy, but the Colonels were capable of winning without him, especially with the emergence of CJ Fredrick by midseason.

Most of the Clay County guys said they see themselves living in Clay County as adults, same with CovCath. Taylor County had a little bit more of a transient vibe, but guys like Ezra Oliver and Devin “Whopper” Raferty are Campbellsville to the core.

 

Did any coach regret saying anything or ask you to remove (or not report) something said?

-I spent a lot of time with all three coaches and I developed a good sense for when they were speaking to me off the record, even if they didn’t say “this is off the record.” I am confident they will not take exception to what I put in the book because what I wrote about is just how it is in the locker rooms of competitive sports teams everywhere. I would guess that if there are people who are shocked by anything that is said in the book, they probably didn’t play high school sports. I never witnessed any of the coaches cross the line.

 

Did you get to see the recruiting process for Quentin? Go X!

-He was already committed to Xavier by the time I started hanging around and he signed before the season even began.

 

Was there anything that you learned or saw that was really disappointing to learn or see?

-Yeah. I have no problem saying it: I believe Quentin Goodin should have won Mr. Basketball. I think a lot of people didn’t vote for him due to frustration over the flurry of new players that transferred into Taylor County after Coach Gatewood arrived. Quentin is from Campbellsville, though. He is a Taylor County kid. Carson Williams is having a great year at NKU, but I just felt like the award was taken from “Q” for the wrong reasons.

-Clay County had an important member of its team quit at a crucial point in the season due to team chemistry issues. I wish he/they had been able to work through it. The Tigers definitely could have used him against South Laurel in the regional championship.

-I heard a lot of people speculate and gossip about Dylan Gaines and his transfer from Warren East to Taylor County. There is way, way more to the story than just basketball. People formed their own conclusions and then held them against him. He is one of the nicest kids you will ever meet and has already been through more adversity than anyone should have to experience in a lifetime.

 

Are officials consistent at all, or does their performance vary from night to night?

-The officials in the 13th and 9th regions seemed to “let them play” a lot more. I felt like there were more whistles in the 5th than the other two.

 

Did the coaches complain more about officials or parents?

-Neither, really. They all had their in-game moments where they disagreed with calls made by officials, but they were all good about letting it go after they had their say. With Taylor County, the parents of two starters (Goodin and Ezra Oliver) were Gatewood’s assistant coaches. Gatewood was also David Sloan’s legal guardian, so their program had the feel of a giant family.

 

 

Best or memorable gym/atmosphere(s)?

-Anyttime the Colonel Crazies are in the house, it is going to be a show. The Clay County/North Laurel games (all three), were packed and electric. Taylor County sold out most home games.

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maysvilleky

maysvilleky

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Great insight...Thank you.

 

Question...At Taylor County...With transfers coming in, did you see any reaction from the players that were already there (home grown) as the new players (transfers) took the playing time? Was there any reaction from the parents of the home grown kids?

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Theoldguy

Theoldguy

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I honestly hope that many of you go out and purchase the book, as I know how much time, energy and effort Jarrett put into his book. The hours he put in were endless and I honestly worried about him upon leaving CovCath and driving to either Taylor or Clay by himself late at night. He would listen to anyone and everyone's stories and sought out people who we would suggest might have some good tales for him. He always had his ears open and asked a ton of questions, about CovCath, or the teams we were playing but never crossed the line to get a story nor got in the way of practice or games but he seemed to be always there and I am rather certain the team members at both Taylor and Clay would say the same thing.

 

Me personally? I am looking forward to reading about the CovCath vs. Taylor game accounts but I won't go any further here about that game.

 

Goog luck Jarrett looking forward to reading your book.

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