What does Hopkinsville need to do to be successful in the 2018/2019 season? Please be constructive.

The first question for these guys is what will they do without a 5 time Region 2 Championship winning coach? Easy, they replace him with Larry Miller. Larry is a great coach and is a strong disciplinarian. Miller along with Carwhile bring a lot of experience and strong teaching/game-planning to the bench. I think the coaching will be just fine.

 

They did lose Johnson and Cager, probably the best backcourt in school history. But, those guys did not play a lot last year. This Hoptown team had to have a lot of guys play big minutes last year due to injuries, so it is a very experienced bunch with a lot of good players. They have a lot of depth and size. Their front court is probably the best in the region, but their backcourt is largely unproven. I would put them 3rd in the Region behind UHA and Madisonville, and as of now I would say they are a distant 3rd with a lot of room for growth.

 

It comes down to the growth of 7-foot tall Division 1 prospect Jamarion Sharpe's post skills. Last year, he had grown 5-6 inches to get to be a 6'11-7'0 player. He looked raw and very inexperienced at times, due to the lack of playtime and being thrown into varsity ball. He got better every time he touched the floor and has been working tirelessly this offseason to get better, while also playing against really good competition. A player of his height is an advantage that you can't really do anything about in high school, if he can rim protect and finish in the paint, good luck finding anyone who can guard him in this part of the state.

 

James Nicholas is also a player to watch. Has division 1 interest and a lot of Division 2 offers. A 6'4-6'6ish range wing who can shoot 3's consistently. Battled the injury bug last year while having to play behind Cager and Johnson the last 3 seasons. I think this will be HIS team and he will be THE GUY for them scoring the ball.

 

They also need to find out who is going to be their lead guard. Alijah Watts came on as a freshman and put up 20 points a few times and looks to have a solid 3-point jumper. Don Victor is also a very nice scoring option. Forwards J Burks and Tefrell Toliver have shown at times that they can be solid options, but not consistently.