Central Hardin High School Basketball

[Hardin County Preps]

Central Hardin opened as a high school in the fall of 1990. In the 31 years of boys high school basketball played at Central Hardin, they have never won a region championship and been to the state sweet 16. Again, this year, Central Hardin will finish the season with a losing record. There has got to be a point where you say that it's time to make a change and reach outside of the program to bring in some top level coaching talent that can first off, get the most out of these kids and become competitive in a district with North Hardin, John Hardin, and Elizabethtown, and also reach new heights in bringing a region championship banner to the rafters of Terry Buckles Court at Central Hardin high school. The Central Hardin footprint has got to become a destination for basketball parents and kids that move into the region. Right now you have to believe that destination is Elizabethtown and John Hardin high schools. 

[gchs_uk9]

East Hardin won four district titles but only one after 1971. They won the region in 1964 but then won only one region tournament game for the rest of their history. West Hardin's best results were two district runner-up finishes in 1970 and 1982. They never won a game in the region tournament. Bottom line, there wasn't a ton of basketball history coming into Central Hardin in 1990 and playing in an extremely difficult district year-in and year-out makes it tough to grow a program.

[Mojocat]

East Hardin grad here.  I think both of you make good points. On the one hand, it’s true neither East or West Hardin had much success on the court, so simply combining them should theoretically lead to more of the same.  Other hand, it’s a large school in the state’s 4th biggest county - you’d think there has to be some amount of talent there, and that maybe it’s just a matter of finding the right coach to make hay.  I’m pretty sure I recall that before John Hardin opened, Central Hardin and North Hardin were the two largest high schools in the state.  Especially then one could say Central was underperforming.  And since John Hardin opened, North seems to be a shell of its former self, and is now pretty mediocre.  We see that all the time of course when a big school with a strong tradition succumbs to a new school in the same county.  Shelby County.  Scott County.  etc....