George Rogers Clark 43 Warren Central 42 (Boys' Sweet 16® Championship)

[Voice of Reason]

12 minutes ago, Hardin County Preps said:

Their wasn't any Warren Central fans at the semifinals either? The school administration should feel responsible for some of this. They need to find a way to incentivize students to get on a bus on a Saturday and ride up to Lexington to support a high school basketball program. Most programs have the opportunity to be in the state semifinals/ finals rarely. The lack of fanbase for Warren Central and Covington Catholic in the semifinals was noticeable not only to me but other people sitting around me. 

My take on semifinals and finals in the same day is that this is too much for kids in one day and I know the coaches don't like it either. GRC and Lincoln County battled thru two overtimes and the winner had to come back several hours later and compete for a state title. Do the semifinals on a Saturday and the finals on a Sunday!

I have my own sinister thoughts on why both are done on the same day. After the second semifinal game, there are three and a half hours before the final game. The ability to generate record sales at local restaurants and pubs around Rupp Arena for those three and a half hours seems like a goldmine that the KHSAA and the city of Lexington cannot pass up. 

From a cost point of view, same day semifinals and final are a positive and should boost attendance.

[Royals and Saints Fan]

This may be shocking to many but not every high school revolves around boys basketball.  There are tons of other teams and activities that kids are involved in.  I wonder how much fan support they get. And many kids work to help their families and to get experience.  Pep bands support the teams but I wonder how many people support the bands?  Did any of you know that Murray High is the current state and National marching band champions, competing in a much larger class than their 2A school.  I absolutely love high school basketball but kids have so much more now days and that’s great for all of us.

[Hardin County Preps]

I guess basketball holds more meaning in certain parts of the state. Lincoln County crowd was large and loud.  Meade County for the girls brought a ton of students/ fans. Warren Central band was a bright spot for that end of the court. They were small but loud and energized. So I did notice the bands. What support would the bands have if there were no football games for them to perform at? Just saying.

[Royals and Saints Fan]

3 minutes ago, Hardin County Preps said:

I guess basketball holds more meaning in certain parts of the state. Lincoln County crowd was large and loud.  Meade County for the girls brought a ton of students/ fans. Warren Central band was a bright spot for that end of the court. They were small but loud and energized. So I did notice the bands. What support would the bands have if there were no football games for them to perform at? Just saying.

So you think bands only exist to play at sporting events?  I sincerely have no words…

[DragonFire]

1 hour ago, Hardin County Preps said:

Their wasn't any Warren Central fans at the semifinals either? The school administration should feel responsible for some of this. They need to find a way to incentivize students to get on a bus on a Saturday and ride up to Lexington to support a high school basketball program. Most programs have the opportunity to be in the state semifinals/ finals rarely. The lack of fanbase for Warren Central and Covington Catholic in the semifinals was noticeable not only to me but other people sitting around me. 

My take on semifinals and finals in the same day is that this is too much for kids in one day and I know the coaches don't like it either. GRC and Lincoln County battled thru two overtimes and the winner had to come back several hours later and compete for a state title. Do the semifinals on a Saturday and the finals on a Sunday!

I have my own sinister thoughts on why both are done on the same day. After the second semifinal game, there are three and a half hours before the final game. The ability to generate record sales at local restaurants and pubs around Rupp Arena for those three and a half hours seems like a goldmine that the KHSAA and the city of Lexington cannot pass up. 

The only way to incentivize that for the vast majority would be to literally buy their tickets for them. Per the Kentucky school report card, 90.5% of Warren Central’s student population is economically disadvantaged. To put that in a local perspective for you, not a single one of the Hardin County high schools is at even 50%. Warren East is the only other high school in Warren County over even 55% (about 57%). Many, many people outside of this area do not understand just how impoverished Warren Central is. $22 may not seem like a lot or a real burden to you or me, but to a lot of these kids, it absolutely is. That’s not even touching on the other factors I mentioned previously. 

[Royals and Saints Fan]

4 minutes ago, DragonFire said:

The only way to incentivize that for the vast majority would be to literally buy their tickets for them. Per the Kentucky school report card, 90.5% of Warren Central’s student population is economically disadvantaged. To put that in a local perspective for you, not a single one of the Hardin County schools is at even 50%. Warren East is the only other high school in Warren County over even 55% (about 57%). Many, many people outside of this area do not understand just how impoverished Warren Central is. $22 may not seem like a lot or a real burden to you or me, but to a lot of these kids, it absolutely is. That’s not even touching on the other factors I mentioned previously. 

And for those reasons WC Coach Unseld is a hero in my opinion.  And a dang good coach.

[ColonelMike]

On 3/20/2022 at 12:24 AM, DragonFire said:

I do agree that they need to adjust the time.  I've always been a fan of the all-Saturday semis and finals - I know a lot are not.  But the time needs to be tweaked.  I think it used to be 10 AM and 11:30 AM, was it not?

Not sure the time made a whole lot of difference this year....though WC had a tough SF later in the day - closer to tip of the finals - GRC had to endure a double overtime game in the first semi-final.   As  I see it, pretty much a wash this year.

[The Professor]

On 3/20/2022 at 9:37 AM, DragonFire said:

The results of years of demographic change including poverty, erosion of alumni support due to new schools and changing lines, and then ultimately, apathy. It hurt my heart. If they’re back next year, sadly, you can be sure you won’t see anything different. 

I remember when Doss was at the Sweet 16 a few years ago, I think they went back to back years, and their cheering section had less than a 100 fans. I asked a guy from Louisville who was sitting in front of me why these kids had so little support and he mentioned money issues and apathy for some Jefferson County fan bases.
That may be the case for Louisville but I live in the poorest county in the state and if Owsley County was ever fortunate enough to make it to Rupp Arena (we’ve come close, runner-up twice in the ‘80s) over half the county population of 4,000 would be there in person to cheer for the Owls, that’s pretty much a certainty.

[DragonFire]

1 hour ago, The Professor said:

I remember when Doss was at the Sweet 16 a few years ago, I think they went back to back years, and their cheering section had less than a 100 fans. I asked a guy from Louisville who was sitting in front of me why these kids had so little support and he mentioned money issues and apathy for some Jefferson County fan bases.
That may be the case for Louisville but I live in the poorest county in the state and if Owsley County was ever fortunate enough to make it to Rupp Arena (we’ve come close, runner-up twice in the ‘80s) over half the county population of 4,000 would be there in person to cheer for the Owls, that’s pretty much a certainty.

I don't doubt it at all.  I'd say similar would be true of many of the counties in my area.  Allen County-Scottsville, Franklin-Simpson, Clinton County, etc. - they'd bring the house.  Those are areas that are starved for success, and they don't have to compete with any other fanbase.  But if Owsley County went on a run of several years in a row, I bet you might see that wane some. 

It definitely isn't just the money for Central, but it's a very significant part. 

[The Professor]

19 minutes ago, DragonFire said:

I don't doubt it at all.  I'd say similar would be true of many of the counties in my area.  Allen County-Scottsville, Franklin-Simpson, Clinton County, etc. - they'd bring the house.  Those are areas that are starved for success, and they don't have to compete with any other fanbase.  But if Owsley County went on a run of several years in a row, I bet you might see that wane some. 

It definitely isn't just the money for Central, but it's a very significant part. 

I agree with the “on a run of several years” comment. I saw that happen with Scott County from their first tournament visits to the later ones. Their fan numbers went down every Sweet 16 visit. I suppose it falls under the category of spoiling the fans syndrome. 

[The Professor]

When I first started going to the Sweet 16 in the 1970’s and on through the 1980’s and ‘90’s, the crowds were big. I was at a game in Rupp in 1982 during a Friday evening session and there were 18,000 fans. 
 

I think one reason for lesser crowd size compared to yesteryear is when the state Education Department stopped allowing schools to pay for  numerous tickets and rooms. Many schools paid for head coaches, assistants, administrators and spouses. This helped fill the seats. When that ended many people who went every year due to the perks ceased going. When considering 120 counties and many more school districts statewide that’s a big number.