9th Region Preview

 

Team Rankings

1. Newport - I believe that this is pretty self-explanatory, as they won the Region last year, and virtually lost nobody. However, they did gain a new transfer from Ohio. (Cannot remember the name) They will be looking to repeat what they did last year, and make a run for the State Championship. They are led by Guard Taylen Kinney, who holds many Power5 offers. Very young, but skilled squad who will be ranked top 5 in the state to start the season.

 

2. CovCath - Losing Ipsaro is a big blow, however CovCath has once again got a new transfer. This one I believe happens to be a relative of Jeff ruby. Also, they brought in Cash Harney, who is a very skilled PG. Brady Hussey will be returning too, to help run the show. They appear to be the biggest Rival this Newport team may face in their region all year. 

 

3. Cooper - Cooper could be a team that could also be a sleeper pick to win the region. They come in with their PG Yamil Rondon, who is a very good player. They will also have a healthy Pouncy, who will make a huge difference. 

 

4. Lloyd - Lloyd comes in this year with their big time wing, EJ Walker who holds many Power5 offers. They also have some very athletic guards to play alongside him. However, they have very little depth, and I believe that is what will kill them this season. 

 

5. Highlands - The BlueBirds lost a lot this past season in Herald and Seth Ryan, which leaves a lot of shoes to fill. But, returning with their best players; Vinson and Moeves, they hope to find a rotation of guys who can play around these 2 seniors. The Birds get it out and run quickly! Let's see if anyone can keep up with them this year. 

 

6. St. Henry - This St. Henry squad could surprise some people this year with a group that has little varsity experience. They may be led by a senior who has picked up some college offers recently; Andrew Reis. 

 

7. Holy Cross - Yes, they have lost Meyer, and 30+ points a game. However, I saw this group play over the summer, and they have talent I believe that had been hidden by Jacob Meyers star-power. They are a very smart and scrappy squad! Also have brought in the former Holmes standout; Ricardo Johnson in as their new head coach. 

 

8. Ryle - While not having any stars or standout players, Ryle is a very strong group of guys who have large depth. This coming with the fact that they are a very large school, they will always be able to find guys to put on the floor.

 

9. Conner - The Cougars lost a ton last season, and are expected to be in rebuild mode. Maybe they can find some younger guys to step up and make some noise. 

 

10. Newport Central Catholic - This squad should be led by a bunch of strong seniors, who could beat down some opponents, but they lack some skill. They are led by Senior big man Caleb Eaglin.  

 

11. Beechwood - It hurts a lot losing your 2 best players in Cameron Boyd and Cash Harney. The tigers though, are always a very physical team, and always capable of pulling off an upset. 

 

12. Boone - Coming off of a horrendous year, Boone hopes to pick it back up this year led by their 3 seniors. Hopefully they can turn this program around!

13. Dixie Heights

14. Ludlow 

15. Bellevue 

16. Dayton

17. Holmes

18. Villa Madonna

19. Heritage Academy

20. Covington Latin

 

Player Rankings

1. Taylen Kinney - Newport

2. EJ Walker - Lloyd

3. Yamil Rondon - Cooper

4. Brady Hussey - CovCath

5. Nathan Vinson - Highlands

6. Caden Miller - CovCath

7. James Turner - Newport

8. Shaun Pouncy - Cooper

9. Jabari Covington - Newport

10. Brayden Moeves - Highlands

 

Early Predictions

• Newport wins the Region

• Taylen Kinney wins 9th Region POY

• Holy Cross is my sleeper team to make some noise

• Watch out for Cooper!

 

Summary

It should be a very fun year to watch some 9th Region Hoops! Get to some games to support your teams, and please provide some input in the comments. Would love to see what you guys think, and what your predictions are!!!

Let The Games Begin!

Nice write up! My .02 and I'll use your rankings...

Newport:  SOOOOO much talent, so many shotmakers, should be the clear favorites BUT....only one ball.  If Snapp can keep everyone on the same page, they are the clear favorite.  If not, who knows.  It will be fun to watch.  I can't remember this much next level talent on one team and this high of a prospect in NKY (Kinney), in awhile.  I hope he plays 4 years in Newport.  I'll check them out in person whenever I can.

CovCath:  How will all of the transfers mesh?  Lots of new talent in Park Hills.  This could be a case of you better get them early.  Once all present, football players, and get a few weeks under their belt, they could challenge Newport and be scary.  Being a Highlands guy, I am obligated to hate everything CC but you can't deny the track record.  They will be there at the end.

Cooper:  One thing we can't deny, they will guard and play hard.  Is there enough around Rondon to challenge the top teams?  How healthy is Pouncy.  Love watching Coach Sullivan and how hard this team plays!  Fun to watch, not fun to play against.

Lloyd: If EJ Walker plays with a motor, this team will compete.  Is there enough around him?  I've seen him take over games and disappear in others.  Not sold on them as a threat in the 9th.  Right now, I'd swap them and Highlands at 4/5.

Highlands:  They will play fast.  They will shoot a ton of 3's.  Nathan Vinson is a problem.  But...will they guard?  I like their starting 5, but do they have the depth?  Lots of talent in the sophomore and freshman class but I don't know how ready they are to contribute against the top teams.  Mark my words, the Birds will upset some of the "better teams" on their loaded schedule, but are a danger to lose to "lesser teams" if shots aren't falling.

I honestly think there is a drop off after these 5.  If I was going by tiers...

Tier 1:   Newport and CovCath

Gap.....

Tier 2:  Cooper, Highlands, Lloyd

Bigger Gap.........

Tier 3: St. Henry, Ryle,  NewCath, Holy Cross

Everyone else........

Will be a fun year and I can't wait to hit some gyms!

 

 

 

@LLS10, appreciate you taking the reins on the 9th Region, look forward to following along your weekly write-ups and updates.

You are WAY more bullish on Holy Cross than I am, so that will be an interesting one to keep an eye on.  If they are better than Ryle this year I will be quite surprised...and I don't think Ryle will be great.  I tend to think the Indians are in for a long year, but I do think Ricardo has the chops to be a very good basketball coach.

Thanks for the time you've put into this, it is appreciated, and the young student athletes deserve all of the extra attention you'll provide for them.

8 hours ago, The Double Deuce said:

@LLS10, appreciate you taking the reins on the 9th Region, look forward to following along your weekly write-ups and updates.

You are WAY more bullish on Holy Cross than I am, so that will be an interesting one to keep an eye on.  If they are better than Ryle this year I will be quite surprised...and I don't think Ryle will be great.  I tend to think the Indians are in for a long year, but I do think Ricardo has the chops to be a very good basketball coach.

Thanks for the time you've put into this, it is appreciated, and the young student athletes deserve all of the extra attention you'll provide for them.

Thanks Double Deuce. 

I will say, by no means do I think the Indians will be in contention for the 9th Region. But, I do think they are a smart team that will compete better than expected among the middle of the pack. 

On 11/14/2023 at 6:30 PM, LLS10 said:

9th Region Preview

 

Team Rankings

1. Newport - I believe that this is pretty self-explanatory, as they won the Region last year, and virtually lost nobody. However, they did gain a new transfer from Ohio. (Cannot remember the name) They will be looking to repeat what they did last year, and make a run for the State Championship. They are led by Guard Taylen Kinney, who holds many Power5 offers. Very young, but skilled squad who will be ranked top 5 in the state to start the season.

 

2. CovCath - Losing Ipsaro is a big blow, however CovCath has once again got a new transfer. This one I believe happens to be a relative of Jeff ruby. Also, they brought in Cash Harney, who is a very skilled PG. Brady Hussey will be returning too, to help run the show. They appear to be the biggest Rival this Newport team may face in their region all year. 

 

3. Cooper - Cooper could be a team that could also be a sleeper pick to win the region. They come in with their PG Yamil Rondon, who is a very good player. They will also have a healthy Pouncy, who will make a huge difference. 

 

4. Lloyd - Lloyd comes in this year with their big time wing, EJ Walker who holds many Power5 offers. They also have some very athletic guards to play alongside him. However, they have very little depth, and I believe that is what will kill them this season. 

 

5. Highlands - The BlueBirds lost a lot this past season in Herald and Seth Ryan, which leaves a lot of shoes to fill. But, returning with their best players; Vinson and Moeves, they hope to find a rotation of guys who can play around these 2 seniors. The Birds get it out and run quickly! Let's see if anyone can keep up with them this year. 

 

6. St. Henry - This St. Henry squad could surprise some people this year with a group that has little varsity experience. They may be led by a senior who has picked up some college offers recently; Andrew Reis. 

 

7. Holy Cross - Yes, they have lost Meyer, and 30+ points a game. However, I saw this group play over the summer, and they have talent I believe that had been hidden by Jacob Meyers star-power. They are a very smart and scrappy squad! Also have brought in the former Holmes standout; Ricardo Johnson in as their new head coach. 

 

8. Ryle - While not having any stars or standout players, Ryle is a very strong group of guys who have large depth. This coming with the fact that they are a very large school, they will always be able to find guys to put on the floor.

 

9. Conner - The Cougars lost a ton last season, and are expected to be in rebuild mode. Maybe they can find some younger guys to step up and make some noise. 

 

10. Newport Central Catholic - This squad should be led by a bunch of strong seniors, who could beat down some opponents, but they lack some skill. They are led by Senior big man Caleb Eaglin.  

 

11. Beechwood - It hurts a lot losing your 2 best players in Cameron Boyd and Cash Harney. The tigers though, are always a very physical team, and always capable of pulling off an upset. 

 

12. Boone - Coming off of a horrendous year, Boone hopes to pick it back up this year led by their 3 seniors. Hopefully they can turn this program around!

13. Dixie Heights

14. Ludlow 

15. Bellevue 

16. Dayton

17. Holmes

18. Villa Madonna

19. Heritage Academy

20. Covington Latin

 

Player Rankings

1. Taylen Kinney - Newport

2. EJ Walker - Lloyd

3. Yamil Rondon - Cooper

4. Brady Hussey - CovCath

5. Nathan Vinson - Highlands

6. Caden Miller - CovCath

7. James Turner - Newport

8. Shaun Pouncy - Cooper

9. Jabari Covington - Newport

10. Brayden Moeves - Highlands

 

Early Predictions

• Newport wins the Region

• Taylen Kinney wins 9th Region POY

• Holy Cross is my sleeper team to make some noise

• Watch out for Cooper!

 

Summary

It should be a very fun year to watch some 9th Region Hoops! Get to some games to support your teams, and please provide some input in the comments. Would love to see what you guys think, and what your predictions are!!!

Let The Games Begin!

Great write up LLS - I also agree there is a big drop off after the top 5.

As a Holy Cross guy I also hope new head coach Ricardo Johnson can get/keep this team in that next tier from 6-10 all year. They lost virtually all of their scoring losing their their starting 5 including obviously Jacob Meyer. They do have a nice group of young players but will need time to develop and gain varsity experience. Outside of Cov Cath in the 35th, I think they still have a great chance to make the region in February as they will battle with BW and Holmes for that second spot.

17 hours ago, The Double Deuce said:

@LLS10, appreciate you taking the reins on the 9th Region, look forward to following along your weekly write-ups and updates.

You are WAY more bullish on Holy Cross than I am, so that will be an interesting one to keep an eye on.  If they are better than Ryle this year I will be quite surprised...and I don't think Ryle will be great.  I tend to think the Indians are in for a long year, but I do think Ricardo has the chops to be a very good basketball coach.

Thanks for the time you've put into this, it is appreciated, and the young student athletes deserve all of the extra attention you'll provide for them.

Holy Cross travels to Ryle on December 1st so we should see how those 2 teams stack up against each other. I do think my Indians will need some time to get the young guys varsity experience but should get better and better as the season goes. They have a nice group of young players. It should be another fun season as there is so much talent in the 9th region again this year. Best of luck to all teams!

 

I think everyone is gonna regret leaving Athens Mcgillis off of all these regional rankings. Outside of Kinney I think he will be the best scorer in the region! Best shooter in the area and the colonels will be looking to him a lot now that Evan is gone. Very skilled and now’s how to get his!

Great writeup...thoughts of my own...I also agree with @throwback32 tier rankings. Spot on. 

Newport: 100% agree with only ONE BALL. I personally don't think the coach will be able to manage everyone's personalities. They are super talented and are very fun to watch. They have definitely brought their AAU mentality and style of play to the HS stage, which is what I love to see. They have a super tough schedule and a lot of traveling to prepare them for going to state. They may have the toughest schedule all around followed by Cov Cath. The goal is to prepare for state. They are gritty and tough. Kinney will have a good year, but is not my pick for MVP of the region. It's great that Newport is adding to the attention and excitement for NKY Basketball!

CovCath: This program has been playing tough teams for years like it's their job. Newport is getting all of the hype but CovCath is the consummate professional and has the coaching experience, and they always have kids who are steady and can flat out compete and stay composed. The edge here is Ruthsatz and Fredrick, and they know how to win and coach and get the most out of their kids. CovCath will definitely need to integrate Miller in quickly, but let's not forget, CovCath has two high level guards in McGillis and Harney who have played on the biggest national AAU stages since they started walking and have comparable experience to Kinney. Hussey will be solid just as he has been for the last 3 years and if Miller stays healthy, CovCath will win the 9th Region. I think McGillis ends the year the MVP for CovCath and CovCath wins the region due to coaching experience. 

Cooper: Yamil will run the show their and Cooper will have some big wins but I don't think they have the team package to take it very far. The coach definitely has CovCath's number which will make that gave a fun one to watch. Yamil is another player with a ton of AAU experience, although all you have to do is get the ball out of Yamil's hands and the team will begin to crumble. They do play hard and will be fun to watch. Yamil will have a great year. 

Lloyd: I would like to see Lloyd compete as it appears they ramped up their schedule to play some tough teams. EJ Walker has a ton of offers, but I feel as though his interest is "projection" versus actual showing up on the court. I would love to see him dominate and kill it, although I have seen a lot of inconsistency with him over the years, and given his height and shooting ability, he needs to be an in and out players, and I from what I see, he want's to be a stretch player instead. That's great but it's a game of matchups and he has to be able to stake his presence in the middle. I'm not sure Lloyd has enough talent around them and I agree that they are not a threat. If EJ Walker can commit to defense and filling in the Big Man gaps where required, I think he has the best chance of being the MVP. 

Highlands:  I enjoy watching Highlands and their style of play. The 3 point game is transferrable to the next level, similar to Newport and CovCath's style of play.  When the 3's aren't falling they will struggle. When you play the likes of Newport and CovCath who can play tough man to man defense, this is where Highlands needs to get better.  Also going to be a fun team to watch. @throwback32  analysis is spot on. 

I think the 9th region this year is going to be a basketball fan's dream and all of the big tournaments in southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky will be bringing a lot of well deserved attention and scouts to the region. 

You are underestimating the Jaguars. Rondon will be running the show, but there is way more to their game. Andy Johnson will be a name to remember after this year. 6'4" SG who was a big factor last year and a healthy Pouncy will not be crumbling to anyone. 4 - 8 may not have much varsity experience due to deep classes, but they know how to win. The SR and JR classes were both freshmen tournament champions and are coming off an undefeated JV season last year. They also have multiple high level AAU guys. Look for Isaac Brown, Tanner Murphy, and Jaiden Combs to all come up big this year. You add in one of the best coaches in the state and Cooper will definitely be challenging for the region this year.   

The rankings above have Cooper 3rd. Are you saying that is an underestimate? I'm personally very high on Cooper as well but hard to put them ahead of Newport and Cov Cath at least pre season. Just my opinion.

Just now, Baseball Nut 24 said:

The rankings above have Cooper 3rd. Are you saying that that is an underestimate? I'm personally very high on Cooper as well but hard to out them ahead of Newport and Cov Cath at least pre season. Just my opinion.

That was in response to shot whisperer above. I feel like third is very fair pre season. 

Gotcha. Top 3 are going to be very strong for sure. Then 4 & 5 next in line, then decent drop off to 6-12 in my opinion.

22 hours ago, GoBucks97 said:

I think everyone is gonna regret leaving Athens Mcgillis off of all these regional rankings. Outside of Kinney I think he will be the best scorer in the region! Best shooter in the area and the colonels will be looking to him a lot now that Evan is gone. Very skilled and now’s how to get his!

Agree about Athens. I definitely think he’ll outscore Hussey, though I don’t think he’s as good on defense or rebounding. I also feel if Miller can stay out of foul trouble he could end up being CCH’s MVP. He can score, rebound, and is very intimidating on defense. 

Did anyone get out and watch Cov Cath vs. Louisville St. X yesterday? Heard the Colonels won a close one in OT. 

Wasn't there either but heard the same thing. Won in OT after letting an 18 pt. lead evaporate in regulation time. Sounds like their "D" needs a lot of work if that's accurate.