Nice win in Hebron, if Conner is hitting the treys, they are as good as anyone in the region.

I’ve been saying Conner has been underrated all season. They will have a rough way to get to region though opening up with Ryle in the district tourney. 

Big win for the Cougars! 

Conner led by as many as 12 in the first half taking a double digit lead into the half. Newport started the 3rd quarter strong cutting the lead to 4 before Conner extended it again. Multiple key players for both teams had 4 fouls in the 4th quarter. With a little under 2 minutes left in the 4th, Louden drives to the basket, makes the shot but is called for a charge drawing his 5th foul. At this point Conner had I believe a 9-10 point lead which got cut to 4 again due to Conner not being able to get the ball across half court and one time not being able to inbound it after a time out. The Cougars did prevail though making free throws at the end. 

I keep telling myself Newport is going to be alright but it's getting harder and harder to make myself believe it. I got a bold prediction though, Taylen Kinney will be back next year to get things back on track. He is taking what's going on pretty personal.

11 hours ago, Hollywood23 said:

I’ve been saying Conner has been underrated all season. They will have a rough way to get to region though opening up with Ryle in the district tourney. 

Who all is in their district? That is pretty tough they got to go through Ryle right out of the gate.

6 minutes ago, Honey Badger said:

Who all is in their district? That is pretty tough they got to go through Ryle right out of the gate.

Semifinals in the 33rd district are Ryle vs. Conner and the winner of Boone Co. and Heritage Academy vs. Cooper. 

You're saying Kinney would comeback because of how the season is going for Newport?

Kinney is a great young man.  He needs to focus on his future.  The program he is in will guide and develop him more than coming back to Newport just to battle for a state title.  I will not be surprised to a few players leave Newport for better opportunities if they became available. 

Most people I've talked to believe he is coming back to Newport next year because winning Mr. Basketball is a huge goal of his.  

On 2/13/2025 at 10:56 AM, Breds82 said:

You're saying Kinney would comeback because of how the season is going for Newport?

 

On 2/13/2025 at 2:05 PM, KillerCats09 said:

Kinney is a great young man.  He needs to focus on his future.  The program he is in will guide and develop him more than coming back to Newport just to battle for a state title.  I will not be surprised to a few players leave Newport for better opportunities if they became available. 

 

On 2/13/2025 at 6:51 PM, The Double Deuce said:

Most people I've talked to believe he is coming back to Newport next year because winning Mr. Basketball is a huge goal of his.  

I'm saying it's in the fold. OTE is a wild, wild, type of basketball. Does he get to train like a college or professional athlete, no doubt. But I believe with a great year under his belt at OTE, any college offer he could possibly want, and the resources he has at his disposal the possibility of him returning is real. Him and his family don't need the OTE money and he will be well taken care of again once he makes a college decision. The biggest thing would be giving up the resources at OTE but like I said he has major resources that got him to OTE in the first place but at OTE they pretty much reside in the gym. I don't know what the original agreement or possible "contract" was but OTE should be doubling or tripling whatever he is bringing in now if he stays next year because Mr. Kinney's brand has exploded. I would say it's Global. He doesn't need OTE. Yes there could be some personal goals he has had since childhood that he could accomplish with already knowing he can pick any college in the US that he wants. Jasper Johnson was on track to be a McDonald's All American, a life long dream of his and saw that dream come up short this year while being at OTE.

Just a reminder that last year after the Sweet 16 everyone was making predictions about the 9th region for this year with Newport being the unanimous number 1 and I was the first one to say very early "if Tay Kinney were to leave Newport does that change things" and most people thought that was a wild thought. His brand can drive his own path however he wants at this point but yes it would be a huge leap for him to leave the "RWE" umbrella but he has multiple avenues he could pave himself.