Jimmy Chitwood got pretty good with a flat ball and a makeshift goal out in the country.

 

He did and when did that occur? How often did that occur in Indiana. 50 years ago you say.

Well if we are talking MS kids when fundamentals are being developed, yep, it is hard to get two of those kids to drive.

 

If you are talking about HS age developing fundamentals at the city park, well their fundamentals should have been developed years ago.

 

When you talk about developing fundamentals, to me, that is the early ages of elementary and middle school.

 

For me at that age, we would play at my house. One kid would ride his bike 3-4 miles to my house. Two others would walk a mile. Another would ride his bike up a hill, (fun going back home cause it was a coast the whole way) for 2 miles. That was after yard and farm work was done.

 

No way parents, and I DON'T blame them, let their kids ride their bikes to other kids home as far as we did in today's world.

 

As to the MS kids, isn't there a couple of parents that could provide the rides? I know that there are more and more both parents work situations, but surely there has to be some parents whom could provide transportation, or older siblings. Sounds just like an obstacle that needs to be overcome. With a will, there's a way.

 

As for the parents not letting kids ride their bikes several miles to play a game of pickup anymore, I didn't realize things had gotten so bad in the rural areas. Maybe that's the real reason parents are having their kids play at different high schools than their community high school or whole families are moving to the urban areas. I know if I felt my community was so unsafe that I wouldn't allow my son to ride a bike a couple of miles, I'd probably leave that community.

As to the MS kids, isn't there a couple of parents that could provide the rides? I know that there are more and more both parents work situations, but surely there has to be some parents whom could provide transportation, or older siblings. Sounds just like an obstacle that needs to be overcome. With a will, there's a way.

 

As for the parents not letting kids ride their bikes several miles to play a game of pickup anymore, I didn't realize things had gotten so bad in the rural areas. Maybe that's the real reason parents are having their kids play at different high schools than their community high school or whole families are moving to the urban areas. I know if I felt my community was so unsafe that I wouldn't allow my son to ride a bike a couple of miles, I'd probably leave that community.

 

 

In my community we have some very involved parents (on the girls side) that work together to get the kids playing. However our biggest obstacle is gym time. There is just no Open time to practice, with Volleyball, Boys Basketball, Community functions, etc. We have no YMCA or other facility near us.

 

Most of the private schools that continually beat the public schools in Girls ball are in larger cities that have more access to facilities to the schools have more than one gym. THis is a problem especially for the younger girls, by the time they hit MS and HS they are so far behind they quit.

In my community we have some very involved parents (on the girls side) that work together to get the kids playing. However our biggest obstacle is gym time. There is just no Open time to practice, with Volleyball, Boys Basketball, Community functions, etc. We have no YMCA or other facility near us.

 

Most of the private schools that continually beat the public schools in Girls ball are in larger cities that have more access to facilities to the schools have more than one gym. THis is a problem especially for the younger girls, by the time they hit MS and HS they are so far behind they quit.

Your point is strengthen behind the situation that exists in a lot of rural schools where the girls MS basketball season has been moved to the fall because of the lack of gym space.

In my community we have some very involved parents (on the girls side) that work together to get the kids playing. However our biggest obstacle is gym time. There is just no Open time to practice, with Volleyball, Boys Basketball, Community functions, etc. We have no YMCA or other facility near us.

 

Most of the private schools that continually beat the public schools in Girls ball are in larger cities that have more access to facilities to the schools have more than one gym. THis is a problem especially for the younger girls, by the time they hit MS and HS they are so far behind they quit.

 

That's a valid point. One that LBBC has made in the past and which I've previously acknowledged. There is no doubt that having facilities like Town and Country in Wilder is of great development benefit to the sports programs in N. Ky. I can buy that reason although I've noticed schools like Mercer and Johnson Central spending all kinds of money to build indoor football practice facilities, so some rural schools/communities are certainly spending big dollars to improve their athletic facilities and provide more "gym time" for their kids.

 

The transportation issue I don't buy into so easily however.

We moved from Lexington and there was always a Basketball league going on that I could get my daughter in so that she could get some practice and playing time...now my driveway or the park is the best that we can do.

 

As far as Transportation any thing that is immediately after school is not a problem, any other time that requires a parent to get the child back into the city is a problem.

Scott Co. has been very good, but there are at least three Lex Cath stars in the past decade who would have been Cards and would have had a huge impact on the team...

Bryan Station may have won 4 or 5 state championships if their players had stayed in the public sector.

Lex. Christian is also starting to be a player in this debate. Scott Co's best 8th grader from last year is now at Lex. Christian as a Frosh.

UHA with new coach Randy McCoy will soon be back to state wide competition like they were in the late 80's (Sergio Luke and company) and into the 90's (Lamont Barnes, Isiah Victor). He'll get the most out of Hopson - and he's got all the right connections to add to the fold.

Cov Cath has done pretty well in the 9th consistantly... I even find myself rooting for them because I love their fans at the state tournament.

 

I agree that there is a bigger issue with the football side of the debate, but that's only natural. It takes a lot of $ to outfit a pee-wee football league with pads, helments, etc... You can work on the skill positions (QB, Reciever, etc) but to work on blocking, tackling, and other true fundamentals of football it costs some cash. Folks sending their kids to private schools have the cash to fund these types of programs.

It only takes a $20 basketball to go down to the city park and work on your basketball game and you can work on almost every aspect of the fundamentals within pickup games.

 

The thing is, it is not equalling to state championships. CovCath had a great team last year because they were greatly coached, not because they had better talent than other people.

I do think public schools really enjoy beating the private schools though, and for the best programs its probably not an issue.

The thing is, it is not equalling to state championships. CovCath had a great team last year because they were greatly coached, not because they had better talent than other people.

I do think public schools really enjoy beating the private schools though, and for the best programs its probably not an issue.

 

In my opinion, CovCath had the best talent of all the 5A schools I saw. Good coaching certainly helped (I never thought Rodenberg was all that great). But put together good coaching and great talent (with great depth) and you get championships.

In my opinion, CovCath had the best talent of all the 5A schools I saw. Good coaching certainly helped (I never thought Rodenberg was all that great). But put together good coaching and great talent (with great depth) and you get championships.

 

 

I'll leave the Rodenberg was not all that great comment alone and just say I believe LMB was taking about basketball.

He did and when did that occur? How often did that occur in Indiana. 50 years ago you say.

 

Please LBBC. There are so many opportunities for kids to play basketball these days it's not funny. Almost every community has an Upward league now. Parks and Rec leagues are everywhere. YMCA... Most towns have some type of basketball court (I agree that parents have to be careful allowing kids to go play unsupervised). Tons of kids have Gorilla Goals in their driveways. It costs very little to have a driveway goal weighted down with sand bags - and if the kid can't afford one - I guarantee one of his neighbors has one. High school and middle school coaches offer open gym opportunities at least a couple of days per week.

My point is - if a kid wants to play, the opportunities are there.

Please LBBC. There are so many opportunities for kids to play basketball these days it's not funny. Almost every community has an Upward league now. Parks and Rec leagues are everywhere. YMCA... Most towns have some type of basketball court (I agree that parents have to be careful allowing kids to go play unsupervised). Tons of kids have Gorilla Goals in their driveways. It costs very little to have a driveway goal weighted down with sand bags - and if the kid can't afford one - I guarantee one of his neighbors has one. High school and middle school coaches offer open gym opportunities at least a couple of days per week.

My point is - if a kid wants to play, the opportunities are there.

 

Here is the problem I run into as a basketball coach. What the kids want is irrelevant when you have parents who don't want to fork over the resources, both of their time and their funds, to support the child's desires.

 

It is MORE of a problem on the girls' side of the issue because girls' sports is not taken as seriously in our society than on the boys' side.

Here is the problem I run into as a basketball coach. What the kids want is irrelevant when you have parents who don't want to fork over the resources, both of their time and their funds, to support the child's desires.

 

It is MORE of a problem on the girls' side of the issue because girls' sports is not taken as seriously in our society than on the boys' side.

 

In basketball, while funds can help build a great program, it is not as important as time spent working hard towards becoming a great program.

In basketball, while funds can help build a great program, it is not as important as time spent working hard towards becoming a great program.

 

Don't think you are seeing the whole picture.

 

How about the entry fees in the off season leagues from when they are elementary age and up?

For rural schools, how about the cost of the gas money for the 45 minute drive one way to MAKE IT to the off season leagues?

How about the cost of summer camps?

How about cost and travel for the AAU-type tournaments?

How about the cost for rural schools traveling to games during the season? For urban parents it might be a 10 mile drive at furthest. 10 miles don't get you out of the county here. It might easily be an hour drive one way.

How about the cost of the uniforms for the off season leagues?

How about the cost for all the meals and such that they eat as they go to these offseason leagues.

 

The big difference between the great programs and the average programs is either a)talent; b)lack of parental support (time and funding) before they get to the HS level. It is easier on the parents for a team in a urban area to participate in a league than it is for parents in a rural area. Meaning that the rural area parents have to make a bigger commitment of time and that is not always done.

 

And as I said, on the girls' side it is even done less than on the boys' side.

Here is the problem I run into as a basketball coach. What the kids want is irrelevant when you have parents who don't want to fork over the resources, both of their time and their funds, to support the child's desires.

 

It is MORE of a problem on the girls' side of the issue because girls' sports is not taken as seriously in our society than on the boys' side.

 

LBBC,

 

Let's say I gave you a magic wand and you could say divide football and basketball into classifications based on the urban/rural divide which some say is more of a divider than private/public.

 

What would they be?

 

How would you decide rural, suburban, urban classifications? (Or more?)

 

No doubt there are different "challenges" to each type of school. But how could you classify them so they could compete on a "level playing field"?

 

For example, would all of extreme NKY (Boone, Kenton, Campbell) be classified one way? Or would say Holmes and Newport be considered urban because they are in somewhat larger cities for the state of KY? Then why wouldn't Boone Co be urban since Florence is a bigger city than Newport?

 

Is Highlands suburban but a two miles away NewCath urban? Is Campbell Co rural or suburban? Is Ludlow, Bellevue, Dayton urban or suburban?

 

Is CovCath which really isn't in Covington, urban or really suburban?

 

How would it all work if you were the commish with a wand?

LBBC,

 

Let's say I gave you a magic wand and you could say divide football and basketball into classifications based on the urban/rural divide which some say is more of a divider than private/public.

 

What would they be?

 

How would you decide rural, suburban, urban classifications? (Or more?)

 

No doubt there are different "challenges" to each type of school. But how could you classify them so they could compete on a "level playing field"?

 

For example, would all of extreme NKY (Boone, Kenton, Campbell) be classified one way? Or would say Holmes and Newport be considered urban because they are in somewhat larger cities for the state of KY? Then why wouldn't Boone Co be urban since Florence is a bigger city than Newport?

 

Is Highlands suburban but a two miles away NewCath urban? Is Campbell Co rural or suburban? Is Ludlow, Bellevue, Dayton urban or suburban?

 

Is CovCath which really isn't in Covington, urban or really suburban?

 

How would it all work if you were the commish with a wand?

 

 

Can I try? I would split Public and Private and then do it by the size of the school...Same as many other states..just my opinion. I think that would level the playing field enough.

 

Privates would eliminate the $$$$$ issues.

Size would limit the numbers problem.

 

THis is just my opinion and it is not based on anything but my own experience in Lexington and now in a small rural school.