See everyone bright and early.. Goodluck fella's.

Why isn't Somerset playing this year

 

I don't know all the reasons Somerset didn't go as a team but their 2 best players are with different teams that will both go D1 in state and nationals - Dishman with CKY Warriors in 12U and Gover with Georgetown Thunder. I have read several posts about Dalton from Albany doing a similar thing.

You have just mentioned the best 7th grader, 6th grader, and 5th grader in the southcentral part of the state. Must be a trend, The kid from South Laurel(7th grader) also does it, is it a trend in eastern Kentucky as well? That is why there are so many less teams as you get older.

 

Somerset 6th grade went without Dishman and Clinton 5th went without Dalton but I doubt either goes next season.

 

You 13/u DI guys better not sell HOOP DREAMS short, they have some real talent and competed very well at the Knight's tourney. They will become the power in the state of Kentucky over the next couple of seasons at all grade levels.

You have just mentioned the best 7th grader, 6th grader, and 5th grader in the southcentral part of the state. Must be a trend, The kid from South Laurel(7th grader) also does it, is it a trend in eastern Kentucky as well? That is why there are so many less teams as you get older.

 

Somerset 6th grade went without Dishman and Clinton 5th went without Dalton but I doubt either goes next season.

 

You 13/u DI guys better not sell HOOP DREAMS short, they have some real talent and competed very well at the Knight's tourney. They will become the power in the state of Kentucky over the next couple of seasons at all grade levels.

 

In my opinion all 4 13U D1 teams could beat each other. There won't be any easy games.

Somerset would have dominated the DII if they would have played. I think they had won it 2 years in a row. Why in the world did Somerset not go this season. Lynch and Gover did a great job with the kids and they won everywere they played. They were my favorite team to watch. Exciting style of play and great coaching, too bad they aren't there.

 

I have a ton of respect for the Somerset boys but they would not have dominated D2 this year. I was there yesterday evaluating all teams and although they probably would have competed well I think the overall size of the Truth Elite and River City Hurricanes would have given them fits. Gover has not grown in 2 yrs and for a kid who is supposedly a grade exception he may struggle in the years to come if he doesnt get much bigger. He has excellent skills and great floor visioin but a few times in the Thunder game he went inside and it was like playing in the land of giants with those Ville and Rising Star teams. Dominated needs to be taken out of your post and competed should be inserted.

 

Trust me, I was amazed at the size of the kids at this year's tournament.

My summary of what I saw yesterday at the AAU state tourney. First of all, the NKY Warriors were a little bummed that they went 2-1 in their pool, beat the #1 seed Louisville storm but got bumped from advancing due to point totals. 3 of the 4 teams in their pool went 2 and 1 and because there was a very poor team in their pool who didnt win one game it created a 3 way tie.

 

They lost their first game of the day to a very HOT shooting Madison Co. Colonel team who the Warriors just didnt matchup well with. The Colonels didnt have any small kids or huge kids, they had 10 kids who were all 5'7 to 5'10 and all could shoot the rock. They hit 18 of 23 Free Throws compared to the Warriors 11 for 25 and must have shot 65% from the field. Time after time they hit the open shot when given. The Warriors were at a disadvantage for most of the 2nd half. Luke Turner (starter) went down with an ankle injury early in the 2nd qtr on a flagrant push from behind by a frustrated Colonel. Bailey Witte was kneed in the groin taking a charge early in the 3rd qtr and he sat with Turner on the bench the remainder of the game with ice packs. The Warriors did make a run on hot shooting by Brennan Devoto and Michael Beuter and cut it to 7 points but the Colonels answered with hot shooting of their own and hit Free Throws down the stretch to win 60-45.

 

Warriors destroyed an outmanned Bullit Storm team by 30 in the 2nd game. Bullitt Storm only brough 6 kids to Lexington. I am all about participating but man you gotta get some more players if you want to compete.

 

In the final game of the day, the Warriors faced the Louisville Storm who handled the Madison Co Colonels by 15 points in their game. Storm were not playing with Goral or their other big kid from last year. Apparently Goral is no longer on the team and the other boy stayed back for personal reasons. They did have a 6'4 kid named Willis who was very good and skilled. Tall and lanky but was making no look passes in one of the games I watched. He was very good but the Warriors took it to him and got him in foul trouble early. The Storm also had some very hot shooters in Logan Wade and the point guard Jones who wore the goggles. He lit it up and kept them close early. The Warriors went on a nice run and had a 30-17 halftime lead. The Storm went on a 11-0 run to start the 2nd half and cut it to a 2 point game. Hot 3 pt shooting by Jones and Wade as well as Purcell I think was his name. The game turned into a game of chess as the STorm forced the Warriors to come out of their zone and were fine with a close game as they knew they had the point total advantage.

 

Warriors finished with a 36-32 victory only scoring 6 2nd half points but earning a tough victory over a very good Storm team. The big Kid Willis eventually fouled out late in the 2nd half. If the Warriors would have came out in the 2nd half and built on that 14 point lead they could have had a shot at advancing to bracket play. They will take the victory but were bummed at not advancing.

 

Overall not bad play for a team that practiced 2 times in the past 3 weeks and only played one tournament in past 30 days. Good luck to all teams.

Other notable things I saw at the AAU State Tourney on Saturday, hopefully someone will give me the highlights from today's action as I am back home. :irked:

 

Unbelievable athleticism on the Ville and Rising Stars teams in Div 1. Those kids can beat some high school teams.

 

Blake Sanders is a very special guard for the Ville, I really like his ability to get to the rack. He is a gamer. South Laurel will get a good one here.

 

Omar Prewitt from The Ville is a very good player for his size. Lanky and not very tall or strong but shoots very well and recognizes mismatches very well. He took the ball to the rack a few times in the Thunder game due to this recognition.

 

Quin Richardson from Thunder will be a very special guard for the Scott Co Cardinals. He has quickness, moxy and strength already at this level.

 

Mason Monroe of the Thunder showed he is one of the best guards in the state. He buried numerous 3 pointers and has great body control when driving to the hoop. Watching him matched up with Sanders in their game was awesome. Pendleton Co has a very special player coming up.

 

The Ville vs. Rising Star game in Div 1 was fastpaced and the quickness at the guard position was phenomenal.

 

3 teams IMO who were in Div 2 playing should have stepped up and competed at Div1. The NKY Wolfpack, River City Hurricanes and Truth Elite.

 

The NKY Bulls were a nice surprise. They consisted of kids from Summit View and one Highlands player in Nick True. I watched their game with the Truth Select that went to Triple overtime. Very exciting game as Pouncy nailed a long 3pter at the buzzer in the 2nd overtime to tie it and send it to a 3rd. With Swanson on the bench (assuming fouled out) for most of the overtime periods that I watched, that hurt. Sampson, Jackson and Huesman are all nice players. I think they ended up 1-2 but were in a very tough Pool with the Wolfpack and Truth.

 

Wolfpack average margin of victory over their opponents was maybe 40 points. They had a very weak pool but I dont think they will get by the River City Hurricanes who I pick to win the whole thing.

 

River City Hurricanes were huge and didnt look like 7th grade boys. If you were to stand the NKY Warriors in front of the River City Hurricanes, only 1 or 2 boys would come up to their shoulders. I dont know how they grow em so big but they were huge and very talented. I would expect them to take the crown today.

 

Overall a very enjoyable day watching all the kids compete, I didnt see any parents going crazy or fights so that is always a plus.

 

Final note is that AAU ball in 7th grade is such a major difference than it was last year or even the year before. The kids mature at such different rates that you have some kids down there that look like grown men already. I told my son, you may get to 24 yrs old and still not look like some of these kids. : ) OVerall great time and great experience. Keep the thread going through spring/summer/fall and winter because its an all season game.

 

 

3 teams IMO who were in Div 2 playing should have stepped up and competed at Div1. The NKY Wolfpack, River City Hurricanes and Truth Elite.

 

The NKY Bulls were a nice surprise. They consisted of kids from Summit View and one Highlands player in Nick True. I watched their game with the Truth Select that went to Triple overtime. Very exciting game as Pouncy nailed a long 3pter at the buzzer in the 2nd overtime to tie it and send it to a 3rd. With Swanson on the bench (assuming fouled out) for most of the overtime periods that I watched, that hurt. Sampson, Jackson and Huesman are all nice players. I think they ended up 1-2 but were in a very tough Pool with the Wolfpack and Truth.

 

 

River City Hurricanes were huge and didnt look like 7th grade boys. If you were to stand the NKY Warriors in front of the River City Hurricanes, only 1 or 2 boys would come up to their shoulders. I dont know how they grow em so big but they were huge and very talented. I would expect them to take the crown today.

 

Totally Agree.

 

 

 

Great game, Swanson fouled out with 5 minutes left in the fourth.

Jacob Heusman played great for the Bulls.

 

 

 

Talk about monsters, those kids were huge.

Update on KBA website has the D2 bracket results looking like this for 13U.

 

NKY Wolfpack defeated the Richmond Stars 65-51

 

Truth Elite defeated the Madison Co Colonels 66-57.

 

River City Hurricans defeated the Truth Select 61 to 42.

 

Nky Flash defeated the Lous. Storm 45-43.

 

No real surprises here except for the NKY Flash and Mark Ogle's team knocking off the Storm. The Flash are a gutsy group with not a lot of size at all. Max Nussbaum is their go-to guy out of Beechwood. They got a great draw for a first game but the River City Hurricanes will be another story.

 

I predict the NKY Wolfpack reach the finals vs. the Hurricanes but come up short. Good luck though Wolfpack.

 

Final four is playing out as I type.

 

IN Div 1, here are the results so far.

 

The VILLE defeated Hoop dreams 65-32

 

Louisville Rising Stars defeated G-town Thunder 59-56 in what was probably a barnburner.

 

I was pulling for the Thunder to win State, best of luck at Nationals Thunder.

 

Good luck to the Ville and Rising stars.....my prediction is the Ville will take this one.

AAU should go to a two tournament system for each age group. Everyone plays in one tournament. The top 4 teams are given births to D1 Nationals. The remaining teams play in another tournament 2 weeks later for the D2 title. If you don't play in the first tourney you can't play in the D2. This is already being done in about 10 states.

:banana:The Wolfpack beat the Truth Elite by 9 and River city won by double digits. Wolfpack vs. River City in the finals. My prediction - Wolfpack, of course, by 5. Go Pack!

:banana:The Wolfpack beat the Truth Elite by 9 and River city won by double digits. Wolfpack vs. River City in the finals. My prediction - Wolfpack, of course, by 5. Go Pack!

 

Good Luck Wolfpack.

:banana:The Wolfpack beat the Truth Elite by 9 and River city won by double digits. Wolfpack vs. River City in the finals. My prediction - Wolfpack, of course, by 5. Go Pack!

 

You would think but man I was just overwhelmed at the size of River City. McGovney has had a great tournament, I would be interested to see how he did today and if he can lead the pack to the title.

River City Hurricanes won 55-42 over the Wolfpack in the D2 State Championship game between two Division 1 teams. Congrats to both teams.

 

Congrats once again to the NKY Flash for reaching the final four as they were IMO the only true D2 team that advanced that far.

 

See you at the gym.

They really are going to have to do something about DII. I like the idea of having a DI tourney with everyone and then a DII with the teams that fail to qualify for DI nationals.

 

The definition of DII is too ambiguious. It is for local and school type teams. You should not be able to say well, they are all from Northern Kentucky or all from Louisville.

 

You are also correct, Somerset could not have beaten either of the 2 teams in the finals, however, neither is a DII team!