By Greg Bird of the McCreary County Voice

 

For the second year in a row McCreary Central Basketball Coach Robert Jones has been named the 12th Region Boy’s Coach of the Year by the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches.

 

Jones said receiving the award is an honor and acknowledged it wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of his staff and players.

 

“It is a great honor to be recognized by my peers,” Jones said. “It speaks well of the program we have established over the past few years.”

 

“Good players make good coaches,” he added. “We have a good program in place and one of the keys to that is hard work over the course of the season and in the off-season as well. We are proud to be known as one of the top teams in the region and we will continue to keep progressing every year."

 

He will be presented the award Friday afternoon at halftime of the first second-round game of the Girl’s Sweet 16 State Basketball Championship at Eastern Kentucky University in Bowling Green.

 

Jones led the Raiders to a 24-5 record this year and 44 wins over the past two seasons.

I'm sure he would trade those awards in for a region title.

My vote would have went to Jackson and then Woods.

Accidently posted twice.

That's the problem with voting before the district tournament. When you are one of the favorites and don't make it to the regional tournament, it's not a good year, especially for the coach.

Who won the 13th? I would say it was Coach Strange, but my vote would have to go to Steve Wright.

Upset in the district, peaking too early????? Yeah he won alot of games with great players, to me it is one of those situations where a good coach just gets out of the way from his players and them play.

I wonder if he is pointing (in the picture) where his stock went after the district loss..........falling fast

I have to disagree with this. Jones had a fine season, but IMHO his team underachieved. Again. How can the coach of the year, with a player like Watts and a record of 24-5 get beat in the first round of the district and miss the region for the second straight year.

 

Call me a homer, or call me bias. Jeff Jackson should of won this award.

I agree.

Honestly, I would have went with Hammonds at West Jessamine.

 

But to defend Jones. His team overachieved again, although as the season went on, it was apparent that they could contend for the title but were upset, so maybe that is the underachieving part.

 

In nearly all preseason polls, McCreary was anywhere between 4-6 on the list behind the likes of Wayne, Lincoln, Pulaski (I don't know how), West Jessamine, and Boyle County.

Honestly, I would have went with Hammonds at West Jessamine.

 

But to defend Jones. His team overachieved again, although as the season went on, it was apparent that they could contend for the title but were upset, so maybe that is the underachieving part.

 

In nearly all preseason polls, McCreary was anywhere between 4-6 on the list behind the likes of Wayne, Lincoln, Pulaski (I don't know how), West Jessamine, and Boyle County.

 

I guess the pre-season polls were correct since all of the teams mentioned above made it to the regional tournament (even if you don't know how).

If they're ranked 4-6, they should have made it to the regional. That's not overachieving.

OVERACHIEVING?

 

They didn't make the region tourney and had one of the two best records in the region all year.

 

One thing, IMHO, that hurts McCreary is their early season schedule.

I looks like Coach Jones made his schedule so that his team could get some wins and confidence early. There is nothing wrong with playing weak teams, but he should have schedule some teams out of region and gone up to Central Kentucky and test the waters there to see how his team could compete.

 

I really does not matter if you win 24 games or 4 games if you don't advance in the district and on to the region you can't be accused of "overachieving"

I looks like Coach Jones made his schedule so that his team could get some wins and confidence early. There is nothing wrong with playing weak teams, but he should have schedule some teams out of region and gone up to Central Kentucky and test the waters there to see how his team could compete.

 

I really does not matter if you win 24 games or 4 games if you don't advance in the district and on to the region you can't be accused of "overachieving"

 

Totally agree. Overachieving ... now that's a good excuse.