Following the northern Ky threads on BGP throughout the year gives some perspective on who is pulling for whom. Some of the recent posts on Holmes, Coach Henley and Arrez have been dismissed as "homer" comments from Holmes fans. I have noticed that many of the rave reviews given to Coach Henley, Arrez and the Holmes squad are from fans throughout northern Ky. I see posts from Highlands fans, New. Cath. fans, Beechwood fans, Cov. Cath. fans, Campbell County fans, etc. etc., offering words of glowing praise. Add mine to the list. Coach Henley and the Holmes squad did an exemplary job throughout the year. At Rupp on Friday and Saturday I saw fans wearing colors from across Northern Kentucky on their feet cheering for the Bulldogs. When Elijah Pittman was taken down while attempting a layup in the Lex. Cath. game, the two fans yelling the loudest for a flagrant foul to be called in my section were wearing a Cov. Cath. jacket and a Holy Cross sweater. An A+++ season for Coach Henley and the Bulldogs.

 

 

 

 

Not to sound to cheesey: But as a Holmes alum, this is so cool to see. I have been to many State tournaments over the years, my first being in 78:cry: but I have always been for the 9th. I remember 1981 like it was this weekend, it was awesome. You would of never known that my friends and I didn't go to SK, we were cheering as hard as anyone that week. Next year I hope to see my Bulldogs there again. But if their not, I will be rooting just as hard for whoever represents the 9th region.

 

And yes, Coach H has done an excellent job with this program. I hope he sticks around for a long time.

 

I actually started following Holmes before I got there, 77 I believe it was, so I've seen alot of Teams, and alot of good players. I was probably a little to young still in 78, to understand anything more than the score board. But looking back, I think those Teams had some really good chemistry, and played well as a Team. And man, was it ever more exciting going to a game when Dicky Beal was playing? I think for two straight years, every gym in N.Ky was full when he was playing. I can see those 180's like it was yesterday.

 

Honestly, I didn't think I would see a Holmes Team again, that would ever match those days. But I was wrong, and in a big way. I really think I'm more proud of the kids than anything. Not just in the way they won games, but just the way they carried themselves. Just the way they were able to keep their composer in the two games leading up to the finals, tells me all I need to know about those young men, and their Coach.

 

Great Season Dogs...Very proud

The great thing about NKY is that its like were all a fraternity of fans. Here's some points I'd like to make about the Holmes run which I thought was awesome.

 

1) One of the coolest things I saw this weekend was all the NCC coaches standing up and cheering, coming out of a 4th quarter timeout in the LexCath game. It gave the feeling of "everyone is behind you boys, go get it".

 

2)I'm from St. Henry, I was with someone from CovCath and Boone Co. We all were out of our seats clapping for those boys during the semifinals.

 

3)I wasn't able to stay for the Championship game because of Easter, but there was no way in the world anything was going to stop me from watching that game on ICN 6 that evening. I ordered a pizza, grabbed some cold ones, and rooted for the Bulldogs like they were my Wildcats or Crusaders.

 

4)How much have we seen these kids grow. I hope they all keep there heads up, graduate, get degrees and go on to be great leaders in the Holmes community. Wait they already are aren't they.

 

5)I followed a lot of HS basketball in NKY since my first day at St. Henry. But besides my brother and a soon to be brother in law, Arrez Henderson has been one of my favorite players to watch. He is the best defender I've ever seen in the HS game.

 

6)When Arrez stole the ball, went behind his back at half court and sprinted for a power dunk he had to be trying to rip the rim off. That was awesome!

 

7)The Josh Nelson story is awesome. I love this kids leadership and his "team first" thinking. He was a starter last season on a regional title team and a state semifinalist team. This year he stepped back and accepted the role as a role player coming off the bench. And did it very well.:thumb:

 

8)Congrats to Coach Henly and the awesome staff. They do as good of a job as anyone in the state. They are good coaches and even better men.

Coach Henley is a great coach. He went through a lot with the Rice, Jefferson, Hill group from transfers, to suspensions, and so on but still managed to mold them in to men by the time they were seniors and it showed as they lived up to their potential by making the state semi's last year.

 

The job he did with this year's team was marvelous. They had no where near the talent of last year's team but they had a defensive stopper in Henderson and a group of TEAM players who cared more about the scoreboard than themselves and it showed. Henley finally has gotten through to these young men that defense wins championships and the seniors from this year have let a stepping stone for the underclassmen.

 

Henley really believes in his young men which is one of the most important things. Anytime you ask him he'll tell you what a great group of players he has both on and off the court. He never gets rattled and looks cool, calm, and collected always on the sidelines. Truly a great asset for the Holmes program down there in Covington. Hopefully he'll be able to get that elusive state championship that he missed as a player with this year's sophomores leading the Covington squad the next two years.

 

From today's enquirer:

 

Over the weekend, the Holmes boys' basketball players earned the title as Kentucky's second-best team. On their return, they were feted for a different distinction.

 

"And now," coach David Henley said into a microphone at center court of an all-school pep rally, "the 18 guys who got you out of class today."

 

"It was a great run by a great group of kids," Henley said. "Most of the time when you see something about our school in the paper, it's usually not good. But with these kids, everything has been positive. Every coach should have a chance to coach a group like this. And I'm not talking about wins and losses. They're just awesome kids."

 

After addressing his players, Henley addressed the crowd.

 

"(The players) represented you with class, dignity and pride," he said. "... As a coach you hope to have that one special team. I'm a better person for being around these guys."

 

Rest of story:

http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20080325/SPT0302/803250383/-1/SPT

6)When Arrez stole the ball, went behind his back at half court and sprinted for a power dunk he had to be trying to rip the rim off. That was awesome!

 

Ya think? :lol:

It's already been stated, but worth saying again...what an awesome sight to see so many from Northern Ky rooting for the Bulldogs. As an alum, and a resident of Covington, I know first hand the diversity that is within the walls of our Covington public schools. I know the issues our kids deal with every day...things most of us can't even comprehend. To see a community back these boys up, from Highlands, Cov Cath, Holy Cross, our "rivals" during regular season, has to be an overwhelming feeling for them.

 

So often Holmes is viewed as the school with no class, not so smart students, poor, poverty stricken students.....it sickens me to sit at a ball game and hear fans across the floor ridicule our students for situations that are often out of their control. Holmes and Covington is so often written about for the negative, and not often enough about what our students do accomplish. Our students do make good grades, they do graduate, they do succeed!

 

But at the Sweet 16, the Holmes Bulldogs were representing all those in Northern KY, and they did so with grace, dignity and maturity. They made us all proud, and I hope changed many views of the Covington community and our students.

 

Perhaps this coming season, we will no longer hear chants about "who's your daddy" or "we go to college" or singing the ABC song, because you think we don't know it. We have class, our students graduates, and many with honors...bottom line... we have great students! Maybe this year, the Holmes students will be greeted with a bit more respect...here's hoping right?

 

Congrats to the Bulldogs, and thanks for showing others who we really are! And congrats to Mason County. You both made the championship game one of the best I've ever seen. And to have 2 teams from NKY....how great is that?

 

And thanks to all who supported the Bulldogs, especially those who are not Bulldogs 24/7. Hats off to you.....We thank you!!

Coach Henley is a very classy guy and an excellent coach. It's a shame there aren't more like him. I wish him and the Bulldogs a great deal of success in the years to come.

It's already been stated, but worth saying again...what an awesome sight to see so many from Northern Ky rooting for the Bulldogs. As an alum, and a resident of Covington, I know first hand the diversity that is within the walls of our Covington public schools. I know the issues our kids deal with every day...things most of us can't even comprehend. To see a community back these boys up, from Highlands, Cov Cath, Holy Cross, our "rivals" during regular season, has to be an overwhelming feeling for them.

 

So often Holmes is viewed as the school with no class, not so smart students, poor, poverty stricken students.....it sickens me to sit at a ball game and hear fans across the floor ridicule our students for situations that are often out of their control. Holmes and Covington is so often written about for the negative, and not often enough about what our students do accomplish. Our students do make good grades, they do graduate, they do succeed!

 

But at the Sweet 16, the Holmes Bulldogs were representing all those in Northern KY, and they did so with grace, dignity and maturity. They made us all proud, and I hope changed many views of the Covington community and our students.

 

Perhaps this coming season, we will no longer hear chants about "who's your daddy" or "we go to college" or singing the ABC song, because you think we don't know it. We have class, our students graduates, and many with honors...bottom line... we have great students! Maybe this year, the Holmes students will be greeted with a bit more respect...here's hoping right?

 

Congrats to the Bulldogs, and thanks for showing others who we really are! And congrats to Mason County. You both made the championship game one of the best I've ever seen. And to have 2 teams from NKY....how great is that?

 

And thanks to all who supported the Bulldogs, especially those who are not Bulldogs 24/7. Hats off to you.....We thank you!!

 

The highlighted above does get old. The Cov Cath fans in general are great, but the above chants are ignorant and insulting to the Holmes players and community. I would hope an administrator would step in in the future and put a stop to it. These chants were used at the end of the Regional final at Conner and it comes across as poor sportsmanship and condescending to the Holmes players and fans.

Not to sound to cheesey: But as a Holmes alum, this is so cool to see. I have been to many State tournaments over the years, my first being in 78:cry: but I have always been for the 9th. I remember 1981 like it was this weekend, it was awesome. You would of never known that my friends and I didn't go to SK, we were cheering as hard as anyone that week. Next year I hope to see my Bulldogs there again. But if their not, I will be rooting just as hard for whoever represents the 9th region.

 

And yes, Coach H has done an excellent job with this program. I hope he sticks around for a long time.

 

I actually started following Holmes before I got there, 77 I believe it was, so I've seen alot of Teams, and alot of good players. I was probably a little to young still in 78, to understand anything more than the score board. But looking back, I think those Teams had some really good chemistry, and played well as a Team. And man, was it ever more exciting going to a game when Dicky Beal was playing? I think for two straight years, every gym in N.Ky was full when he was playing. I can see those 180's like it was yesterday.

 

Honestly, I didn't think I would see a Holmes Team again, that would ever match those days. But I was wrong, and in a big way. I really think I'm more proud of the kids than anything. Not just in the way they won games, but just the way they carried themselves. Just the way they were able to keep their composer in the two games leading up to the finals, tells me all I need to know about those young men, and their Coach.

 

Great Season Dogs...Very proud

 

I agree with all stated. However, Michael Moore and Dwayne "Tilt" Morris was quite a good gaurd tandem back in the day.

I worked the state tourney on the air this year and it was the first time I had the opportunity to spend any time with Coach Henley. I must say I found him to be a very personable and intelligent man. Very professional and a darn good coach. Holmes should be very proud of his integrity and the way he represented the school at Rupp.