There is nothing better than watching a great high school basketball game. The Sweet 16 is an awesome experience for the player's and the fan's.

Basketball is "The King". Look at the number of people that go to the Districts, Regionals, and State Tournaments.

I understand your argument and it is not without merit. I just see football as more of an event then basketball. I do like basketball and attend games. Not so many years ago, when I attended basketball games the crowds were much bigger, still with the same amount of players. Football, for the most part, has held it attendance, and in many cases has increased dramatically.

 

I don't only base my opinion on attendance, but football, as a whole, has increased in popularity throughout the state. There was a want and a need for spring practice sessions which has happened, there is more sports coverage of Kentucky football, there has been a want for more football and regional all star games have been scheduled, football college recruiting has increased dramatically in Kentucky, and the level of competition has increased.

 

There is not a real scientific formula for my opinion, just a feeling that I have experienced. I hear more people speculating about football, which used to be more reserved for basketball, in my area, and I have witnessed more of an interest by people not directly involved in football. Just my opinion.

 

Hard to argue with any of these points.:thumb: And, as I've said once or twice over the years, I'm a huge high school football fan. Interest has certainly grown, and I think you have a good sense of how it has evolved in the last decade to 15 years.

 

That said, two points I still think worth mentioning that basketball is going to seem like less of an event during the regular season when teams play two or three times a week and at least once on a school night. Personally, I think the basketball post-season is still a much bigger event than football post-season. I will concede that weather has something to do with that however.

 

As for the level of competition, I don't see it as much as you. I think the top programs have gotten continually better in recent years, but I'm not seeing anyone out there closing the gap. There's some really good football played in Kentucky every year, but IMO more bad than good. Conversly, there's some really bad basketball played in Kentucky every year, but IMO more good than bad. Just how I see things. Every point you made is valid, and you certainly made me rethink the popularity portion of this debate. :thumb:

Basketball has been king in Kentucky, and I believe it has even gotten better. Just look at the players our State is producing lately. Yes, there are some good football players as well, but we have really been producing some big time BB players.

 

Yes, the State tournament had some of it's usual Teams, but also, there were some Teams that I believe were making the trip for the first time. Football on the other hand is pretty predictable, I could probably name at least 3 of next years football champs without even knowing what those Teams have coming back.

Football and basketball is both big throughout the state. But like I said, the biggest change has been in Louisville. Louisville hasn't produced near the players in basketball that it used to. A lot has to do with support and coaching in these areas.

 

I followed you all the way to the bolded, then you lost me.

 

PRP and Ballard both have the same head coaches as they had when they were were fixtures in the state's top five. Male has a veteran Louisville coach as well. How's coaching come into the equation?

Year in and year out, there are going to be fluctuations in the quality of athletes that both sports send to the next level. I have trouble using that as the barometer for which is sport is "king".

 

I would look, at least partially, at perceptions from other states about what is "king" in Kentucky. If that's the test, I don't think there is any question that basketball is still king (and I know that a lot of that has to do with the overwhelming presence of UK, but it is what it is). You really need look no further than our neighbor to the north - Ohio - where they still consider KY football to be second class, but not so with basketball. Without any scientific or statistical analysis to back up my point, it still seems a rarity when a football team - even Highlands - goes across the river and wins a football game. Basketball seems much more competitive between northern Kentucky and Cincinnati teams.

 

Most of all, though, I don't see the "sum" of the 6 state final playoff games in football adding up to the "whole" of the Sweet Sixteen, the "greatest show on earth". But I've gone to many more state tournament basketball games than I have football games.

 

Although that raises a point - this year I sat in the middle of a bunch of people at the state finals that had no particular rooting interest for either Mason County or Holmes, they were just basketball fans. How often does that happen at a football game?

I thought the overall level of play in the Sweet Sixteen tournament was down this year.

As for the level of competition, I don't see it as much as you. I think the top programs have gotten continually better in recent years, but I'm not seeing anyone out there closing the gap. There's some really good football played in Kentucky every year, but IMO more bad than good. Conversly, there's some really bad basketball played in Kentucky every year, but IMO more good than bad. Just how I see things. Every point you made is valid, and you certainly made me rethink the popularity portion of this debate. :thumb:

 

When I say the level of competition, I do not, necessarily, mean completing for the State Championship. We still have the perennial favorites who win a lot of championships, and we still have some team that struggle to compete. But, what I see as improving is the middle section of teams that have stepped up their level of competition.

 

10-15 years ago there was several teams at the top in each class, and there was a large group at the bottom that could barely field a team and struggled to win more then a few games. Then you had a probably one third of the teams that were good but just could not beat the very top of the class.

 

Now, I personally see, one or two very good programs at the top, and a very small group at the bottom that still have trouble competing, but the middle group has grown. There are a lot of teams in the middle that can and do win, and have a legitimate shot at beating the very top teams in their class. Maybe not every year, but they have become more competitive.

 

I don't know what class of football you follow, but I follow 1A and have since birth. So, I will use last season's 1A to illustrate my point. Beechwood was the top and everyone thought they would be champions by a land slide. They did win the State Championship, but by less they one score. LCA played them very close and even had a chance to beat them and fell short. Now you could say the two best teams played hard, but LCA only beat Raceland by two points in the district championship, on a last second field goal. And LCA beat Hazard to make it to the State Championship game, Hazard had beaten LCA earlier in the season.

 

Most people, not even me, would not claim that Raceland or Hazard are state powers, no one gave LCA a shot until after the Championship game. But, there was less then a touchdown that separated Beechwood, LCA, Raceland, and Hazard. Throw, Frankfort, Mayfield, and some other teams in this argument and you have quite a few teams at the top of 1A. That is very competitive.

I really look for the talent in Louisville to continue to get better in basketball. The AAU scene is getting bigger and bigger in Louisville. Alot of younger kids in louisville today come up through AAU's(Kimbro, Cosby, Jenkins, Sewell, Stroud) to name a few. I was at MID America Sports complex this weekend and the talent and abilities of younger kids today at the 5th and 6th grade level is amazing. A kid for the KY Gators 6th grade team hit 6/7 3 pointers. Basketball still pays the bills in the state from the Sweet Sixteen. Problem in Baksetball is there is no place for kids to go. We have one Junior college in the whole state. Our NAIA schools want D-1 transfers. The rest of the schools academic reuirements are so tough that a lot of kids cant get in.

I still have to believe that Basketball reigns. I base my thoughts --

 

 

Nearly every school in Kentucky has a basketball program. Not every school in the state even considers football. I can think of at least 3 16th region schools that don't even field a football team.---Sure more kids participate in football, but the numbers required to have a team are much greater.

Depending on the strength of teams in your part of the state, this whole argument is subjective. Personally, I enjoy the football season more as a whole, but the Sweet Sixteen is far and away the best KHSAA event of the year...

This is Kentucky and will all ways be a BASKETBALL STATE!:dancingpa

They also said Kentucky would never go smoke free....

Depending on the strength of teams in your part of the state, this whole argument is subjective. Personally, I enjoy the football season more as a whole, but the Sweet Sixteen is far and away the best KHSAA event of the year...

 

I agree. We know what is king in NKY:thumb:

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I followed you all the way to the bolded, then you lost me.

 

PRP and Ballard both have the same head coaches as they had when they were were fixtures in the state's top five. Male has a veteran Louisville coach as well. How's coaching come into the equation?

 

There is no doubt that basketball does not get the support football does for the most part in Louisville. Ballard is a basketball school, but all and all football is way more supported in Louisville. Also, I didn't mean to knock Lville area coaches. There are some very good ones. But a lot of the football programs are gettng some of the best of the best.