From nky.com:

 

Holmes gets defensive:

 

In the championship game of the 2008 Sweet Sixteen, Holmes used a starting lineup that featured three sophomores. Now Ricardo Johnson, Jeremiah Johnson and Elijah Pittman all are juniors, and the Bulldogs are the preseason No. 2 team in the state.

 

But coach David Henley doesn't measure progress by years completed. He measures it by minutes exerted. What he sees so far is incomplete.

 

"Our kids are playing pretty hard, but we haven't gotten them to understand the importance of focusing on defense," Henley said.

 

"That was a strength of last year's team. (This year) they give the physical effort most of the time, but mental lapses are what's killing us - a guy out of position maybe a step, not getting to the help side. Little things like that lead to baskets."

 

Henley is setting the bar high, and with good reason. The Bulldogs have tons of talent. Ricardo Johnson and Pittman already have the attention of major college programs, and both made the Sweet Sixteen all-tournament team.

 

"Arrez was our best defender, no question," Pittman said. "But anybody can play defense. All it takes is effort."

 

Full story:

http://nky.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20081127/SPT0302/811270365/0/SPT0302

Delete.

Great post and nice read.

If Holmes decides to play defense this season they will cause fits for many teams. The question is will they show up each and every night ready to play D or will it be a roller coaster year for Henley where he has to continually try to motivate them?

If Holmes decides to play defense this season they will cause fits for many teams. The question is will they show up each and every night ready to play D or will it be a roller coaster year for Henley where he has to continually try to motivate them?

 

If you read the full story by clicking on the link, that's really the only weakness he sees right now. Physically, they are a VERY good defensive team because of their size and length. It's the mental lapses that they have that needs to be worked on.

 

With the depth they have though, I'd say Henley will have them ready to go since they know they'll be riding the bench if they don't play defense.

 

That's why Elijah didn't start last year until the state tournament. Even though he was one of the better offensive players on the team, he didn't play defense. Once he decided to play defense, Henley started playing him more.

BTW, I spoke with Elijah, Rico, and JJ's AAU coach ,of the QC Prophets, today while doing some volunteer work over in Cincy at a church.

 

JJ is receiving a lot of interest from several D1 schools but right now the one who's showing the most interest is Akron.

 

Elijah is being heavily recruited by Wright State. They have been in contact with him since over the summer but from speaking with Coach Bobby, he expects several Big 10 and ACC schools to start pursuing him since he grew 3 inches over the summer and now is around 6'7.

Eta Rho--Holmes is going to be a fantastic team. Being an Elliott crazy fan I want to play them, but not until Saturday night in Rupp if that's OK with you.:banana: The two teams that really scare me (probably not the Elliott kids though) is Scott County and Holmes because of the talent levels. Good luck to Holmes on a what will surely be a 30 win season and probably only 1 or 2 losses. They probably don't need a whole lot of luck!!!:dancingpa

Eta Rho--Holmes is going to be a fantastic team. Being an Elliott crazy fan I want to play them, but not until Saturday night in Rupp if that's OK with you.:banana: The two teams that really scare me (probably not the Elliott kids though) is Scott County and Holmes because of the talent levels. Good luck to Holmes on a what will surely be a 30 win season and probably only 1 or 2 losses. They probably don't need a whole lot of luck!!!:dancingpa

 

They'll be tough if they can play with the same intensity defensively as last years' team. Offensively I don't see them having any problems.

 

Scary part about the Johnson Brothers and Pittman is they also have Riley and Housley to compliment them. Henley made a good point in reference to the trio of juniors:

 

It's not just their show. Henley calls Riley "the best shooter I've had in 20 years of coaching," and Housley, a transfer from Newport, gives the Bulldogs another option on a team full of them.

Eta Rho--Holmes is going to be a fantastic team. Being an Elliott crazy fan I want to play them, but not until Saturday night in Rupp if that's OK with you.:banana: The two teams that really scare me (probably not the Elliott kids though) is Scott County and Holmes because of the talent levels. Good luck to Holmes on a what will surely be a 30 win season and probably only 1 or 2 losses. They probably don't need a whole lot of luck!!!:dancingpa

 

I agree. I would love to see an Elliot Co vs. Holmes final next March. Elliot looks like they are coming out firing already as well and will destroy most of their Region.

 

The fact that Pittman grew 3 inches and is 6'7 now makes him a definite Major D-1 prospect. The scariest thing about Ricardo and Elijah are that they are only Jr's :scared:

I agree. I would love to see an Elliot Co vs. Holmes final next March. Elliot looks like they are coming out firing already as well and will destroy most of their Region.

 

The fact that Pittman grew 3 inches and is 6'7 now makes him a definite Major D-1 prospect. The scariest thing about Ricardo and Elijah are that they are only Jr's :scared:

 

Don't forget about JJ. He is getting D1 looks too and has caught up with Rico height-wise. I saw them both about a week ago and they are both probably closer to 6'5 now, with JJ being a little bigger.

 

At 6'7, Elijah will be a tough match up for a lot of teams both offensively and defensively. If he keeps growing the way he is, he might end up being 6'9 by his senior year. His dad is 6'8 so I'd think only being a junior and 16, he has atleast 1 or 2 more inches in him.

If you read the full story by clicking on the link, that's really the only weakness he sees right now. Physically, they are a VERY good defensive team because of their size and length. It's the mental lapses that they have that needs to be worked on.

 

With the depth they have though, I'd say Henley will have them ready to go since they know they'll be riding the bench if they don't play defense.

 

That's why Elijah didn't start last year until the state tournament. Even though he was one of the better offensive players on the team, he didn't play defense. Once he decided to play defense, Henley started playing him more.

Their coach will have them ready for post season. They may have a few bumps in the road there, but so will some of the other good teams. Post season is what counts.

Coach Henley always does a masterful job of molding each of his teams. They are fundamentally sound defensively as well. Coach Henley is one of Kentucky's best and he has an outstanding staff as well.