Top AAU teams in KY

[Perfect Practice]

This will be a continuation of the conversation that was started in the "Eddie Ford Hoopfest" thread.

In regards to the NKY Bulldogs win over DSAS, you cant discredit that at all. Last I checked, you play to win the game, and the NKY Bulldogs did that. Besides, DSAS had 5 of the top 10 players in the state playing against the Bulldogs. How many of the Top 10 players do you need to beat a "small team from Northern Ky" that "lacks a difference maker" (according to some of you).

 

It's incredible how anyone could say that the NKY Bulldogs dont have a difference maker. Bobby Stauffer is the best big man in NKY in his class of 2011. Make no mistake about that. He scores, rebounds, and defends at a very high level. If he wasnt a difference maker, he wouldnt have some other AAU teams all over him for his services. However, he feels he is best served with the Bulldogs and they give him the best chance to win. They have done very well IMO.

 

Next of all, putting Travis Montgomery in the line-up makes a huge difference. If you dont believe that, then you obviously have not seen Travis play or, have a bias against the Bulldogs. He is 6'4", can score, and is as athletic as they come.

 

As I stated previously, I will give you DSAS and SS at 1 & 2, but to say the Bulldogs arent in the top 5 is incorrect IMO.

 

My Rankings:

1. DSAS

2. SS

3. Charlotte Court

4. NKY Bulldogs

5. WKY ELite/Lexington Ice

 

Reasoning... DSAS and SS speak for themselves (Great players and really good wins). Charlotte Court has done some good things (beating SS in the Take 5 was big for them). I put the Bulldogs 4 because with Travis Montgomery, they beat WKY Elite twice IMO, and the Lexington Ice have Fucci, and he is GREAT! However, they dont have anyone to contend with Bobby Stauffer. Plus, they have Jake Flesch who IMO is one of the best on ball defenders in NKY and I think he could do a decen job on Fucci. Dont get me wrong, Fucci will get his, but Flesch would defend well against him. Flesch held Forrest in check while guarding him in the WKY Elite game in Lexington.

Edited July 22, 2009 by spindoc

[Perfect Practice]

Someone spoke of Josh Stroud in a previous thread. What team is he playing for? I havent heard much of him all summer. I know he is a good player, but what team does he play for? Are they one of the best?

[4pointplay]

This will be a continuation of the conversation that was started in the "Eddie Ford Hoopfest" thread. That thread has been closed.

 

In regards to the NKY Bulldogs win over DSAS, you cant discredit that at all. Last I checked, you play to win the game, and the NKY Bulldogs did that. Besides, DSAS had 5 of the top 10 players in the state playing against the Bulldogs. How many of the Top 10 players do you need to beat a "small team from Northern Ky" that "lacks a difference maker" (according to some of you).

 

It's incredible how anyone could say that the NKY Bulldogs dont have a difference maker. Bobby Stauffer is the best big man in NKY in his class of 2011. Make no mistake about that. He scores, rebounds, and defends at a very high level. If he wasnt a difference maker, he wouldnt have some other AAU teams all over him for his services. However, he feels he is best served with the Bulldogs and they give him the best chance to win. They have done very well IMO.

 

Next of all, putting Travis Montgomery in the line-up makes a huge difference. If you dont believe that, then you obviously have not seen Travis play or, have a bias against the Bulldogs. He is 6'4", can score, and is as athletic as they come.

 

As I stated previously, I will give you DSAS and SS at 1 & 2, but to say the Bulldogs arent in the top 5 is incorrect IMO.

 

My Rankings:

1. DSAS

2. SS

3. Charlotte Court

4. NKY Bulldogs

5. WKY ELite/Lexington Ice

 

Reasoning... DSAS and SS speak for themselves (Great players and really good wins). Charlotte Court has done some good things (beating SS in the Take 5 was big for them). I put the Bulldogs 4 because with Travis Montgomery, they beat WKY Elite twice IMO, and the Lexington Ice have Fucci, and he is GREAT! However, they dont have anyone to contend with Bobby Stauffer. Plus, they have Jake Flesch who IMO is one of the best on ball defenders in NKY and I think he could do a decen job on Fucci. Dont get me wrong, Fucci will get his, but Flesch would defend well against him. Flesch held Forrest in check while guarding him in the WKY Elite game in Lexington.

 

I give all the credit to Bulldogs for beating DSAS but you can't have it both ways. You can't make the argument that it does not matter that DSAS was missing players but then argue that Bulldogs should be ranked ahead of WKy Elite because if Montgomery was in the lineup you would have won those games.

 

I have to base it on the fact that when they played with the players who were available WKy Elite was 2-0 versus Bulldogs.

 

I ranked ICE ahead of Bulldogs because ICE advanced further and played in higher brackets then Bulldogs in Take 5 and Hoopfest.

 

Don't undersell ICE ability to deal with big men like Stauffer. They are always undersized and seem to compete well year after year.

[Handy Manny]

I don't think anyone in their right mind would ever undersell the Ice. IMO they are one of the best Ky teams ever. My response to the comment above is that once a team has a roster entered into a tournament, that is your team. If a guy is missing, gets hurt, etc. that is still your team. The Buldlogs beat DSAS. DSAS was missing a player or two, but so were the Bulldogs. WKY Elite and Charlotte Court beat the Buldlogs. Now, if you add a player, your team has now changed. You can become considerably stronger. Teams do it every year for nationals and so forth. The Buldlogs new team is the one that beat DSAS with Montgomery. All of the losses occured pre Montgomery. Would it make a difference? I like to think so, but that is just my opinion. All I know is that the Bulldogs lost some very close games early on. They made some roster adjustments and have won some big games. Also, they played in the same bracket as the Ice in the Take 5. The Bulldogs went gold.

[4pointplay]

I don't think anyone in their right mind would ever undersell the Ice. IMO they are one of the best Ky teams ever. My response to the comment above is that once a team has a roster entered into a tournament, that is your team. If a guy is missing, gets hurt, etc. that is still your team. The Buldlogs beat DSAS. DSAS was missing a player or two, but so were the Bulldogs. WKY Elite and Charlotte Court beat the Buldlogs. Now, if you add a player, your team has now changed. You can become considerably stronger. Teams do it every year for nationals and so forth. The Buldlogs new team is the one that beat DSAS with Montgomery. All of the losses occured pre Montgomery. Would it make a difference? I like to think so, but that is just my opinion. All I know is that the Bulldogs lost some very close games early on. They made some roster adjustments and have won some big games. Also, they played in the same bracket as the Ice in the Take 5. The Bulldogs went gold.

 

 

And the ICE advanced further in that bracket.

[Eyes and Ears]

It is nice to finally see some good conversation on here again. To lighten the tone a little, I saw where the WKY Elite were playing in AAU nationals this year. Does anyone know if they added players or who is playing on this team? They only had 7 or 8 players at state.

[Eyes and Ears]

Someone spoke of Josh Stroud in a previous thread. What team is he playing for? I havent heard much of him all summer. I know he is a good player, but what team does he play for? Are they one of the best?

 

The last I have heard of Stroud he was playing with the Royal Family again, but i haven't seen too much of them lately.

[budman0209]

I don't think anyone in their right mind would ever undersell the Ice. IMO they are one of the best Ky teams ever. My response to the comment above is that once a team has a roster entered into a tournament, that is your team. If a guy is missing, gets hurt, etc. that is still your team. The Buldlogs beat DSAS. DSAS was missing a player or two, but so were the Bulldogs. WKY Elite and Charlotte Court beat the Buldlogs. Now, if you add a player, your team has now changed. You can become considerably stronger. Teams do it every year for nationals and so forth. The Buldlogs new team is the one that beat DSAS with Montgomery. All of the losses occured pre Montgomery. Would it make a difference? I like to think so, but that is just my opinion. All I know is that the Bulldogs lost some very close games early on. They made some roster adjustments and have won some big games. Also, they played in the same bracket as the Ice in the Take 5. The Bulldogs went gold.

 

Derek Smith did not have a roster entered into the tournament. They were not even in the tournament to start. They got a call at 10pm the night before their first game and where asked to fill a spot of a team that was unable to attend.

 

Missing Shanklin and Fant is a much bigger difference than missing Vollett. You are talking about two of the top players in the state.

 

I am not trying to take away their victory in that tournament. The two teams squared off and the Bulldogs won.

 

But they did not beat the top team in the state. They beat a team that wasn't prepared to play at a high level and were very short handed.

 

My question: Do you think that the Bulldogs would beat Derek Smith when they are at full strength and not coming off an all night of travel? I don't think that anyone can make the argument that they would win.

 

Other than that victory they don't have a win that would indicate to anyone that they are a top 5 team in the state. Have they had a final four appearance in any of the big tourneys? (State, Take 5, Hoopfest, etc..)

 

Bobby Stauffer is a very good player and if you read previous posts that I have made I believe he plays as hard as anyone I have seen this summer. He is by far the best player on the roster and can do some very good things on the basketball court. He will only continue to get better. But I wouldn't put him in the same class with Fant, Fucci and Barksdale. Good player but not a difference maker.

[Perfect Practice]

I give all the credit to Bulldogs for beating DSAS but you can't have it both ways. You can't make the argument that it does not matter that DSAS was missing players but then argue that Bulldogs should be ranked ahead of WKy Elite because if Montgomery was in the lineup you would have won those games.

 

I have to base it on the fact that when they played with the players who were available WKy Elite was 2-0 versus Bulldogs.

 

I ranked ICE ahead of Bulldogs because ICE advanced further and played in higher brackets then Bulldogs in Take 5 and Hoopfest.

 

Don't undersell ICE ability to deal with big men like Stauffer. They are always undersized and seem to compete well year after year.

 

 

I'll give you that. I cant have it both ways.

 

I guess what I was meaning was that the NKY Bulldogs win over DSAS was a good win. That DSAS team is the most loaded 16's team in the state of Kentucky. The wins that WKY Elite had over the Bulldogs were also very good wins with the team that the NKY Bulldogs had at the time.

 

I think it's hard to do a top five team over the summer because teams do change. Granted, you can do a top 5 of anything you want, over any span of time. You'll always have people with differing opinions. If we make this more present time, people will still have differing opinions (which is fine and good), but I think it would be tough to leave the Bulldogs out of the top 5 conversation.

[Perfect Practice]

Derek Smith did not have a roster entered into the tournament. They were not even in the tournament to start. They got a call at 10pm the night before their first game and where asked to fill a spot of a team that was unable to attend.

 

Missing Shanklin and Fant is a much bigger difference than missing Vollett. You are talking about two of the top players in the state.

 

I am not trying to take away their victory in that tournament. The two teams squared off and the Bulldogs won.

 

But they did not beat the top team in the state. They beat a team that wasn't prepared to play at a high level and were very short handed.

 

My question: Do you think that the Bulldogs would beat Derek Smith when they are at full strength and not coming off an all night of travel? I don't think that anyone can make the argument that they would win.

 

Other than that victory they don't have a win that would indicate to anyone that they are a top 5 team in the state. Have they had a final four appearance in any of the big tourneys? (State, Take 5, Hoopfest, etc..)

 

Bobby Stauffer is a very good player and if you read previous posts that I have made I believe he plays as hard as anyone I have seen this summer. He is by far the best player on the roster and can do some very good things on the basketball court. He will only continue to get better. But I wouldn't put him in the same class with Fant, Fucci and Barksdale. Good player but not a difference maker.[/QUOTE]

 

Those I have spoken about the situation said the call came at around 7pm in the evening, but thats neither here, nor there. Whatever. Also was told that DSAS was on a waiting list just incase a team couldnt make it, so they should have been ready.

 

To another point, they were also missing Tyler Hodges right? Can anyone confirm that. But, I didnt see him in the game. He is their biggest player at 6'7". Great shot blocker, rebounder, and good for 10-12 pts a game.

 

The answer to your question is that , in sports, anyone is capable of winning at anytime. DSAS played SS at state without Robbie Stenzel, maybe the best rated player in KY and they still beat them by 14 or so points.

 

Lastly, I dont doubt you think Stauffer is a good player. But, you continuously point to Fucci (great), Barkesdale (great), and Fant (great),and you rate their teams very highly. My question is... Who is the "difference maker" for the SS 16's that makes them so great? Or... are they just a good team that has talent spread across the board, like... The NKY Bulldogs.

 

This is a great debate IMO.

[Eyes and Ears]

Bobby Stauffer is a very good player and if you read previous posts that I have made I believe he plays as hard as anyone I have seen this summer. He is by far the best player on the roster and can do some very good things on the basketball court. He will only continue to get better. But I wouldn't put him in the same class with Fant, Fucci and Barksdale. Good player but not a difference maker.

 

You make some very sound points, but you may be wrong about this one. I have seen this kid play and I definately consider him a difference maker and I would easily put in him the same class with Fant, Fucci, and Barksdale. I believe anytime an individual player can take over a game and put up 20+ points that kid is a difference maker.

[Eyes and Ears]

Lastly, I dont doubt you think Stauffer is a good player. But, you continuously point to Fucci (great), Barkesdale (great), and Fant (great),and you rate their teams very highly. My question is... Who is the "difference maker" for the SS 16's that makes them so great? Or... are they just a good team that has talent spread across the board, like... The NKY Bulldogs.

 

This is a great debate IMO.

 

Jordan Gilbert or Scott Schuette. Take your pick. These guys are good.

[budman0209]

Lastly, I dont doubt you think Stauffer is a good player. But, you continuously point to Fucci (great), Barkesdale (great), and Fant (great),and you rate their teams very highly. My question is... Who is the "difference maker" for the SS 16's that makes them so great? Or... are they just a good team that has talent spread across the board, like... The NKY Bulldogs.

 

This is a great debate IMO.[/quote

 

Scott Schuette and Jordan Gilbert are difference makers, game changers and star players. One of the top shooting guards and top point guards in the state.

 

Derek Smith and Shining Star are loaded from top to bottom on their roster.

 

Depth makes a big difference for the Shining Star team.

 

I would put Bobby Stauffer in the same class with Neal Pawsatt, Kyle King and Jake Geisler. Very good players but not game changers.

[Perfect Practice]

Lastly, I dont doubt you think Stauffer is a good player. But, you continuously point to Fucci (great), Barkesdale (great), and Fant (great),and you rate their teams very highly. My question is... Who is the "difference maker" for the SS 16's that makes them so great? Or... are they just a good team that has talent spread across the board, like... The NKY Bulldogs.

 

This is a great debate IMO.[/quote

 

Scott Schuette and Jordan Gilbert are difference makers, game changers and star players. One of the top shooting guards and top point guards in the state.

 

Derek Smith and Shining Star are loaded from top to bottom on their roster.

 

Depth makes a big difference for the Shining Star team.

 

I would put Bobby Stauffer in the same class with Neal Pawsatt, Kyle King and Jake Geisler. Very good players but not game changers.

 

Scott Schuette is good. As is Jordan Gilbert. But, are you putting them in the same class with Fucci, Fant, Barkesdale, Abell etc.??? If you are putting them in the same category as Fucci, Barkesdale, Fant... then you should certainly put Stauffer there IMO. Stauffer has a unique ability to Score, but that is just one small aspect of his game. He can rebound and defend. Not to mention that his passion to win and play the game is second to none IMO. I would put Stauffer is the same class as Fucci, Fant, Barkesdale... at his respective position. He just doesnt get the exposure they get. He is from a smaller, less public area.

 

As for Pawsett, that kid is one from the SS that I saw them in a game against the NKY BUlldogs that looked like a game changer. They had no answer for him. He hit 4 threes and had a few rebounds as well. Would be interesting to see them match up now with Montgomery on that team. A shame their season ended. I like watching the SS play a lot.

[budman0209]

Scott Schuette is good. As is Jordan Gilbert. But, are you putting them in the same class with Fucci, Fant, Barkesdale, Abell etc.??? If you are putting them in the same category as Fucci, Barkesdale, Fant... then you should certainly put Stauffer there IMO. Stauffer has a unique ability to Score, but that is just one small aspect of his game. He can rebound and defend. Not to mention that his passion to win and play the game is second to none IMO. I would put Stauffer is the same class as Fucci, Fant, Barkesdale... at his respective position. He just doesnt get the exposure they get. He is from a smaller, less public area.

 

As for Pawsett, that kid is one from the SS that I saw them in a game against the NKY BUlldogs that looked like a game changer. They had no answer for him. He hit 4 threes and had a few rebounds as well. Would be interesting to see them match up now with Montgomery on that team. A shame their season ended. I like watching the SS play a lot.

 

I would definelty put Scott Schuette in the same class with Fucci and Barksdale. Fant is probably the best of the mentioned players.

 

Neal Pawsatt could be one of the most dominating players on this list if basketball were his first sport. He is a big time difference maker when he wants to be.

 

In my opinion you would get the same result with Montgomery as you did the first time the Bulldogs played Shining Star Sports. I love Travis and think a lot of him and his game. He played with this group some last year and was a very nice player. Schuette was held to only 5 points (added 7 rebounds) but the Shining Star team still won by 25 points. The Bulldogs can not compete physically with Geisler, Pawsatt, Brown and Pike. Those 4 players went for 39 points and 30 rebounds at the state tournament. The team ripped 20 offensive rebounds in the game. Total mismatch. Stauffer can bang with them some but he doesn't have any help.

 

Why would the fact that Stauffer plays in Northern Kentucky limit his visability and exposure? I may disagree with that but I do believe that it would benefit Stauffer to play with one of the top teams next summer. He would benefit from playing with the top players and his exposure would increase.