Is NKY basketball overrated?

[ladiesbballcoach]

We hear about the legends of coaches in NKY.

We hear about the great players in NKY.

 

But a poster made the point of lack of success of coaches competing at the state level.

 

Got me to thinking, so I did some research and from the KHSAA page,

 

only ONE NKY team has ever made it to the championship game.

 

Jim Higgins' Highlands team of 1994 that had Jamie Walz on it.

 

What is the reason for the lack of success of NKY teams at the state tournament?

 

Overrated, not as good of basketball in NKY as they think, something else?

[Theoldguy]

IMO, it has more to do with the number of schools. Can you image the talent that Boone (the County not the school) would have if they didn't have the four different high school teams they do or even Kenton County without all the Catholic school teams. Think of the number of different hs schools in Boone, Campbell and Kenton Counties and then the population, can you image if you only had half the number of schools dividing up those numbers!

 

Heck think of what a single Catholic High School in NKy would be like athletically! WOW!

[Preachit]

The high number of independent school districts. Campbell County has five independent school districts. Kenton has three plus three more county schools.. Boone has I think one independent (Walton) and four county high schools. Also, I think that our Catholic schools are a little more liberal then the catholic schools in Lexington.

 

Plus we don't have a lot of succesful pro sports teams in the area or even succesful collegiate sports teams. I wonder if the addition of an NBA team to the tri-state would boost the talent level.

 

I think I'm rambling.

[ladiesbballcoach]

IMO, it has more to do with the number of schools. Can you image the talent that Boone (the County not the school) would have if they didn't have the four different high school teams they do or even Kenton County without all the Catholic school teams. Think of the number of different hs schools in Boone, Campbell and Kenton Counties and then the population, can you image if you only had half the number of schools dividing up those numbers!

 

Heck think of what a single Catholic High School in NKy would be like athletically! WOW!

 

I have long said that Calvary Christian could be a sleeping giant. If they could get the non-Catholic Christians in NKY to attend the Christian school, wow, the powerhouse it could be.

[ladiesbballcoach]

The high number of independent school districts. Campbell County has five independent school districts. Kenton has three plus three more county schools.. Boone has I think one independent (Walton) and four county high schools. Also, I think that our Catholic schools are a little more liberal then the catholic schools in Lexington.

 

Plus we don't have a lot of succesful pro sports teams in the area or even succesful collegiate sports teams. I wonder if the addition of an NBA team to the tri-state would boost the talent level.

 

I think I'm rambling.

 

None of the other areas in the state have this. Unless you want to count the UK Wildcats as a successful pro sports team.

[roger482ky]

If my memory is correct, Jim Higgins 1994 Highlands team was defeated by M.C Napier. That school closed the next year. Not a school you would think would be state champion material. I was a big Jim Higgins fan. Does anyone know where he is today? When he left Highlands they said he was moving to Georgia.

[magicfan217]

NKY has some really big schools....so IMO that excuse doesn't float

[Clyde]

I would guess that at two schools (NDA and SHDHS) volleyball hurts the basketball team. Those two schools do not have volleyballers playing basketball due to club vball. While NDA has had success , having a talented vballer or two would be huge.

[ColonelMike]

NKY has some really big schools....so IMO that excuse doesn't float

 

That's what I was thinking. NKY has plenty of good-sized schools with lots of kids to pull from. And other parts of the state have plenty of pint-sized private schools to pull a handful of players from the bigs. In other words, NKY doesn't appear to me to be unique in terms of demographics. I don't think that rationale makes much sense.

 

I hadn't realized that Northern Kentucky had had so few teams in the state finals, but I don't think that is a fair assessment of their quality. I've seen several NKY girls' teams over the decades, and they definitely have had some impressive squads. Notre Dame Academy, Simon Kenton, Highlands, Boone County have all competed at a high level over the years. NKY squads have compared favorably with other regions.

 

But to reach the state finals requires a lot of things, including LUCK - being injury-free, getting a good draw, key players staying foul-free, etc, etc. - so I'm sure we could name a number of great teams from every region in the state that COULD have won the title - but something happened.

 

I think, frankly, a better rationale is the randomness of statistics. In other words, good (or, I guess, in this case, bad) LUCK.

 

CM

[malachicrunch]

I have long said that Calvary Christian could be a sleeping giant. If they could get the non-Catholic Christians in NKY to attend the Christian school, wow, the powerhouse it could be.

 

And yet they can't put a team on the court. That truly is a sleeping giant..

[goaheadandjump]

This has been in issue in both boys and girls basketball......Many reasons over the years have been given (excuses???).

 

Such as not getting out in the state since there are so many teams close to home you can schedule.

 

Refereeing is called differently in the 9th (closer called) than in other regions.

 

Too many good teams in the region that beat each other up all year......

 

Too many schools in the 9th region (used to have 22 at one time)............

 

Too many independent school districts..................If you look at each ergion the 9th has the most independent school districts...............

 

 

Bottom line is that the 9th has two state titles in basketball in boys and none in girls which is a bad record for any region.

[110764]

I would guess that at two schools (NDA and SHDHS) volleyball hurts the basketball team. Those two schools do not have volleyballers playing basketball due to club vball. While NDA has had success , having a talented vballer or two would be huge.

I think it is more than two schools. How good would NCC have been last year if their 3 stud volleyball players had played basketball their entire careers. Campbell Co. usually has several v'ballers that play club ball. Boone would have had a 6'2" center last year if she hadn't played v'ball. I really think this is a big factor in NKY. Other than Louisville no other part of the state has NEAR as many good athletes that forgo b'ball for club v'ball. Look at LexCath, they have great b'ball year in and year out, but their v'ball is very ordinary. That's because the thing to do at that school is plat b'ball and not club v'ball. Other than the hugh academy schools in L'ville, where they have so many good athletes to chose from, no school is a powerhouse statewide in BOTH sports. Very few schools throughout the state loose b'ball players to club volleyball compared to NKY.

[KY Thorobred]

And yet they can't put a team on the court. That truly is a sleeping giant..

 

I think he is comparing them to LCA and how they became girls basketball, baseball and football powerhouses so quickly...

[ladiesbballcoach]

I think he is comparing them to LCA and how they became girls basketball, baseball and football powerhouses so quickly...

 

That would be a very good comparison to what a Calvary Christian could do in the NKY area and St. Patrick could do in the Maysville area.

[ColonelCrazy]

Didn't LCA have some problems with the KHSAA?