Robby

Can anyone give an update (rumors or facts) of college recruitment of 5th region players? I am especially interested in Compton, Green County. I am already aware of Goodin, X, and Faulkner, NKY.

I have yet to see CH. We (AC) have them next week. I have seen NH at least 3 times. Until last night's reemergence of TC, I regarded them the top of the 5th. How do you see the NH/CH game going?

Judging by the debut of Dylan Gaines, TC can be finally and confidently entrenched as Region 5 favorite. Gaines wasn't entered into the game until mid 2nd quarter. I commented to another fan that he looked lost. Although I cannot recall a contribution by him until the 2nd half, his entrance seemed to coincide with Adair's demise. So most, if not all of his production came in the 2nd half. He will make a very good compliment to the Goodin-Sloan duo. His exceptional athleticism was apparent often. Gains cuts sharply to the hoop and can catch and finish. He has a good jumper and hits the boards hard. To put icing on the cake, he was 1 for 3 on threes. So a double/double, in essentially a half of basketball, ain't half bad!

I continue to look for SW stats. They have been the best team I have seen this year, and I want to know what is making them click.

Yes Sir, I was projecting next years squad. Sorry for the confusion.

Here it is: McCreary County indictment of Adair County Assistant Coach on ColumbiaMagazine.com

Adair is a soon-to-be junior dominated class. They boys, as a group was very successfull as a football team. Chance Melton, already with 4 years of varsity experience, is probably the best prospect. At around 6-4 or 6-5 he is of lean build but football tough, from what I hear. He is said to demonstrate versatile, extremly athletic football skills on the field. I believe there will be a couple more guys in the 6-3, 6-4 range that will develope to back him up. Chance's brother, Corey, is a 6-1 athletic buzz-saw sophmore, who had a 27 point game this year. His football field aggressivness needs to be tempered down for hardwood play. That is a good problem for a new coach to face! The Lashley cousins are both accomplished footballers. One is about 6' and shows the ability and desire to hit the boards hard, somthing that I don't feel has been encouraged at Adair. A new coach should be pleased to inherit such a player. The other Lashley is small, but gained a whole lot of yardage on the field. He was injured most of this year. During his playing time late in the year, I felt the teams energy level to be charge to a higher level. I saw him steal a secured rebound from an opponent! That excited me! Adair needs those type of plays applauded, instead of applauding only when the ball goes through the hoop. Just from the teams youth, experience, athleticism, and being football tough, Adair would seem to be a very coveted team for a coach who hopes to enjoy immediate success. The potential is there!

Thanks for alerting me to the thread, Colonel!

The fans are more accurately a rested bunch, having been put to sleep for the last couple of years by the dormant, passive play of Adair County. I have given Coach Fudge credit for teaching good defense through the years, but any effort of establishing a scheming, productive offense has not been discernable. The failure to take advantage of an easy scoring oppurtunity has made us fans frustrated; I have always thought coach Fudge must think it unfair to take advantage of an easy uncontested lay-up! They make no effort to beat the opponent down the court. Oh, they sure pass enough. They pass around the perimiter relentlessly waiting for an open shot, never or hardly ever feeding into the post. I hope the next coach will utilize the talent that is availabe to them. Next year junior. Chance Melton, was a child prodigy, gaining varsity status in the seventh grade. I believe he started his eight grade year. Now, through his sophmore, I have seen no development. Zone defense is usually played against Adair. Melton is positioned around the free throw area. As the defense shifts with the ball movement, Melton shifts with the defense; in essence he is providing the defense with a 6th man as he is clogging the middle. He has not been taught to post up properly and demand the ball. His call for the ball is passive because he, and everbody in the gym, nows it rarely going into him. I hope he will be saved from being a under utilized big man, grown frustrated and passive, like his big-man predesssor, Darron Ballou. Both of these fellows could/would have benifited the team by running pick and rolls, pops and flares and sprinting to the post. These actions along with slip screens, give and go, and any other fundamental team offensive tactics have been nearly abandonded during my 8 years of watching Adair. The word I get from the kids on the street is that basketball is no fun at Adair. In Melton's young class there was Tre Stotts, a 3 point shooting phemom. He was on varsity with Melton in the 8th grade, if not the 7th also. He transferred to Russell County his freshman year, still living in Adair, I am told. Travon Jones on this years State Runner-up Bowling Green Purples was also in their class. Jones was on the Sweet 16 all-tournament team, as a sophmore. He had 2 games in the tourney of mid 20's in points and mid-teens in rebounds. In one of the the games he only played 18 minutes. OH! What could have been! Their has been a few other viable players transfer from Adair in the last couple of years. I had an opposing head coach say to me this year about playing Adair "They act like they don't want to be out there." This is a very interesting situation since Fudge did not have an assistant during the district championship game, and a fellow on the bench with him during the regional game that was only identified as a "Linsey Wilson" guy.

Just what have you heard on Adair County?

Wow! It's a big step from Berea to NKY, and a big step from NKY to Murray! I made this quote in a earlier post: He is really good and could probably go with Tyler to NKY. I hope I wasn't misunderstood. I had not heard anything about him going to Northern with Tyler. I just thought an emerging div 1 program could use his diverse skill set. Murray State? You are talkin' big boys now! Their program signature has been outstanding guard play. I would love to sit in my recliner, from time to time, watching Jerimiah carry on the tradition. Murray has some great guards now, and you can watch them tonight: NIT Murray at Tulsa.

The Berea College head coach was scouting Bell at the Lincoln/Boyle home game. That would be quite a catch for their program. He is really good and could probably go with Tyler to NKY.

BG doubled up on BC on the boards! I think BG got about as many offfensive rebounds as the total for BC. It seems to be in vogue these days to "retreat" back to the defensive end after a shot is taken, conceding the rebound. Bowling Green demonstrated what offensive rebounding does for you. Also, BG's big men fully sprinted to the post every time, on both ends! That is the result of good, insistent coaching, which the players have bought into. Kyran Jones must be an exceptional young man being able to accept his role as coming off of the bench. I believe he has been the teams main producer during this tournament. There is probably great moral on the BG team. Jones, and the BG team demonstates patience, which beelies their youth. I hope the Owensboro Jones boy is healthy. But I really believe his side might start hurting again by trying to run with Jones and Taylor. Holman may be able to keep up, if he wants. The BG and OB guards are similar and should be interesting, but I see depth in the BG lineup.

Boyle's confidence should be running sky-high with their 2 big wins. And I think experience and confidence will overcome a young team who will eventually feel the pressure.

Owensboro, with a pair of dominating bigs which they have, and guards who handled Hop-town's press the way they did, will be hard to beat.