retropop

The Lady Rebs are going to be GOOD, and this "A-team" may roar loudly before it's all over. They must be taken very seriously in the 8th region this year.

It would help if the coach would stay around for a few years anyway....haha

This question just begs top be asked: How/why has this job become such a revolving door in just a few seasons? It's just hard for some people to imagine and explain, but it certainly is the current reality. :confused:

The Lady 'Stangs should be an improved team in 2009-10. This will be the first time in several years they will not be hampered by either graduating key contributors or enduring a key player's severe off-season injury. Raffli, Bryant and Olive form a solid nucleus around which to mold a team - provided some dedicated summer work has taken place up and down the roster. The dedicated summer work has been a question mark for the NOHS program in the past, so observers will have to wait and see how much improvement has taken place. Another huge question mark is will this newly improved status enable them to upset the status quo of the 29th district pecking order? Can they wedge their way into to top two and upset either Oldham Co. - possibly the most experienced and senior-led team in the 8th region - or the defending 29th district champ South Oldham, with its young and talented corps?

An important reason that some teams host holiday tournaments is to reduce the "out-of-pocket" expenses to their budgets that are incurred by traveling out of town to tournaments. However, the down-sides to this are the amount of work that it takes to do so: lining up volunteers to cover all of the duties, the expenses of the hosting the tourney, plus securing sponsorships to help offset those costs. By the time that coaches line up all of the behind-the-scenes details, it is often difficult to perform the duties of coaching the team.

There have been many threads discussing the topic of coaching turnover (particularly in girls' basketball, in which it is more difficult to get outside help and support), and the above-mentioned administrative and fundraising-type "coaching duties" are just the things that drive coaches out. If you could have candid conversations with several coaches, you would find that many of them are just plain weary of the many tasks and responsiblities that have absolutely nothing to do with coaching a team and working with kids. This trend seems be growing stronger all the time, and will no doubt continue to be a concern of those who follow the girls' game closely.

With the onset of the new school year, it is truly amazing that this thread has generated such little interest. I'm not sure why this is the case, since around the 8th region there has much buzz and anticipation regarding newly enrolled students at North Oldham. So the lack of activity on this thread is hard to explain. :confused:

On another thread there has been a spirited and interesting debate on the subject of public (and private) high school sports - in this case basketball - that charge team fees and run on the basis of "pay-to-play." What about the philospohy of tax-payer supported public high schools charging team fees to play basketball at the high school? Is it good or bad or what - what's your take on this?

Not only that, in addition to team fees a few schools are very demanding of parents to work pre-season fundraising and in season fundraising, and/or addtional game night activities such as concessions or ticket-taking or meals or half-tiem activities. What about a couple of other fundraising concepts like "split-the-pot" half time drawings or applying parent-raised booster club donations to offset their child's team fee that might be required in order to play?

It would be interesting to know what different ways of doing things are out there, and which ones are the most prevelent and effective and popular.

Shopping kids around - that's what many of the parents of AAU players do. But it's really no different from what transpires with traveling club teams in volleyball, soccer and baseball. Parents hope and pray that their child will be seen, courted, signed to a scholarship, and they believe that these teams are a shuttle flight to the leprecaun's pot-o-gold and the end of the basketball rainbow. Just ask a few parents who attend and they'll inform you about who and how many college scouts were there to watch games at a specific event.

A number of AAU coaches network themselves (or hope to) into a higher level coaching post of some sort, and often offer the enticement of potential college scholarships to the parents of potential players, and shortly afterwards the checkbooks are open, and this happens in all of the sports listed above. This is sad and prostitution-like, but not unusual.

Other negative and positive side effects may take place, but maybe worst of all is the "all-star mentality" that tends to stick with players after they have to go back to their schools and rub elbows with their old "mediocre" teammates when they return to the real world of high school athletics, and this is plainly not good at all.

The reality is that the world of high school athletics is changing at a very rapid rate, with those changes being good and bad. But since so many people observe these same changes and events and perceive them very differently, it contributes to an environment in which it is almost impossible to establish a controlling entity to govern the goings on between AAU and high school basketball (and other sports). Regardless of our opinions, it's just seems to be the way it is.

What's the word on what fans should expect to will see from this program under Coach Mullins - style of play, expectations of personnel, etc? Will he be teaching in the building or is he a para-professional?

Is there any word on this Saturday's all-star game at Bellarmine? All I know is that the girls' games is followed by the boys' game.

Is it true that a new, young, capable, stud player is coming into the C.A.L. program from JCPS and joining the team? If so, they may be pretty storng again.

No matter which team it is that we might refer to, pick one, summer wins are just like puffs of smoke or cotton candy. Many a team has won early season games and/or in the summertime yet end up on the rocks come tournament time, and only a few can keep the wins a-coming when it really counts. No doubt about it, summer wins are hollow accomplishments at best, and all of us who are rooting for our favorite teams need to keep that in mind.

Summertime ball has been known to produce many paper tigers that have had no sharp bite by the time that February and March roll around - when wins matter the most.

If nobody gets hurt or anything like that, the Owen Co. Lady Rebels will make some noise in the 8th region tourney this year. Mark it down.

They have key components in the right positions, plus they had the Oldham Co. game in the palms of their hands in the 8th region tourney last year, but it slipped away. My guess is that Coach Osborne will make sure that his girls have learned from and will be motivated by the way that game played out. There is a lot of time between now and March 2010, but this next season is going to be unpredictable, exciting to watch, and a whole bunch of fun.

... AND the exact same scenario applies to the ladies from Walton-Verona - and you can mark that down, too. This just might be the year that an "A-school" breaks into Diddle's big dance to represent the 8th. Who knows???

The Oldham County job has lost much of its prominence - the old apple seems to not be as appealing as it used to be. With such high turnover surrounding this formerly top-notch job, it should speak volumes to people who are capable of reading between the lines. Coach Just is a "good get" for Butler, just as he was for Oldham County last year, and it will not be surprising to many if he stays at Butler for quite a while and does quite well. With the economic issues facing many school systems around the state being what they are, don't be surprised if limited teaching positions might play a large role in who becomes the next coach. Plus, remember that the Oldham County system, like many, many other systems, places supreme importance on test scores - not girls's basketball scores.

The KHSAA dead period was an outstanding move on the association's part when it was passed several years ago. For the teams that have been hitting pretty hard in June, and especially for the multiple sport athletes and their families, some down time is simply a good thing. Plus the universal application the rest period intentionally causes no one sport to bear the brunt of it, and it appears to make it so that no one team gains competition advantage. I hope the athletes, coaches and their families, enjoy the vacation, and again, thank you KHSAA.

If Carroll is beating Oldham at Oldham and playing Ballard respectably,things are going to be interesting in the 8th region this year. Also with Owen playing well at Franklin Co. earlier this week, that, too, will make things even more interesting in the region.

It's getting pretty hot in these gyms this time of year. With the dead period starting next week, how has your girls' team been playing so far this summer? Please report on the "summertime scoop" on your team(s) of interest - AND indicate your region's summertime outlook, too, if you have one.

Are there any more reports on the results of the additional games (if there were any more games)?

Are there any updated reports of how things went in the games?

Is there any word on what happened Wednesday and Thursday nights?

There are a few programs around the state that just reload, and Manual is definitely at or near the top of the list. However they are in a tough region that is always capable of having multiple teams experiencing highlight reel seasons, so it's hard to ever say that anyone from the region will be a "lock" to make the Sweet-16, let alone win it.

There hasn't been much said about the prospects for North Oldham and South Oldham. They should figure into the mix before it is all said and done, especially South. The folks at South like to stay just below the radar screen, but this year might be the season that brings attention to the Dragons. North was pretty high-powered and hitting on all cylinders early this past season, and the Mustangs are capable of doing the same again in 2009-10. It would be wise to not overlook these two teams!

Have there been any developments regarding the Butler coaching job? Is there actually an opening that has been posted or not? Since the initial Courier-Journal article about week ago, there has been nothing mentioned anywhere.

Shelby County Lady Rockets as we know them, THE consistent stud program in the 8th region since the most recent KHSAA realignment, may soon be no more. Shelby will be splitting into two high schools in the near future, and most likely the balance of power will change in the 8th region as a result of it. The two biggest-enrollment schools now will be Anderson County and Simon Kenton; the next two are Oldham County and then South Oldham, but they are smaller.

With the Shelby split, how the student population distribution is resolved will be the key. Currently, the two middle schools - Shelby West and Shelby East - have not been competitively even the past few years, so it will be worth watching to see how it all plays out. Regardless, this hiring activity will be repeated in a few years, as the new school will also need to be staffed.

For all the successes that AC has had the past few years, they may not compare to what may be just around the corner for this group of extremely talented youngsters. Their size, quicks and length all add up to reasons to look for much better things than two regional runner-ups. To use a horse-racing analogy: With regard to the Lady Bearcats, Alydar may evolve into Affirmed in only a few seasons.

Is there anything definite that has taken place at Shelby County yet?