King James

SV has pulled off three upsets so far this postseason. They will be going for a fourth tonight. Pikeville has beaten SV three times thus far this season. Earlier this year I said this was the worst season in the history of the school... thankfully the postseason hasn't been that way...

That's a pretty good assessment. I agree that Betsy Layne is probably the favorite, but any of the others listed are more than capable of winning the region. The regional draw will be a huge factor in who heads to Rupp...

If I'm not mistaken both of those teams were led by McDonald's All-Americans. Holy Cross had Sylven Landesberg who went to Virginia, and American Heritage had Kenny Boynton who went to Florida. The Florida tournament was the first games following a seperated shoulder where Justice played but was unable to shoot the ball. It's my understanding that when he was fouled he had to shoot the FT's left handed...

Many expect Johnson Central to be the team to beat. JC seems to have had internal struggles in recent years so there should be opportunity for plenty of other teams. Betsy Layne was the regional runner-up last season and returns some talent. Shelby Valley is a complete unknown to most after having lost nearly everything after their state title run. It's hard to say exactly who the favorites are, but I would expect opinions to change frequently over the course of the season...

Jacob McClanahan is probably about 6'8", but I'm not so sure he is the best player. Conditioning seems to be an issue with him, and he needs to be much more aggressive on both ends of the court.

The 15th appears to be pretty weak. I think most will have Johnson Central as the favorite, but a number of other schools could challenge them for a trip to Rupp. Betsy Layne should be a contender after their region runner-up from last season. Sheldon Clark has one of the best players in the region in B.J. Moore which makes them a possibility. Belfry has the potential to do well, but Hairston's eligibility could hurt their chances. Shelby Valley returns nearly nobody that significant time from last season's state title team, but they do return a number of upperclassmen. I think the 15th may be wide open come regional tournament time...

Shelby Valley graduated nearly everyone, and wil have very little varsity experience returning. They will be a senior dominated team, but I think there may be some really young kids (freshman/8th) that see time as well. I expect them to be in the top half of the 15th if they play together. They may struggle for an identity early on... Returning players include Logan Lucas, Zach Ramey, Rusty Roberts, Trey Roberts, and Jacob Robinson.

Yes. He is an assistant principal at SV.

The SV kids were successful at the middle school level and in AAU before they made it to Booher. I do think Booher's defensive style contributed heavily to SV's ability to play against more athletic or taller teams. The biggest thing I think Booher brought to the team's success was that he expected to win, and I think that carried over to the kids. It was more than thinking they could win on the statewide level, but expecting to win... Booher was widely criticized for SV's schedule the past couple of years. Many were opposed to Booher electing to play out-of-state tournaments rather than the top in-state tournaments. It was said that he wasn't getting his team prepared for the postseason, and that he was being unfair to the kids in not getting them statewide recognition. After bringing home the Sweet 16 title, Justice winning Mr. Basketball, and 4 of 5 starters signing with colleges, I guess we have our answer. IMO, the success at SV the past few seasons can be attributed to an extraordinary group of young men and a coach that seemed to push all the right buttons... :thumb:

Cameron Justice will be an 8th grader, but is expected to start for ER...

Assistant at North Hardin and Shelby Valley. Head coach at Belfry for a season or two. Not sure of others...

There is a VAST difference in the basketball programs at these two schools. Sheldon Clark has a long way to go to get it basketball program back into shape...

Johnson had alot of accomplishments that season... However, not equivalent to what Justice accomplished. Those two accomplishments... yes... All of the others... not even close.

Where was any player other than Justice downgraded in this thread?

I didn't say that either. I'm talking about the "better season" that loubballfan referred to, and there is no need to debate that topic. :thumb:

Good for you because no one will agree... :thumb: Not saying Justice is the best thing since sliced bread, but it's hard to argue (with facts) that many players have ever had a more successful season that Mr. Justice.

It hard to have better than an All "A" State Title (with MVP), Regional Title (with MVP), Sweet 16 State Title (with MVP), Mr. Basketball Award, Gatorade Player of the Year, and Scholarship from Louisville.

It is being reported on another site that Justice will sign at 10:30 tomorrow. Congrats to EJ...

I think everyone in the nation already knew that, but thanks for letting us see your true colors . . . again!

Virgie won the 8th grade championship the year before (when Hatfield and the Newsomes were 7th graders), then lost to Highlands in the semifinals as 8th graders. Dorton lost in the quarterfinals as 7th graders, and went 1-1 as 8th graders. Cody Varney set the single game scoring record for the KBA tournament that season with 35 points (averaging 29 points per game over the 2 games). This picture is from the BCI in Florence where Virgie defeated Dorton 46-35 in the championship. Dorton had defeated Lexington Catholic in double overtime, Highlands (who won the KBA that year), and Sebastian (who was KBA runner-up to Highlands) on their way to the finals. Virgie had defeated Conner, Scott County, and Ockerman to get to the final. It was obvious then that these were two special groups, but I don't think we realized how special they would become. Middle school success doesn't always translate to success in high school (just look at Sebastian/Breathitt County as an example).

I saw this posted on another site and wanted to post it here. This is the starting five for SV from their middle school days. Ashley Hatfield, Taylor Newsome, and Tyler Newsome played for Virgie, while Cody Varney and Elisha Justice played for Dorton. Pretty interesting to look back now and see how it all came together. I knew those five kids could play, but I can't say I really expected them to win a Sweet 16...

He was.

And Elliott's two All "A" losses were to Shelby Valley and another 15th Region team in Paintsville...

Didn't say it did. Simply pointed out the facts...

I guess Elisha Justice just made the team and gets the #1 jersey...