BGElite

Where are the offers from?

Miller's team won by 29 points, that's domination. It is a team sport still. If a kid scores 15 points and leads his team to a win over a top 10 team is that not better than getting 27 points in a 29 point loss? I would let a player have 40 points every game if my team wins by 30 points. Curious question, would the outcome be different if the other Elliott County players would have been more involved?

Where are the offers from? NAIA or any level? Just curious.

With over half the top 20 teams in Lexington and Louisville, only 2 or three of them reach the Sweet 16 because they knock themselves out of it during the regionals. Spread those top Louisville and Lexington teams all over the state in different regions and you could have an ALL Louisville and Lexington Sweet 16 field.

According to what was written, Slone does not have an offer from Morehead State to consider. He has one offer and that's from Georgetown. If Slone does get an offer from the Wildcats, that means UK will be extremely limited in what they can offer for the '09 class. As is, there are ZERO schollys for '09 players. UK does not at this time have one even for the solo commit for '09, GJ Vilarino.

Yes, along with 3 others, including 2 more SEC schools.

Again, not necessarily. In the end, rankings are nice, schollys are great!

Agreed. And I would also say any team in Kentucky would have to play well against this list of teams as well.

It doesn't get much tougher than that. Trinity is playing their best ball of the season. They will be tough for anyone to beat here on out.

Playing in Louisville's 7th Region (2nd toughest region in the state) and top-tier tounaments the KOB, Defenders, and LIT and leading your team to a title in one and 3rd place finish in another will also get you exposure. Hood played in the LIT as well and fared well with his team being eliminated in the 2nd round. Hood is the favored. This board does not give much consideration outside of certain areas in Kentucky and none to Louisville. Anyway you look at it, Jenkins is in the race. And there will definately be more contenders as next season rolls around.

Know your messageboard. Ballard is indeed one of the top programs in the state and I would place them in the top 3. They have sustained incredible success over a long duration in the state's elite region.

The one that puts the highest % of players into college with scholarships and having them ready academically is the best program.

Hopefully an offer will be extended sometime down the road. I do think the '09 class is shaping up to be a very solid class.

Very impressive. Blaine has a solid chance of being a very good player down the road. It's good to see things like this reported out in the state. Dunking is a norm in Lexington and Louisville games so their occurences are not relished as they would be out in the state.

In that case, there are potentially 20 or more Lofton type players in Kentucky's 2009 class. Which one does Tennessee take?

Some more good names: Champ Ligon Dale Mabrey Chris Renner Jimmy Just Gregg Longacre

True, but it does not change how the majority of hoops followers in Kentucky believe. There is a reason four-year starters and 2,000 point scorers in Lexington and Louisville are extremely rare. Even more rare are 8th grade varsity players.

Any examples of those coaches that would screw it up?

Kentucky has been and always will be a fertile ground for 6-0 to 6-3 power forwards. This is one of the areas that hurt our scholarship numbers. 6-2 forwards are not in great demand. All the players listed are deserving of their recognition.

Fields himself is the coach.

Not necessarily.

With regards to the poster talking about Louisville players getting love, I will honestly say this. There are some players (juniors) in Louisville and Lexington that would absolutely put up some great numbers in some of the lower regions. Some of these players are even current role players or non-starters. This is not a knock on the lower rated regions, but a testament to how difficult it is to make a name for yourself in a pwer region. A player like Phares who is just now getting some recognition could perhaps have dominated in the mountain regions as early as an eighth grader or frosh. Take a player like Penny, who is a 6-4 junior, place him in the 11th and you may not even know who is until now with the 11th being so much tougher than the 8th. A player that averages 18 a game on a top 20 team in the 7th or 11th could average 30+ for an average team in a weaker region since he will end up being the main scoring threat against weaker comp. Again, not a knock, just reality. Place Hood, Jenkins, and Phares on different average teams in any one weaker region and all of sudden you could have a different team favored to win that region. Some top players in Louisville's junior class (in any order): Dayvon Slone - Waggener CJ Mack - Fairdale Wes Cox - Ballard Ridge Wilson - Central Paul Bunton - Ballard (transfer)

The 13th region could be one of the most exciting regional tournaments in the state this year. Quite a few teams are worthy enough to win it this year and earn a ticket to Rupp. I would like to see Pineville have a good showing. A very classy coaching staff with a solid guard in Strange and a hard-working blue collared player in Day in the middle. I'm sure Corbin will be the favorites and Crawford is another favorite of mine. Don't think any kid could have handled his injury any better than he did. Good luck to all the teams this year.

Unfortunately, its not your opinion nor my opinion that counts. It is the opinion of college coaches. At this point, Hood has several high-major offers from schools in the SEC and other major conferences including Florida and Duke showing strong interest. Jenkins already has some offers from high and mid-majors too and could commit this weekend in Wisconsin. I would guess that's the real goal of any high school player is to get to the next level and have the opportunity to get a quality college education at no cost. I hope each and everyone on the list the same opportunity.

Fair enough. And there will be a few others get mentioned. I will say that Phares has worked his way in to the race. Right now, most believe it is Hood, Jenkins, and Phares and in that order. As I said, a lot can happen between now and next year or midseason of next year.