BGElite

Manual is definately in the mix now for any state title talks.

...And so could J'town, Eastern, Male, Manual, Scott County, Mason County, GRC, Holmes, etc.

That is correct. I think the bigger story here is how a FOUR REGION All-star Game thread has barely 100 hits on BGP. Wonder if it included a certain region if it'd be on its 7th page with over 3,000 hits by now.

Forgot to note it earlier, Trent Maddox of Gallatin County did not attend the game. Possibly due to injury, not sure.

East boys romp By Michael Grant July 20, 2008 It was a display of sheer dominance on the boys' side and a nailbiter for the girls in the Kentucky High School Coaches Association/Gatorade East/West Junior All-Star Games last night. The East boys cruised 120-92 in a showcase of area seniors-to-be at Bellarmine University's Knights Hall. It ran out to an 18-3 lead and never looked back, leading by 19 points in the first half and 31 in the second. "I enjoyed it," said East coach Jimmy Just of Manual. "The kids played real hard. I don't know if anything is really ever easy, but the kids, with the way they played, made it look easier than it was. "I thought the kids took shots when they were open. They played together. They hit people when they were open. They did what we asked them to do for the most part in an all-star game. It was fun to watch." The East roster included some of the top players in the Seventh and Eighth regions, and the West had some of the best from the Fifth and Sixth. Jacob Jenkins of Manual showed off his skills with 22 points for the East. "We had confidence," he said. "We all knew what we were capable of. We just had to go out there and show it." Chris Dowe of Eastern added 21 points, including five of the East's 15 three-pointers. Troy Weatherford of Atherton and Eric Dunlap of Oldham County his back-to-back threes to make it 18-3 midway through the first quarter. Jordan Bramblett of North Hardin led the West with 21 points, including five of the team's 13 threes. Box Score West...92 Ballou 10, Fudge 1, Cox 10, Hickman 8, Linder 5, Bramblett 21, Browning 4, Mack 5, Hazelwood 3, Clemons 9, Kelty 6, Moore 10. East...120 Bell 4, Weatherford 8, Cox 10, Dowe 21, Little 11, Jenkins 22, Mason 5, Penny 13, Dunlap 12, Kraemer 5, Gamble 3, Tingle 6. 3-Point Goals - Cox 2, Hickman 2, Linder 1, Bramblett 5, Mack 1, Hazelwood 1, Clemons 1, Weatherford 2, Dowe 5, Little 1, Jenkins 2, Mason 1, Dunlap 2, Gamble 1, Penny 1. http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080720/SPORTS05/807200610/1002/SPORTS

One more note and I think the case has been proved. Kentucky's 2009 class is legit and is a continuation of Kentucky's talent going upward.

Coach, if you read up on the post I made that was the point I was trying to make to the other poster and I know exactly where you are coming from. He really is coming on strong. You do a good job with your players. Great tournament and good luck on the West coast.

Phares has gotten much better. In fact, its his ability to play inside/out on both ends that makes the DS team go. He has improved his range and his footspeed and you can tell he's worked hard at both. I just do not believe he gets enough recognition for all that he does to make other's on his team job's easier. He WILL be the leader for a tough Scott County team that will be top 3, if not 1, in the state coming up this year.

It was not the same as the It Takes 5 and the Hoopfest thats for certain. But the Mountaineer pools were no different than the rest of the tournament in terms of talent. The Peach Jam took a lot of the top teams away from the southeast. There was no ATL Celtics and Indiana Elite, Seattle Select type teams there, but the Jamfest did do well in attracting coaches. It was down slightly from last year. The Mountaineer Division was not different from the rest of the tourney. You had to be there.

So Phares' stock is dropping now? He was projected as the top player for the DS Allstars.

What happened to Phares? Not much chatter about his game.

Exactly. If I am not mistaken, all college coaches are now off the road and are not watching games today. The "Live Period" ended yesterday and will start back up next week.

That's a rational assessment.

He was not even one of the top 10 guards in the tourney. No matter how you word it, he was umimpressive and that might be the reason he took a drop down to the AAU team he is playing with now. Sometimes early commits, as we are seeing a few today, don't develop.

Kentucky did rep well. Anytime you can fare this well and acquire offers is a good thing. I watched Cottrill play twice, including the game they lost that sent them to the bronze. Was not impressed and struggled mightily in that loss. He will have to get much better for the Big East

Derek Smith 16's lose to Indiana Elite. Kentucky Gators finish the tourney with a loss to a team from northern Virginia, the Legends Elite.

DS 17's took a loss against a tough King James team in bracket play. They will move to the Bronze division and play a team out of West Virginia.

BCG, coach Cox and Coach Webster have all attended Jenkins' games at It Takes 5 and the HoopFest. Kentucky Gators won again and are in the championship game in the Mountaineer Division.

DS !6's won first round of the Gold division and remain unbeaten.

Kentucky Gators won both their pool games today against a tough Maryland Bowie Express Team pulling away at the end. Jacob Jenkins finished with a game high 32 points and 12 assist (along with 19 first half points). The real difference in this game could have been the addition of Louisville Ballard High 5-9 point guard Wesley Cox. Cox didn't generate points per se', but he ran the offense extremely well. The second game again saw Jenkins open it up for 20 points in the first half before finishing with 29 for the game. With WVU, EKU, WKU, Georgia, and several other mid to high major in attendence, Jenkins along with Jordan Hickman, Wes Cox, Corey Jackson, and a young Chris Richard took a 7 point halftime lead and blew it open early in the 2nd half to coast in this one.

Which team are you referring as to going to the LIT this year?

Its hard to truly tell who doing better or worse when pools can vary a great deal in talent level. The only true measure of success is the number of scholarships being awarded and that should be the primary goal for traveling in July.

The Kentucky Gators finished 2 -1 in pool play in the HoopFest, but represented well and got plenty of exposure. Had a chance to win against a very talented northern team, but the shots weren't falling in the end. Here is a piece from the event. Link below. http://www.alleyoopscoop.com/

It is also exciting to see that Madisonville-North Hopkins and duPont Manual will be playing in all the top major tournaments including the nationally prestigious KOB, LIT, and 5th/3rd Bank Classic with the opportunity that the two top seniors in the state in UK commit 6-7 Jon Hood (Madisonville) and 6-4 Jacob Jenkins (duPont Manual) teams could potentially match up.

Manual does look quite busy with the King of the Bluegrass, Fifth/Third Bank Tourney, Louisville Invitational Tourney, Fast Lane Pre-Season, Kentucky Preps Classics, Hoop Fest, and a loaded regular season schedule.