CATBIRD

Ok PLAYER??? Do all ok players leave college after two years and play professional bsketball?:eyeonyou: :laugh:You're in for A BIG SURPRISE!!! I know there's alot of Holmes haters out there... I am not a big fan. But if you ever meet this kid you're in for a treat. He will get much better. He lives for basketball 24/7. Hands down he's the most versitile player in the state. Only flaw I have with him is that he's unselfish to a fault. I want Holmes to fall I'm for Ft.Thomas Highlands all the way. But I love this kid and anyone whose been around him feels the same. Great role model, awesome person, and one heck of a basketball player. RICARDO JOHNSON KENYUCKY'S NEXT MR. BASKETBALL!!!:ylsuper:

Grubbs is a solid 6-5 maybe 6-6" Jack Stewart is a 6-7" Jr. He didn't see much time last year but he is vastly improved.. He is long and pretty athletic for a kid that tall. Really picked it up at the 17U AAU Nationals last summer. Playing with Holmes' Ricardo Johnson really inspired him to improve and step up his game.:ylsuper: He's a sleeper so you heard it here on BGP first.:thumb: IMO the most improved player in the 9th Region. People will be surprised by his improvement if NOT shocked...

:laugh: No offense to Trinity they're a top 10-15 team. Highlands is tough not to many teams returning their entire starting line-up including their bench and adding a 6'-7" prescence inside. This team will bring it on defense make no mistake about. Flynn does not intend on walking the ball up the floor and hammering it out each possession. Mason Co. comes to down in a few weeks quess we'll have to wait and see.

Scott did not sub the whole 1st quarter. Looks like the bench is going to be an area of concern. They did sub in 3-4 kids. Looks like they lack a true point guard also. There not as good as Holmes

:confused: Brown, Spaulding, McFarland Ok so Boone returns its top 2 players.... Highlands returns all five starters plus their entire bench. It will not be walk it up the floor and hammer it out every possession this year. Are the players that are replacing the three mentioned above better than those three? Do they have the experience?:idunno: Boone is overrated IMO now if they had Flannery...?

No sports hernia for Gordon. He returned Nov. 13th after being held out 10-12days because of a strained groin. He got a little winded against Male's athletic guards but looked very solid. The kid has really benefited from playing in the AAU circuit. Lother was cleared yesterday to play he will see some action this weekend.:clap: Grote has tendinitis of the lower back after wearing a back brace for 6-8 weeks. The specialist ruled out disk and vertebrae problems. He's being treated with anti-flammatory medication and physical therapy. Many feared that it was more serious similar to what happened to former Highlands star Greg McGraw. He will be returning soon.

Male won all four quarters 1st Q. 24-15 2nd Q. 17-13 3rd Q.14-13 4thQ. 11-9 Highlands was very competitive but to much speed and athletic ability for Highlands to overcome in this one. Male had good guard play and they were lazer quick. Male also had a couple 6-5 players inside playing above the square. Highlands used a 7 man rotation playing without: Lother (thumb) Grote (back) Grubbs (footbal) Stewart (unspecified) The good news All will be back soon:ylsuper: Scoring for Highlands- Gordon 8 pts. Kowolonek 14 pts. Dill 11 pts. Crowley 4 pts. Watson 4 pts. Smith-Keller 8 pts. Dean 2 pts. Nice Job Male Best of Luck!!!

:laugh: Sorry Pollsters - There ARE NOT 20-25 teams better than Highlands in the state of Kentucky. How could Boone County be rated higher than Highlands??? :idunno: The two teams split last year playing head-to-head. Boone lost 3 starters including their best player. Highlands lost NO ONE and have added 6-6 Jr. Jack Stewart to the rotation.

HOLMES IS STILL TOP DAWG- Boone CANNOT handle them. Nor can GRC when it counts.

I did not say NBA I said at some professional level. And who knows this kid is no where near his full potential. In regard to the post about UK. He's a team player and will be there for the entire 4 years. Where as players such as Wall will be One and Done.:walk: Situations like that will eventually cost you. Just ask Pitino when they thought they had signed Telafair and Josh Smith and let Rondo slip out of Louisville and go to UK.

:notworthy: I second the motion. What a great kid. He's a great player that is not even close to reaching his full potential. I think UK and U of L really missed the boat on this kid. He'll be around for FOUR years and by next year he'll be ready to contribute to any major college. Very unselfish, hard worker, and very coachable. He's think'in basketball 24/7. Nicest kid you'll ever meet. He will be playing professional basketball at some level in 5 years.:ylsuper:

Does any know if he was actually born in Cuba???:idunno: I talked with him personally a few years back when he was a sixth grader at RA Jones. He was preparing to move to Scott Co. said, the coach wanted him to come and play there. He was very mature for a sixth grader.

Right oldjams Gabbard played with Cotton at RA. I didn't realize Earls played at Ockerman in 06. Anyhow I'm eating crow from my last post Ockerman was in the semi's of the 2006 MS State Tournament.:deadhorse: Ockerman lost to Sebastian MS from Breathitt Co by double digits whom Highlands defeated in the championship. Kowolonek was named All-Tournament and Zach Lother was named tournament MVP. Alot of good talent at that tournament. Scott Co. was awful good also but its not the same group that they have now.

Where on earth are you getting your information from??? Are you talking about the class of 2010?? I was at the middle school state tournament the year that Highlands won the 8th garde middle school state tournament and Ockerman had Gabbard, Popp, Flannery and others and I don't recall seeing them play in the Quarter Finals that year??? I'll check Bolus's website maybe I'll eat crow.:confused: And I'll check with RA's A.D. and see about the 5th place finish. Jones is a small middle school compared to other Boone Co. middle schools about 600-650 students.

Whose doing the voting???:idunno: How could Boone be rated higher than Highlands?:madman: Boone lost Mcfarland their best player Spaulding a very good athlete and who was very under-rated and Brown who was their MVP during the regionals. I just don't see them replacing those three players ESPECIALLY their experience. Highlands lost Nothing- NOTHING from last years squad!!! Did you see what those kids done in AAU this past Spring/Summer? Flynn has worked those boys harder the last 3-4 months than Willie did in 3 years. Not to mention the emergence of 6-6 junior "Jump'in" Jack Stewart. You will be surprised at how much this kid has improved. Scouting services were buzzing about this kid at the 17U AAU Nationals this past summer and how well he was playing against kids a year older. Maybe not a bunch of flashy athletes but this team has something you can't measure on paper and thats teamwork and chemistry. Clearly, a very serious threat to the Bulldogs. Holmes is the only team that is better. Take the Bluebirds in an upset at the 2010 Regional finals.:ylsuper:

Kellen was arguably the best PG last year in NKY, and that was his sophomore year. He has plenty of time ahead of him to make a name for himself. I think the #3 ranking in the 10th region is showing that people around the state are taking notice of him. Now whether or not he is better than Zollo is a very good question but its hard to compare players that play two entirely different positions and say who is better! I expect Kellen to have a big year. :laugh: Come on he was a nice player for a sophmore but, better than Boone County's Gabbard?, Riley from Holmes??, :confused: The little guy from Holy Cross was pretty tough also... The Highlands guards wore him out in head-to-head play. Maybe in the 10th region BUT not all of Northern KY IMO

Hey wasn't like he wasn't welcome but according to AAU Rules a team can only add two players after the July 7th registration deadline. The kid has freakish talent. Hope he's playing with someone if not what a shame. Not sure if Ricardo and JJ have been signed and delivered but they have been seen flying high in the rafters at the Fort Thomas Armory at a few Firebird practices and the connection is that Rico and JJ got their first taste of competitive basketball when the Firebirds (Gordon, Collins, McDaniel combined with Ricardo and JJ's NK Tar Heels team to play in their first AAU State tournament back in 03). Ricardo was throwing shots over the backboard but you could tell he was a "gem"... all the hard work the rest speaks for itself. After seeing JJ play in person several times he's arguably a top 5 player in the state and its scary to think that he's 14 months younger than his big bother. Not the shooter that Ricardo is but just as good with the other skills... lazer quick and an explosive leaper.:jump: Bradley U. is showing interset in him as well. The following year Ricardo, JJ and the rest of the Firebirds qualified for the D-1 12U 2004 Nationals at Virginia Beach they went 2 and 3 that year. Ricardo and JJ went on to make their names on the AAU circuit playing with the KY Players while the Firebirds struggled to survive. A little known fact is that the Firebirds hadn't won a State AAU game in two years 2007 and 08 (0-6). They finished at least tied for third in this year's 17U State AAU Championship considering they made the final four along with Central KY Storm, DSAS. and Shining Stars-McFarland. They finished first in their pool that included DSAS Yes the Firebirds are playing D2 but giv'em some love. They lost two of their starters and best players to Highlands football in Grubbs and Grote. They were replaced with two 16U players in Jack Stewart and Conor Crowley of Highlands. Not sure the coach had much choice if they wanted to be competive. Apparently, the Ricardo and JJ thing happened after they declared D-2 and the schedules were published. They defeated three teams that are playing in the D1 Nat'l Championship - DSAS, Shinging Stars-Bundy, and W. VA AAU State Champs W.VA Reign If Ricardo and JJ do join the team how will they fair at the nationals next week? Possible Roster; Stephen Gordon, Zach Lother, Corey Dill, Jack Stewart, and Conor Crowley (Highlands) Cody Collins and Casey McDaniel (Newport) Plus Ricardo and JJ Johnson (Holmes) Sorry if I got off task a little with the history lesson because this thread is about Ricardo Johnson IMO Kentucky's 2010 "Mr. Basketball" !!! Good Luck to ALL KENTUCKY TEAMS: DSAS Shining Stars- McFarland and Bundy KY Firebirds :ylsuper:

Personally, the KY Firebirds. Does it matter who he plays AAU for??? I'd have a hard time believing that colleges would shy away from him because of his AAU affiliation. Bypass the AAU coach and go to the high school coach instead. If you can play they'll find you whether its on a high school team, AAU, Rec league or even in a foreign country. Wait til they see him play this upcoming season. Nothing wrong with Bradley. Every kid wants to go North Carolina, Duke, UK, or Louisville. How would he fit into one of those programs? Would he get enough playing time to keep him happy? At Bradley he'd be a 4 year starter and the best thing of all he would get a FREE EDUCATION:clap:. That's what the young man deserves...

The NCAA certification requires a coach to pass a background check and take a test (which can be taken multiple times). Registration before I believe July 1st was $40.OO right now it cost $55.00. Don't ask me why the NCAA is involved in governing AAU and other select tournaments. As far as the 9th region is concerned Holmes is obviously the TOP DAWG how could Highlands not be expected to challenge them?? Folks in Bluebird land aren't hoping to defeat them when they travel to Ft Thomas rather in late February early March when it comes Regional Tournament time. Teams like NCC, Boone and others could surprise a few teams in the districts and regional as well. IMO the coaching change for Highlands won't be that big of a deal because coach Flynn inherited not only a talented group of players but his players are disciplined and have great attitudes as well. Kowolonek hasn't stopped playing since the last of March. Grote will be bigger and stronger. Grubbs has shed alot of baby fat and will be leaner and quicker coming out of football. Gordon, Dill, and Watson continue to improve and are solid and versitile players. Nice to have a couple of 6-5 and 6-6 players coming off the bench.

Scrimmage is at Scott Co. can anyone confirm the exact location and time of the scrimmage? I plan on attending :popcorn:

: :sssh: Don't tell a soul...Good Point he's as good a true post player as you'll find in Northern KY as a matter of fact whose better? He looked pretty good against Barnhill at the state AAU tournament scoring 15 points. Barnhill is a really nice player also he scored 16 points in the same game. Not to many people are going to push Tyler around he's about 15 pounds lighter than he was last basketball season and is really working hard on his strength and conditioning. Averaged 13 points a game last weekend playing against the likes of Barnhill, O'Conner, and Evans (Shining Stars-McFarland). Watched him and St. John wrestle on the block last spring and he more than held his own. He's doing football conditioning 3 days a week and Flynn has him attending open gym basketball twice a week. Scored in the mid-twenties on his ACT test. Heard his AAU team KY Firebirds are traveling up to Sandusky,OH to play in the Cedar Point Extravaganza tournament this weekend.

Josh Sewell should be on the list he's better than 4 of the five that are on the list...:confused:

:ylsuper: WOW any other good match-ups? Lother vs Gabbard? Grote vs Justice (Fri.)?? I agree with you about Grote... His AAU coach says He has Greg McGraw like ability the 9th region better hope he doesn't reach that level. 17U Ricardo was AWESOME... Sewell is for real, Justice loved him what a competitor. ALOT OF TALENT IN THE CLASS OF 2010 Hats off to the organizers and host of the 2009 State Championship very well run great officiating. :banana::banana:

SportsPlus 10765 Reading Rd. 45241 Tourney schedule can be found at midwesthoops.org

Thanks for the correction on Jack's name. :ohbrother: He is the player that I was talking about. Great to hear the good report on Jack. Keep us updated