Perfect Practice

And that will continue to be his only offer unless he gets away from the KY Players...I hate to say that, but it's true.

 

Ricardo is rated by many scouting services as the best player in the state, but yet he has only one offer? From what I hear, a lot of college coaches don't want to deal with the AAU coach that they play for. How true that is, I don't know. Hopefully Ricardo realizes he's much better than that one Bradley offer and he takes his game elsewhere the rest of the summer, along with Elijah and JJ. They all three received a lot of exposure playing for the Prophets last summer...more than they're receiving now.

 

All three are legit D1 caliber players. I realize Pittman may have some issues and have to take the JUCO route, but I see no reason why JJ isn't receiving more D1 attention.

Who would you like to see the kid play for? He has been with this team for a long time.

NKY Bulldogs will be playing this weekend in the Bluechip Exposure tournament in Louisville.

Is this the only local tournament this weekend? Where at in Louisville?

What all teams will be here?

I think we will see big things from Stauffer.

I agree with you. IMO his fire for the game seems to put him above the other big men in his grade in NKY.

Indiana Elite was without Clark County's Vinny Zollo in the last two games. Coach Mark Adams said he wasn't sure if Zollo would play this week in Memphis.

 

 

Good news Vinny is OK. He was experiencing chest pains after the 8:00 game Saturday morning. He went to a Heart Dr today and he has a potassium imbalance. He is not playing in the Memphis tourney, but with some rest and making sure he gets the potassium his body requires he will be back with the Ind. Elite team for the Vegas and LA Tourney's.

Sounded serious when I first started reading this post. I am glad everything is okay with Vinny. The kid is a really solid player and I am glad he'll get to be on the court.

Don't agree, if you look at his blog, he talks about kids all over the state, east, west, north, south and central.

 

Not knocking you but, you have been doing a pretty good job reporting on the same group of kids from NKY. Glad to hear about them, keep the updates coming!

I report about the kids that I get to watch every highschool season. But, I will also tell you about the kids that I see from all over the state if I get the chance to watch them in a tournament. You say to look at Demlings blog and you will see stuff from kids all over the state, which can be true at times. Rarely do you see anything about any player from up north in the state. But, if you look at his blog on a regular basis, he is generally reporting info about kids from the DSAS or Indiana Elite teams.

My point to this whole thing was this: If your going to write a report about kids to look out for over the summer and those same kids are performing really well, then you should see it as your duty as a reporter to give an update once in a while. You know, for people who dont have the luxury to get out to each tournament over the summer. Instead, we hear about and see the same kids on the blog every week.

The Shining Stars 16's had a heck of a tournament and he barely said 2 words about them. That team is stacked. The NKY Bulldogs took down the best team in the state. Why no report?

Demling is a good writer and I read his pieces on a regular basis. But, It is my opinion, and doesnt have to be yours, that Demling is bias towards certain teams and players. Just like Pat Forde is a Louisville homer! :thumb:

Highlands fans, how do you feel abou this?

Demling does a good job with the resources that he has at his disposal. To attempt to cover tournaments and get good looks at the # of individual players is an almost impossible task. Trying to get looks at the local players and still maintain a national flavor to cover potential high major targets would be extremely difficult. The Lexington and Louisville papers have always done a good job covering the high school scene. Northern Kentucky has always had to share coverage with Cincinnati and the pro sports scene.

He does do a good job. A really good job of covering the kids that he does cover. I also enjoy reading his blog becase I like to know about all the local kids and I hope they all achieve high success. I know that Jody Demling does a lot for many different kids in regards to publicity and getting their names out there. I just think that sometimes he focuses a tad to much on guys that are being talked about nationally. He seems to focus on the exact same kids in each blog. There are other kids out there that are making noise. I dont mean to sound like a Demling-hater by any means. It just seems that if you are going to mention a kid, you should follow up on them, thats all.

So you'd rather them get zero mention at all???

Well a mention is good. But, dont you think that some follow up would be the just thing to do. They kids were mentioned and some of them are performing fanstatically, yet they get no further word. Some people may construe that is them not performing well, when in fact, they are.

Along with Bobby S, Matt Trammel, Travis Montgomery, Devonte Bradley, Trevan Brown, and Jake Geisler all had decent showings at Hoopfest in the 16U division, helping their teams reach the "Elite Eight" and the "Final Four". The Northern Kentucky boys may not have been the "Giants" at the tourney, but they sure played just as well if not better than than the best of them from all over.

I could not agree more with you here. I saw all of these kids play in the Adidas It Takes Five and HoopFest. They all seemed to be really good or atleast really solid players. Some of them deserve more pub then they are getting IMO.

Those are the kids Jody is paid to cover...

Then why mention kids to look out for at the beginning of the summer. Then those kids perform and they get no mention. It makes it seem like they arent performing well, when in reality they are, they just dont get mentioned.

If your team isn't playing in the tournament and another team needed a player, why not. It's not about winning or losing, it's about getting better.

This could be considered an exception if your team isnt playing. But, if you start with a team and they are playing, where is the loyalty?

And, most of these kids transfer to different teams because of the organization or name, but then they sit behind other players. This doesnt help them get better.

And, lets not kid ourselves. It's very much about winning for the players. If it wasnt, there would be many more teams with lesser talent on each team, and less websites showing record information and which tournaments were won.

Partially but I think they will continue to expand and get even bigger.

I hope they do! The more elite competition the better IMO.

A final recap of the tourney by Demling. Scroll down from the first article and all age divisions are given. Here is some of the article from the 16u .

 

An impresisve run for Team Takedown, beating Indiana Elite Orange in the 8 a.m. quarterfinals, taking out Shining Stars-Pittman in the semifinals and then beating the Indiana Elite team in the title game.

Indiana Elite was without Clark County's Vinny Zollo in the last two games. Coach Mark Adams said he wasn't sure if Zollo would play this week in Memphis.

Watched a lot of Bloomington South's Dee Davis, who is headed to Xavier. The guard is sooooo much better when he has the ball in his hands. Several times on the final day, Jeremiah Davis and Nick Moore had the ball. When Davis took it, he not only scored some but just seemed to always make something good happen.

Warsaw's Moore doesn't get a lot of hype, but he's solid. Made play after play after play this weekend and is a sure-fire lower Division I player.

A tough weekend for the Derek Smith team. Not only did they get into the tournament late on Friday night - after it already started - but they never seemed to get into a flow. Eastern's Remy Abell, Warren Central's George Fant and Elliott County's Timmy Knipp all played well and Clark County's Robbie Stenzel hit some big three-pointers.

 

http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/demling/blog.html

Jody Demling is bias IMO. He only reports on the kids from Louisville or Lexington or Indiana. There were many many kids that performed extremely well this weekend from all parts of KY and he doesnt say anything about them. This is a shame IMO.

How big is he? Are they going anywhere else this summer? I didn't get a chance to see him play this weekend?

Before the AAU summer started, Jody Demling had Bobby Stauffer pegged as a young player to watch out for this summer. He has not disappointed in any game that I have seen him in. He just works hard and can do a lot on the floor. If he contintues to develop that 10-13 ft jump shot, he'll be hard to stop.

There should be a rule in AAU that when a player is put on a roster ,he can't change teams.

I do partially agree with you. Sometimes I think the switching teams after each tournament is ridiculous. I can somewhat understand playing with one team prior to the live period, and another team during the live period. But, where is the loyalty in basketball? If you play with a team, you should win with a team. Or, lose. You should have some since of loyalty. Changing from year to year is one thing, but from tournament to tournament is wrong.

Wouldn't that be the same Shining Star Pittman team that has played together all season. I think the only addition would have been Setty from Mason County?

I guess it would be Shining Star-Pittman. I just didnt know what they go by. Some of the Shining Stars teams go by "SS Blue" or "SS white" and some go by coaches names. I just didnt know this coaches name. I have seen them at a few tournaments and it does appear to be the same kids I have always seen, except Zeke Pike, who i believe usually plays for them. They're a good team. Anyone know if they won the 16's gold bracket?

Is this #31 for the NKY Buldlogs?

I know that he plays for the NKY Bulldogs, and I think his number is 31. I dont really pay attention to the numbers in AAU basketball. I just look for local players that I have seen on a highschool team before. All though, I do think I recall his number being 31. The kid is a stud IMO.

I had a chance to see Bobby Stauffer again at the Eddie Ford HoopFest (which was a GREAT tournament) and he was doing really good things. Ryle coaches, players, and fans should be stoked about this kids ability and future. He was scoring, rebounding and defending well. He seems to have really learned how to put the ball on the floor and drive in and can really finish around the rim. HIs jumpshot seems to be improving rapidly also. Had a great game against the Derek Smith All-Stars, and led his team to a win. Someone also said that he seemed to be a "hot-head" of sorts, but that is incorrect. The boy just seems to have such a passion for the game. Lots of intensity and tenacity and that's what you want. Good for him. I hope he gets some looks.

There was a Shining Stars 16's in the Gold Bracket that I had a chance to see beat "Legion" today in the elite 8 of that bracket. Im not sure who the coach is, or if they are blue or white or any color, but I know that Scott Schuette (LexCatch), Jordan Gilbert (Mason County) and Treg Setty (Mason County) played on the team.

Does anyone know how they finished?

What a start to the evaluation period! If you didn't get to see any AAU action in Cincy or Lou or IN, you missed out. This week is Jam Fest in WV, Peach Jam in SC and Battle at the Bluff in Memphis. The following week is AAU Showcase in Orlando followed by AAU Nationals as well as Adidas Showcase in Vegas and LA.

 

The Ice have added a G and a C for this stretch and should be ready for AAU Nationals.

 

Good luck to all. There is also some talk that KY might be poised to create some AAU powerhouses like Indy Elite offers. It will be interesting to see what develops between now and next summer in the KY AAU world.

I have heard this as well. I think KY has some really good stuff to offer right now (DSAS, Shining Stars, etc.), but I dont know how well these teams are known nationally (Like an Indy Elite organization). I have heard, and this may just be rumor, that there is going to be another basketball organization, or assembly of teams, starting up over the off-season and coming into next summer. I have heard its in the beginning stages and not much else was said. If this turns out to be the case, it would be great if the state of KY had a few fantastic organizations with players that can prove themselves and compete on a national level. After watching many games at the Adidas It Takes 5ive tournament and the Eddie Ford HoopFest, I thought all the KY teams showed pretty well.

Keep up the great work players and coaches. We love our KY basketball.

Shining Stars Blue 68-63 in their silver bracket sweet sixteen game. Play Florida Future tonight in the quarterfinals.

 

Shining Stars Jackson lost by about 18 to Michigan Mustangs in the sweet sixteen of the gold bracket.

 

Shining Stars McFarland beat Wisconsin Playground Warriors by 5 in the sweet sixteen of the gold bracket and are now playing Michigan Mustangs.

 

Shining Stars Black are into the quarterfinals of the gold bracket.

How are the Shining Stars 16's doing? Who have they played?

Just got word that DSAS got beat tonight....don't know who they played or the score. Ind. Elite won by about 30. They won their pool and play tomorrow around 11:00.

DSAS 16U won the game against Common Bond by 17 from what I saw on the board.

Great game between Common Bond and the United Celtics. 3 overtimes! The United Celtics won it.

They are getting ready for their west coast trip, they leave late tomorrow night. Should be a fun group to watch, 8 Jr's to be on the team.

 

Some of the tourneys last year out west had live video feed, we are also going to try and figure out how to upload video to the team website and try to get a couple of games up.

A live video feed would be great. If you recieve anymore info on that, please share, I would like to tune in. I hope Team Kentucky does very well. Best of luck to them.

Does anyone know where Team Kentucky is this weekend? Thought I would see them at Hoopfest.

Its funny to me how people just cant wrap their heads around the fact that the DSAS lost a game. Much less to a team from NKY, that from what I know is made up of all kids that live close by, and arent pulled from all over the state. I guess thats what you get when a team is so well known and beloved because they represent so well. A congrats to the NKY Bulldogs is in order and that's all that needs to be said. Just like to any other team that wins a game. Surely the coaches dont use that as an excuse, or the players, and as fans we shouldn't either.

We all know about DSAS. They are a very good team and a great group of talent. They will bounce back just fine. And, it amazes me that people talk about them needing Fant and Shanklin. You can say "no disrespect to anyone," but what disrespect that is to the other great talent on that team.

Funny how saying "no disrespect, but..." always turns out to sound disrespectful.

On another note: DSAS plays Common Bond tonight at 8:30pm. I will be watching and hope that they represent the state of KY very well, as they always do, and I'm sure will do again tonight.