Perfect Practice

Boone also has some other guys in Ronald Cotton and Trevan Brown and some good younger talent just waiting to get playing time in Travis Montgomery and Cooper Downs (who should get his feet slightly wet in the varsity waters). Should be a good year for Boone County basketball.

You could be right, but remember, Boone has the confidence to beat Holmes and they know how to do it. They did it last year when many thought they wouldnt. Highlands will be good, and has a chance as well, but I do agree Holmes is still the team to beat. The old saying applies: "to be the man, you have to beat the man." With Holmes losing Riley, who had more steals and assists, and almost as many points per game as McFarland, and McFarland leaving Boone, but Popp stepping in and getting more playing time, it should be an interesting matchup. McFarland will be missed this season because of his scoring and rebounding ability, and he took the spotlight off of some of the other guys so they could just go play. But, I think Boone will compete with Holmes this year, maybe more so than Highlands IMO.

I do believe that Lother was the other guard. Wasnt Lother also Highlands leading assist man. He's a good guard. Kowolonek and Grote are both really good players, but I thought Lother was the PG.

Yeah, I agree he had a good season. He was "the guy" on that team last year. But, I just wondered with his ability to play the 2/3, and even the 1, if that had to do with Popp not playing as much...

I agree with you for now, and certainly as of last year because we didnt get to see much of Popp and Gabbard. But, I would really like to see this tandem this year. It would be interesting. But, I would say the Johnson bros. have the best guard combo in NKY right now and probably for this season. But, I think Popp and Gabbard could compete with Kowolonek and Grote for the 2 spot.

Could this Popp debacle of last year be do to the play of McFarland? I mean, he seemed to be a combo of positions 1-3 at times. Just a thought.

Who is Popp playing AAU with this summer?

How are teams from NKY performing at these camps/highschool offerings? Scott HS Ryle HS Conner HS Holmes HS Boone Co. HS Simon Kenton HS Dixie Heights HS Cov Cath HS Holy Cross HS Campbell Co. HS NCC and so on/so forth.

Completely agree. I just dont understand why he isnt, or wasnt used a little more last year. Who knows, maybe this year they will get him more involved, which would benefit Boone IMO.

Yeah, this is quite possible. That being said, if he had that much responsibility as a sophomore it's safe to say that he will certainly be the go to guy next season. He'll have a lot riding on him. But hey, good for him. To be given that much responsibility as a sophomore and junior says something, and will only help him in the long run.

I agree with the bolded statement above. And, I think a Popp acquisition would be huge for Ryle, and could make them a more dangerous team. I have also heard the rumors, but I've also been told that he is just going to stay at Boone. So, I guess we'll have to wait that one out. Why do you think his minutes decreased so rapidly, and so often? Was it because of his relationship with the coach?

You are right, there are many, many different things to look at. I used these stats because they are more specific to PG's, simply because they are generally the player on the team who handles the ball most. You can get the assist to turnover ratio by looking at the stats that were provided in the prior post. But I agree, there are many other things that can be looked at, such as: FT percentage (Very key!), court vision, and decision making. This was just a snap shot.

I did some research, and this according to the enquire, which has always been pretty accurate (since it is the schools reporting). What I found: By Comparison Scott SOPH PG averaged (26 games): 6.125 TO's in losses/ 4.26 TO's/game. (5.92 asst/game) Boone JUNIOR PG averaged (32 games): 3.4 TO's in losses/ 2.625 TO's/game. (3.71 asst/game) NCC JUNIOR PG averaged (25 games): 3.3 TO's in losses/ 3.08 TO's/game. (4.72 asst/game) Conner SENIOR PG averaged (28 games): 2.46 TO's in losses/ 2.28 TO's/game. (3.82 asst/game) Highlands JUNIOR PG averaged (30 games): 4.44 TO's in losses/ 2.93 TO's/game. (3.76 asst/game) Holmes SENIOR PG averaged (38 games): 4 TO's in losses/ 2.53 TO's/game. (2.94 asst/game) These are just a few that I selected. Keep in mind, I do not know everytime inside and out, but stats can be telling for certain things. Also keep in mind that some of these guys split time with other players. Also, not much difference between the older guys, and the younger guys have time to progress, develop, and get better.

You know, i have heard about this. Just from word of mouth, I understand that you can really get into this kids (Scott's PG) head. Its been said that he can be known to turn the ball over if you get under his skin, or if things arent going his way. I was a little surprised because I have seen him in 3 games (albeit this summer in AAU), and he played well in 2 games and in the 3rd game he didnt have much to contribute, but the defense on him was fantastic. Can anyone affirm or deny this?

Ah, I see, the thread title is 9th region. The post title was "The 9th this year"

It was actually "The 9th this year", not "9th region."

Yeah, those teams are in the 9th. They are also in NKY. Good eyes though pal. Whats the point of this post?

Thanks for the correction. Just know his name by word of mouth. I've seen him play, he's tough.

Primarily NKY

With the top 3 being Holmes, Boone County and Highlands. The next 3 to 5 might be a crapshoot. Ryle has Stauffer, Coleman and Mcleish to lead the way I think. Then they have Perkins returning and Todd Vollet, who I think will make good contributions to the team this year. Vollet will surprise a few people I think. Not sure if Nichols will play, but if he does that is anothe big body. Dixie has Trammel, Pike, and Hatton leading the way IMO. But, they also have a big hustle guy in Riley and Wes Smith is a big body in the paint to bang with other bigs. They should be solid. Conner has Avery who I think will probably lead them in Scoring. But they have Clay Robinson in the middle who likes physical contact. They also have Tyler Hodges who is an inside/outside guy, and Jake Flesch who I think will be able to defend just about anybody at the 1 or 2 in the 9th region, plus he can score when needed. Liechty adds good hustle and defense as well. Scott has Kellen Smith coming back for his junior season and he should be a big contributor and distributor. I think Scott will go as he goes. He will have the big man O'Connor in the paint as well. They will need some others to step up, but they could make a little noise. NCC will be solid, because they have a decent guard in Pangallo, and Meyer who will be expected to step up. And, they have a very solid big man in Geisler in the post. Does anyone know how Holy Cross, Campbell County, and Simon Kenton are looking. I think SK will have another down year.

I did, you are right. Add Coleman to that mix.

I agree with the above post. Ryle has Stauffer and Mcleish to lead the way I think. Then they have Perkins returning and Todd Vollet, who I think will make good contributions to the team this year. Vollet will surprise a few people I think. Not sure if Nichols will play, but if he does that is anothe big body. Dixie has Trammel, Pike, and Hatton leading the way IMO. But, they also have a big hustle guy in Riley and Wes Smith is a big body in the paint to bang with other bigs. They should be solid. Connor has Avery who I think will probably lead them in Scoring. But they have Clay Robinson in the middle who likes physical contact. They also have Tyler Hodges who is an inside/outside guy, and Jake Flesch who I think will be able to defend just about anybody at the 1 or 2 in the 9th region, plus he can score when needed. Liechty adds good hustle and defense as well. Scott has Kellen Smith coming back for his junior season and he should be a big contributor and distributor. I think Scott will go as he goes. He will have the big man O'Connor in the paint as well. They will need some others to step up, but they could make a little noise. NCC will be solid, because they have decent guards from what I hear and they have a very solid big man in Geisler in the post. Does anyone know how Holy Cross, Campbell County, and Simon Kenton are looking. I think SK will have another down year.

I agree with the above post. Ryle has Stauffer and Mcleish to lead the way I think. Then they have Perkins returning and Todd Vollet, who I think will make good contributions to the team this year. Vollet will surprise a few people I think. Not sure if Nichols will play, but if he does that is anothe big body. Dixie has Trammel, Pike, and Hatton leading the way IMO. But, they also have a big hustle guy in Riley and Wes Smith is a big body in the paint to bang with other bigs. They should be solid. Connor has Avery who I think will probably lead them in Scoring. But they have Clay Robinson in the middle who likes physical contact. They also have Tyler Hodges who is an inside/outside guy, and Jake Flesch who I think will be able to defend just about anybody at the 1 or 2 in the 9th region, plus he can score when needed. Liechty adds good hustle and defense as well. Scott has Kellen Smith coming back for his junior season and he should be a big contributor and distributor. I think Scott will go as he goes. He will have the big man O'Connor in the paint as well. They will need some others to step up, but they could make a little noise. NCC will be solid, because they have decent guards from what I hear and they have a very solid big man in Geisler in the post. Does anyone know how Holy Cross, Campbell County, and Simon Kenton are looking. I think SK will have another down year.

I agree with you here. I think that the top 3 are Holmes, Highlands, and Boone County. 4-6 could be interchangeable but I would go Ryle, Conner then New Cath. I would put Scott and Dixie at 7 and 8 interchangeably, with maybe Dixie having the nod IF Trammel, Pike, and Hatton progress from last year. Without much progression, I think Dixie will struggle. All seem to be playing well this summer, but we'll have to see how that will transfer over to school ball. It is different.

I think Euton has some skill and potential. I think he could possibly prosper on a team like WKU or EKU, and with the conferences they play in. Billy Gillispie is the best thing that could have happened to this kid in regards to getting his name out there. I dont know that Oregon St., or the Pac 10 is the best fit for him, but hey, if he does go there, I hope he gets a chance to prove himself and does really well.