Perfect Practice

Another big boy in No. KY that will be able to play in the paint. Sounds good. I didn't see him take any jump shots, but he did look strong down low. Good rebounder too.

Wow. 32 rebounds in one game is very impressive! The bluegrassinsider has Matt St. John listed as the 4th best player in the state behind Gibbs, Pittman, and Guyn. Rivals no longer has him listed in their tops for big men, but he sounds like a good player. Hopefully he'll progress even more this year and get some good looks.

I would really love to see Holmes Highschool (Covington) play against Eastern Highschool (Louisville). The 3 seniors of Holmes: Elijah Pittman, Ricardo Johnson & Jeremiah Johnson Vs. The 3 juniors of Eastern: Remy Abell, Arman Marks & Lionell Gains (Not sure about the spelling of his first name???) I would really like to see it.

I wonder about Zeke Chapman and his desire to come to Kentucky to play ball. I have read that if Kentucky wants him, he is a lock. But, I also read something about him looking at Arizona and some other schools. I wonder what good ol' Rex thinks???

I am glad to hear he's doing well. He is one of the kids that I want to see more of. I hadnt heard much of him before I saw him in a game this AAU season, and he appeared to be very talented. Good luck and good will to the kid.

Speaking of big men in No. KY, I heard that Jake Thelen out of CovCath scored 17 pts. and had quite a few rebounds against Vinny Zollo's Indy Elite team this weekend. If this is true, that is good news. Congrats to the kid on a good game.

How did Jalyn Daniels of Clark County perform this past weekend at the State AAU tourney? I didnt get to watch much of Team Kentucky, how did they do? I've heard they are doing well. Good for them.

Does anyone know if Zeke will be the guy in the post next year for Dixie? What does the competition look like up there for him? The kid appears to be real strong.

Larry Bird is one of the greats of all time. Loved his shot and the way he played the game. I'll never forget the infamous steal on the inbound pass and the shot that followed. WOW!

Funny how you say this team is stacked, but the "more talented" players dont get the same opportunities. Who exactly are you referring to that is more talented than the other players?

Stauffer is a Stud. He is constantly working hard on the court. He seems to record good stats and refuses to be outworked. He will be a tops big man in NKY next high school season along with Earls, Geisler, O'Connor, Pittman (who will likely be the best), and any others you wanna throw out there.

UCon Jack, sounds like you have a personal endeavor. If you look at all my posts from the past, I rep many of the really good players in NKY. Trammel, Pike, Flesch, Brown, Hodges, Stewart, Smith, Barnett, Geisler, Stauffer, and I also include guys like Gilbert, Schuette, Gaines, and Shanklin, Pawsett, Stenzel, and Daniels who are not from NKY. Shall I go on?. My knowledge, especially of the 16's, reaches farther than the bounds of Northern Kentucky. Does yours? You just bash the Bulldogs, sounds like a personal thing. I give props to any AAU players, and/or coaches, and/or organizations that are all about the kids. I try to remain objective and give the players their do. Kudos to the Shining Stars, DSAS, NKY Bulldogs, Team Kentucky, Lexington Ice, WKY Elite, KY Players, Storm, Lightning and any other team and/or organization that wants to help the kids improve their game.

In regards to the 23 point blowout, the Shining Stars did work in that game. They are a very solid team and have some really good players. Zeke Pike was a pleasure to watch, as was T. Brown and N. Pawsett. They are a fun team to watch.

I absolutely agree with you. Flesch was hurt last year and will have to prove it this year on the court at the varsity level. But if Im not mistaken, most AAU teams are composed of the best players in the area or surrounding area/states, and Flesch is producing. Doesnt this deserve credit? I didnt put him above Smith or Gilbert, or Trammel, as they are really good players. I'm not blowing Flesch up, Im just saying that this kid deserves some smidgeon of credit. I think Gilbert is a very good player and is one that many NKY kids aspire to model there game after. I really like to watch him play and have seen him several times. But, if I remember correctly, didnt you just say in an earlier post that Barnett and Trammel were the best 2 guards on that Bulldogs team? I believe you did. So what are your hard facts, or where is this proof and body of work for Barnett? I agree that Barnett is a really good player because of what he has done in AAU and on the basketball floor. I dont argue about Trammel, the kid has game, no doubt. He can play, and play at a very high level, just as Smith and Gilbert. And, people can claim to be as "astute" as they would like, you know basketball and/or sports, or you dont. People that know basketball know that Gilbert, Smith, Trammel, Flesch (and Barnett), are good players. Of course they have to continuously prove it on the floor. Thats the name of the game.

Stewart is about 6'5" or so. He brings nice things to the court. He is a good player and has good upside. He will do good things for Highlands I think. I think he does good things for the NKY Bulldogs. He gets a fair share of starts in my opinion at the 3 and/or 4 for them.

I agree with you here in regards that you should never start a team to showcase any one players talent. A recipe for disaster absolutely. But to your point, people with basketball knowledge also know a good player when they see one. As a parent, you also have to be realistic about your child's abilities. That's the bottome line.

So does it appear that Bryan does not have a team at all anymore? Does anyone know, was it a personal decision to leave or did Team KY make a decison on that?

This is wrong in my opinion. But, I guess as a fan, and not the coach of this team you and I dont know the interworkings of this team. That's why I always say that players play, and coaches coach. It's easy to bash a coach as a parent or fan, I've done it, we all have. You could argue that Kellen Smith could have gotten more time for the Shining Stars against the NKY Bulldogs, but he wasnt his usual self in that game. So what did the coach do, he pulled him out. Im sure not everyone was happy about that, but he did what had to be done.

You could not possibly be more wrong here. Barnett is a great player, but to say that he is the best guard on the team along with Trammel is wrong. Flesch dominated Gilbert and Smith when he guarded them against the Stars. I also heard that he guarded Josh Forrest better than anyone in the whole state tournament. Not to mention that Flesch put up 14 against the Stars, which was more than any one of their guards, and I was told he put up 18 against the WKY Elite. If you cant admit that he is one of the best 3 or 4 PG's in NKY for his age group, then that sounds like a personal endeavor against the kid. Again, Barnett is a great player, and he deserves his time and he is getting much better from what i have seen. But you sir/ma'am are wrong. This team has 3 really good PG's or 1-2 guard combos!

Yeah, the Fucci getting dunked on was just hear say, so im not sure. What do you mean by Stenzel lets up quite a bit... Like he plays down to the competition? Or, he quits playing at times? And, Fucci could be the best. I just meant that this discussion is arguable. Fucci is a very nice player as well, no doubt about it.

It appeared to me that most of the players on this team had opportunities in the S. Stars game that I saw. Except for # 34, and the Hodges kid from Connor. But, it appeared both were in foul trouble. Unless you are referring to another game, I didnt get to see much of the others. If this is the case, unfortunately this can happen in AAU when one team has so much talent on it's roster. I dont think it's a knock against the kids by any means. You see it happen on every team and in every tournament I think. I agree that the No. KY kids played really well this weekend. The only one I am curious about is Zach Perkins... Anyone know how he did with Team Kentucky? Did Blake Bryan play in this tournament? I was very impressed with the Highlands run in the 17U division. Kudos to them! It was exciting to watch the boys from Holmes get out and run. I think Ricardo Johnson will have some opportunities at the next level. Being here, it's always fun to watch the No. KY boys come down and have success.

I would imagine that this LEX Ice team was rusty after not having played in a tournament game this summer season. Fucci looked worn out in his first game of the weekend against The Truth (Thunder), and he still played pretty well. I could have sworn that I saw Taylor Martin there and playing. In regards to Fucci and Forrest, I also heard that Forrest dunked on Fucci a couple of times and that neither could guard the other. That was just hear say. I didnt get to see the game. Tough match-ups for both kids on the defensive end of the floor. Both are just awesome! As far as being the best 2011 guard, i think that is arguable. He is definitely one of the best and maybe the best PG. But, the best "guard" could go to any number of players by the time it's all said and done. I dont think we've seen the best of Shanklin, Lionell Gaines, Remy Abell, Josh Forrest, Stenzel, marks, and a number of others who may play the guard position.

Jalyn Daniels is a stud. I didnt get to see the dunk. Maybe it will be on youtube soon. Does anyone know if this kid will get to start varsity this year? I know he is on a good team.

I agree to a certain extent. But, you just cannot forget Flesch. This kid is the most talented defender for the NKY Bulldogs IMO. He also has the ability to score. I think this team is pretty stacked all around. IMO they are like a Shining Stars in their own right. Im learning more and more about them. I took a lot of time to get to know the Stars and DSAS and hope to do the same with the NKY Bulldogs.

Very glad to hear this. If this kid doesnt go somewhere and do really good things I would be very surprised. In regards to the Shining Stars bigs, I would agree. They did a great job in the post. Though from a spectators perspective, it looked like the Bulldogs did have some kids (2 bigs) in foul trouble. I know that's part of the game, but Im sure it would be really tough for Stauffer to handle those 3 big guys. Nonetheless, Brown and Pike really impressed me. Pike's strength inside was a big asset and he could finish around the rim. Brown just has such a big body down low and can move people around. He also has a soft touch that allows him to put the ball in the hoop. Neal Pawsett really impressed me as well. He can really shoot it for a big. Mason County's future is bright with he and Gilbert. Gilbert seems like a really nice PG and he is quick. Now in regards to the Bulldogs team, I agree that you cannot overlook the PG Flesch. Gilbert came out and scored 10 or 11 pts right out of the gate it seemed like, then when Flesch came in to guard him, he only scored 2 more pts. or some small number like that (this is a compliment to Flesch, as I know how good Gilbert really is). Not to mention, he has a unique ability to get to the rim and adjust his shot in the air. I would also agree with the statement about the Hodges kid from Connor. I only saw him in the first half of the game against the Shining Stars, but he had a sweet dunk. It appeared that he got in foul trouble. I couldnt imagine him sitting for any other reason. I have seen this Bulldogs team in a few tournaments this year, but they seem to have a good nucleus with Stauffer, Flesch, Trammel and Hodges. Barnett is also a unique player that can score in bunches and in a hurry. And, the Shining Stars also have a really good core of players that can get after you. Kids like Gilbert, Schuette, and Pawsett. And they have a nice bench with guys like Brown and Pike. This team is very competitive and kudos to them for getting to the finals.