Perfect Practice

I think you know as well as I do that you cant necessarily go off last seasons stats. You also have to look at the situation. Giesler wasnt fighting for time with other big men. Stauffer had a senior or 2 and was playing with Tate Nichols who likes the basketball. Stauffer asserted himself last season and will only continue to grow. Plus, he may play a higher level of competition than NCC in my opinion.

This is a good list but there I dont think Giesler should be rated above Stauffer. Thelen from CovCath is solid offensively, but I have to see more out of him both physically and defensively.

I would agree with Zollo, he'll have another solid season. I disagree with Euton. Maybe I would put him in the top 10 or 12. Eutons name got big because Gillispie recruited him to UK, but then again, he got an 8th grader to commit. Euton is a good player, but Im not sure about the top 5 statewide.

All right folks, we have talked about the PG's and some of the other great players in KY. It's time to get a discussion going about some of the best big guys in the state. For the state I like Elijah Pittman coming back for Holmes Highschool. The kid can just play ball. For NKY I think Bobby Stauffer of Ryle will be right up there with the best, if not the best. I also look for Andy Earls and to have a big year for Boone County. With McFarland out of that lineup and Earls and Gabbard taking over, I look for Earls to be a big contributor. Jake Giesler for Newport Catholic should also have a good year. Next up, and this is my early prediction, but Connor High School has two big guys, Clay Robinson who is right around 6'6" that played well against some good teams last year. Big strong kid that plays with a lot of heart. Also, my surprise big man player is a kid named Tyler Hodges who is 6'7" with a very long wing spand. He doesnt necessarily play the big man role in the paint.He may be more of a wing player, but he can stroke it. He may need to get a little more aggressive in going to the rim, but I think he can get that done. My NKY early list: Elijah Pittman --- Holmes High School Bobby Stauffer --- Ryle High School Andy Earls --- Boone County Jake Giesler --- Newport Catholic Clay Robinson --- Connor High School Tyler Hodges --- Connor High School Please, add to this list. And, get the talk going for best big man in the state.

Yeah Smith and Gabbard looked strong in the games I saw. I am yet to see Popp in an AAU game. I heard that he may possibly be transferring out of Boone County... Has anyone else eard that? I know the kid is a good ball player, just wondering if he'll be at Boone.

Is this the same Coach Carr that used to coach at Simon Kenton?

Why the emphatic "Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"?

I think this is a good list. I think Matt Trammel will be vastly improved next season at Dixie. Not only does he have handles, he can defend well, appears to be a solid leader, and he has the ability to take a game over. Kellen Smith put up really good numbers last year, i would think he could repeat that and get better. He looks pretty good in summer ball this year playing with high level competition. If you extend NKY to Mason County, Jordan Gilbert looks tough. Defends well, passes well, decent stroke, and can get to the rim. I saw Blake Bryan at a tournament this AAU season and the offense looked real solid. Good quickness and appears to be a strong kid. The defense appeared to be lacking (maybe tired though, late night, long game). Lastly, I know we have these names on a list, and its a good list, but there is always atleast one kid that surprises people. That kid will be Jake Flesch of Connor Highschool. Thats my prediction. I am told he missed most of last season with an injury. At a tournament I watched, the kid is very quick, defends very intensely, and is a good fundamental passer. He will be a true PG that could score 8-10 pts/game. I am just huge fan of kids that play the game on both sides of the ball. Most any kid that plays Varsity Highschool basketball can score in some fashion. Defense is very, VERY key in my estimation.

You are correct. No one said he isnt good. The kid is a player, you can tell that by stats alone. One thing I noticed though is that he really did not get it going until 15 or 16 games into the season. I am assuming he starts for Scott Highschool, is that correct? I did see also though, that he put up some good numbers against good teams. Nice work. I dont yet put him to the likes of Johnson, this kid is getting looks from UK and others, and has been for a bit. You could argue Gabbard though.

His name is Jaylen Daniels. He's just a sophmore and can jump out of the gym. The best thing about Jaylen is'nt his game it's his atitude. Super great kid and very humble. Love him to death! I didn't get to see him long. 1 whole game. But, I got this impression you speak of from him. He seems to be very upbeat and motivated. He attacked the rim with authority and really appeared to be the most suited leader for that team. Look forward to seeing him play again.

You are right in stating I didn't follow him much last year. From what I have heard, it's all good things about this kid. I was just curious as to why you liked him so much and why you say he will be the best in NKY. Especially since your talking about Gabbard and Johnson who I did follow last year and were both pretty darn good last year. Not to mention they have a year of experience on Smith. I look forward to watching him all summer and next year.

Jaylan Daniels,Clark Co.- Team Kentucky Taylor Newsome,Shelby Valley- Team Kentucky There is a kid that played for Team Kentucky this weekend at the Royals tournament... I am told he plays for Clarke County. He is tall and has braids. Was dunking the ball with relative ease. Good ball player. He would go out of the game and the team would seem to get down or lose focus. Anyone know who he is? (a lousy description i know, sorry.)

Why? And, over every other guard in NKY, or just his age group?

I agree with you on this subject. I saw him play this weekend at the Royals tournament and his offense was solid, but the defense seemed to lack a bit. There is no doubt though that the kid can score a bit.

After watching Sewell play in Louisville 2 weeks ago, I find it hard to believe he will be running the point. This kid is a 2 (maybe even a 3). He can jump out of the gym and likes to score the basketball. I would say he is more of a scorer than a distributor. We shall see.

Possibly. I think there will be a lot of competition at this spot for "the best." Also what do you consider NKY. Some people would consider Mason County NKY. If so, Jordan Gilbert will be awfully good in my opinion. Also, when you talk about "true" PG, I think that Jake Flesch of Connor, and possibly Brandon Hatton of Dixie. If Matt Trammel plays the PG for Dixie, then he will be up there too. Most consider Mikey Gabbard as a really good PG as well. If Rico plays the PG, you have to look at him too. But, since you said "true," we'll talk about all these other guys. Should be interesting. Very exciting to watch next season. There are a lot of young men to keep an eye on.

I think there is going to be a lot of competition for this spot next season. Some real solid young junior (to be) PG's in NKY. But, from what i've heard and the little i've seen I would add him to the list of good young PG's. I look forward to seeing him and the others more often.

I agree that Josh Forrest will be the next great PG (if he plays the position) next season. I read that Tilghman needed him to step in and play the PG position last year and he rose to the challenge and exceeded expectations. Not to mention the kid is 6'5" so he will be able to physically dominate the smaller guys. I know a lot of people are talking about the obvious players for next season. Guys like: Shanklin, Jackson, Forrest, etc. But I want to throw some other names out there as guys you'll want to keep an eye on. Jordan Gilbert (Mason County), Chris Harrison (Trinity), Matt Trammel (Dixie Heights) and Jake Flesch (Connor Highschool). Jordan Gilbert (Mason County) did an excellent job last weekend at the Shootout. This kid is quick and can get to the rim, passes well, plays solid defense, plays mistake free (for the most part) and is a good floor leader. I think he'll make some noise at Mason County next season. He aslo lead by example. Chris Harrison (Trinity) is a good ball player. The kid can knock it down from anywhere on the floor. He is a good, verbal court general that seems to pass well. His defense is solid and we'll be hearing about him for a couple years to come. (I just read that he's moving to Michigan. Even if he does, you'll hear about him in recruiting). Also a good FT shooter. Matt Trammel (Dixie Heights) is a great young player. If he plays PG next season you should keep an eye on him. He can score from anywhere on the court. A quick first step to the rim, good defense, leads by example, good FT shooter, and can simply take a game over. Loves a challenge. Jake Flesch (Connor Highschool) is a very quick young talent. I add him in the mix because he was poised to start varsity as a sophomore, but spent 3/4 of the season injured. He passes very well and likes to get teammates involved. He also plays relatively mistake free, can score when he needs to, and his defense is second to none. Excellent FT shooter. Look for these kids to open some eyes and make some noise. Watch them this summer and next season. Each of the previous is a Junior (to be).

I was looking on the internet for non-branded AAU teams that have websites. I found the NKY Bulldogs (http://www.nkybulldogs.com). Does anyone know if the KY players, charlotte court, kentucky blazers, and any other teams like this have websites. Just trying to get more background info on these teams. How long they've been around, where they are from, the players on the teams, etc. Thanks

Does anyone know if some of the non-branded, but still good teams will be playing in this Royals tournament this weekend? Teams like WKY Elite, NKY Bulldogs, Charlotte Court, BA Hoyas (even though this team is somewhat branded by the Basketball Academy, they are still new and just starting out)? I like to watch them play against some of the so-called (on BGP) "big boys."

I agree. It's important for teams to build chemistry with one another. Also, utilize this time to practice new scheme's and to just get the kids playing. My question is... Why not play right now?

I agree with you here.

Sure, AAU is a good ways for young athletes to get noticed by coaches. At tournaments such as Eddie Fords Grassroots Shootout and The Real Deal on the Rock in Arkansas, along with many others I'm sure, many of these games are video taped and coaches have the opportunity to see them. Also, local newswriting and journalists come out to give the boys and girls exposure. But, it's not all about geting recognized, it's also about staying active during your Highschools downtime. Stay active and stay busy. And hey, why not play a game that you love. There are many reasons to play AAU ball, not just to get noticed.

Yeah, I have heard of this tournament. This should be a really good one! I am also hearing about the Royals AAU Super-regional this coming weekend. This should be good as well. I saw on the Shining Stars website that they will be in this tournament. Obviously the Cincinnati Royals. I'm assuming you'll see many of the teams that were at the Grassroots shootout or Bearcat classic at this tournament too. Not sure though. Anyone know of other teams in this tournament (Royals AAU Superregional)?

Anyone going to check out tournaments this weekend? If so, what teams will be involved?