First

Agree that he needs to be in good (cardio) shape. But, he uses his body extremely well. I think they'd need to be careful about encouraging him to lose too much weight.

WISE decision by Miller. He had a few D1 options, and would have done fine there. However, he will be better, and be better sooner, at the D2 level. Happy has wanted him for some time.

I think you have are suffering from amnesia. This past season was the best year in the 12th that I can recall. I think that may have spoiled you and jaded your perception!!!! Just look back 3 years (going back even farther you'll find similar trends). 2012-2013: Wayne was 27-8; Pulaski 23-7; East Jessamine 23-8; Southwest 22-9. Four top 25 caliber teams then there was a drop-off. Wayne won the region, beating Somerset in the championship game. Pulaski was the favorite but it didn't pan out. 2013-2014: Wayne 31-2; Lincoln 26-6; Southwest 25-6; West Jessamine 19-11. Three top 25 caliber teams and then a drop-off. You started to see just how good the following year was going to be. Wayne won region, beating Southwest. 2014-2015: the season that jaded you.... 2015-2016: I expect the region to have three top 25 caliber teams in Mercer, Southwest and Wayne, then a drop-off. However, as has been mentioned above, there will be a second tier of teams that will be very competitive. Point being that I expect this year to be much like many years in the past in terms of quality of teams. The difference will be that some of the more traditional powers will be rebuilding and you will see some less traditional names filling the void.

I don't know why you have to constantly tout the EYBL as THE circuit. Along the lines of someone else's comment, there's not a KY kid that could dominate any of the 3 leagues being discussed. AND there's not a KY kid that would not be challenged going against the competition in any 3 of these leagues. So, should we be touting the league or doing our best to tout (all) KY kids? Which league is best is irrelevant in that regard.

Several kids that are very nice players. Personally, I think Wright has the highest upside and will have the best college career. He's the most athletic, most explosive and has a nice stroke. I can't disagree with Beverky having played the best over the past 2 years. He's a pleasure to watch. Great, great PG that has a great feel for the game. Knows when to pass and when to score. He's also worked hard to improve his shot. After Wright, Beverly and Goodin, throw in Carson Williams. Those are your top 4. Beyond that, you can make arguments for 10 or so kids depending on personal preference.

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Woods improved tremendously over the last year or two. He really became more well-rounded offensively. I hope he enjoys success at the next level.

I think it's a good list overall. Better than most. There were 3 kids on the third team that surprised me but still a good representation. Interesting that out of 51 players listed, there were only 13 underclassmen - 11 juniors and 2 sophs.

I haven't seen Ballard play in person. I was basing that opinion on having actually seen Boyle along with the results of 4 of Ballard's last 6 games - against CAL, Eastern, Manual and Johnson Central. Of course, the argument to the contrary is what they did to Trinity. Just too many sub-par performances of late.

I would still have to go with Owensboro as the favorite with Boyle a close second. I just don't see how Cov Cath is still in the mix. Talk about overachieving. All coaching and system right there.

The margin is a surprise. The outcome not so much.

Going into region, I would've picked Lex Cath. After Boyle's performance at region, I'm going with the Rebels. But I am surprised that so many are picking the 12th region champs ove the 11th region champs. Represent the 12th!

I'm not sure how much stock I'd put in one game - they looked really good against SW (after a good win at West in the district championship) and awful vs Lincoln. Lincoln had the better team, no question. But those boys for Lincoln won't be back next year. Mercer shot around 33% from both the field AND the line against Lincoln - never seen a performance like that. If this were a recurring problem, that'd be cause for concern. But, for the year, Mercer shot 52% from the field and 70% from the line. In the SW game they shot 53% from the field and 55% from the line (still below their average). I would contend that, if anything, the Lincoln game was more of an aberration and SW more in-line with the norm.

It's too bad that Crutchfield has been on bad teams all 3 years of his high school career. I really like his game. Long; poised; good defender; smart; and can play in and out. Very versatile.

If you are measuring impact, you simply can't convince me that there are 14 players that had greater impact on games in which they played.

My pre-season rankings: 1) Mercer - Hager, Faulkner, Dow, Davis and Mink- their top 5 players return. In Hager and Faulkner, there's the potential to have two "first team" 12th region players. Likewise for Wayne, but I don't think they have anyone like Dow, another probable all region performer. Davis stayed healthy towards the end of the year and was the X factor as to why they played their best ball at the end of the year (ignoring the Lincoln game). Depth is a concern as they will go 6 to 8 deep depending on development. Outside shooting is a concern as well. As the year progressed, Hager seemed to go away from his mid-range jumper. The extent to which he takes that shot will determine how well they fare against zones. 2) Wayne - I give them the edge over Southwest. They lost their BEST PLAYER in Woods. I wouldn't have said that 2 years ago but he became much more well rounded. They are better when Blevins shoots a few less shots; when he lets the game come to him. Gillespie is the X factor for them as he will be the second tallest kid in the region. The intangible for Wayne is their tradition which can't be overlooked. 3) Southwest - they lost their 2 most important players. The good news is they have a ton of depth which is their biggest advantage. Fitzgerald is a very nice player and will continue to get better. I see him as their leader for the next 3 years and a can't miss all region player next year. I would expect Gover to make it as well. IF rosters stay the same, I think those 3 should be above the rest. Beyond those 3, I expect Danville, Casey, West in some order. Curious to watch Boyle's development and to see how Garrard does. Then maybe Pulaski, Lincoln and Rockcastle.

West Jessamine is extremely well coached and always seems to get transfers from Fayette County. Those kids seem to slide in under the radar but they always play a significant role for West. Both Ely and McCorvey (2 of their top 3 players) were transfers.

Seniors: Jeremiah Bell - Boyle Jacob Conway - Lincoln Brooks Ely - West Jessamine Dylan Gaskins - SW Adam Isaacs - SW TimmyTaylor - Lincoln Hagen Tyler - Boyle Sean Ross - Pulaski Hayden Smith - East Jessamine Peyton Woods - Wayne Cody Woolridge - Danville Juniors: Trey Blevins - Wayne Will Hager - Mercer Corey Stearns - Wayne

What has impressed me the most is his improvement EACH of the last 2 years. Best of luck at NKU!

If Faukner works at it and gets a couple more inches, he's a can't miss (future) D1 basketball player. Kid's upside is very, very high. Long, can handle pretty well, can shoot and can slash. Finished as the team's second leading scorer and third leading rebounder. Taylor can impact a game without scoring a point, particularly when the guys around him are hitting shots. GREAT respect for the way he plays. Hager is very good. He led the team in scoring, assists and was second in rebounding. Did you watch the Southwest game? As well as he played in that game, he was that off against Lincoln. He couldn't drop it in the ocean Monday night, and it was pretty obvious that the hand injury/wrap on his right hand was affecting both his handle and shot. Coach Jackson's comment was that their defensive focus was to keep Hager out of the lane. They did a great job at that, as is expected from a Jackson coached team. Doing that makes Mercer a different team.

I said Wayne will be in the mix. They have 2 really nice players coming back and are a perennial power in the 12th. But they aren't favored/don't win it every year. And that's kind of where I think they find themselves next year. No disrespect meant to the Wayne program. Just my opinion. On another note, what's the latest on Woods' recruitment? I would have to think he will have some decent options.

But that one kid happens to be Peyton Woods, a kid that averages nearly 23 PPG and is arguably the best shooter in the state. Shoots 42% from 3 point land. It's unreasonable to think that can be replaced. That said, I agree that Wayne will still be in the conversation - for sure.

Lincoln is no doubt the favorite. I had a friend (from Lincoln) tell me yesterday that he was rooting for Southwest to beat Mercer due to the match-up issues that Mercer presents for them. He attended the previous game at Lincoln about 4 weeks ago where Mercer was up after 3 quarters. I think it'll be a great one, but there's no question Lincoln is the favorite.

Is he even still there? He isn't with the team.

Agreed. But don't discount the loss of Southwest seniors Adam Isaacs and Dylan Gaskin. They were their two most important players tonight and probably on the year. When Gaskins is out of the game, they are not the same team. They are guard heavy so they'll be better able to adapt to the loss of Isaacs than Gaskins.