First

I think he's awake again. Because of their win over Mercer, they're back on the map. They actually made most of this week's rankings! When you beat a top team, you get noticed in spite of the outcomes in your other recent games. Here are the rankings in this week's polls: AP: Mercer 2nd, Lafayette not ranked (but they got an 'at a boy as they were listed in others receiving votes). Courier Journal: Mercer 3rd, Lafayette 18th. BGP: Mercer 4th, Lafayette 20th. Herald Leader: Mercer 10th, Lafayette 21st. So, let's not waste time arguing our point with this little dude. Let's let EVERYONE else do the talking for us. See above.

Speaking of recruitment, what's the latest on Darius Williams?

I'm not sure this article does much to address his question. He was talking about how a kid has zero interest, and then expanded that point to ask about kids in the state as a whole. He was not saying this kid should be recruited by the likes of KS and KY or other top 25 D1 programs.

Care to share more about his game, including position and size?

I'm not familiar with the kid, but I saw where he received one of the Herald Leader's five votes for Mr. Basketball.

Final from Taylor County. Any details? Bounce?

Mercer was up 17 points after 3 and by 26 when their starters went out around the 3:00 mark. Looked much crisper tonight. Balanced attack for Mercer. James 17, Dow 15, Hager 14, Mink 14, Faulkner 8, Davis 6 and Souder 5. Dow with 12 boards and Hager with 9 assists.

It's crazy to start a thread with a title like this one. A lot has been said about making that type of comparison. To Purple Pride's point, I am just going to focus on the comparison of their games at the levels we've all seen them play (high school vs NBA). Why the Bird comparison? They both play/played for small high schools and had great careers. They both played as hard as you'll see anyone play. They were both well-liked in their home states. Those are the similarities. Bird was a 6'9" wing that was known for his great perimeter shooting and passing and, while he played hard, he was a finesse player. He was less than athletic. Williams is an undersized power forward that is really strong and powerful and is very athletic. Very good when receiving the ball in transition. Their skill sets are radically different. So, if you want to talk about similar players, the MUCH better comparison is Charles Barkley. Nothing wrong with that one and it makes much more sense. He's a top 50 and is one of my favorite players of all time (and is definitely my favorite NBA analyst).

You having done this in the 80's and 90's brings up an interesting contrast. Whether I agree with tooting one's own horn or not, I can see where that would have been "needed" more so then than in today's age of blogs, social media and recruiting services/analysts. Let's face it. If a kid is legitimately worthy of Mr. Basketball consideration, anyone that might have a vote already knows as much about them as they do Tyler Ulis.

I agre and have said all along that he's deserving. 4 to 6 weeks ago, I didn't think he would have enough votes. I sense that the tide is changing.

And Mercer won by 10 AT Wayne when they had Stearns back. Lafayette's win over Wayne on a neutral court was without Stearns. He's arguably their best player and averages over 16 PPG. This, along with the crazy results I mentioned before, goes to show that you can't read too much into one night's result. If you look back, most of the recent state champs have suffered double digit losses in the last 4-6 weeks of their seasons. And the Jenkins boys combined for 54 points? Wow. Something told me to check that rather than accepting it as truth. It appears they combined for 38. So yeah 54, give or take 16.

How was the Lafayette game a motivator when the West Jess game was not? Mercer went to West undefeated and left there undefeated. They went to Lafayette with a similar effort and left with their first L. IMO they approached both games thinking they could cruise to victory. The West game because of the 44 point win their first matchup and the Lafayette game due to the Generals' recent lopsided losses - especially the 30 point loss to LCA on Friday night. They didn't respect them like they should've. Mistake, and hopefully one which they will learn from!

I would agree with elements of each of the last two posts. I normally take the position that a team losing is not in and of itself a good thing. However, I agree with the sentiment that Mercer had gotten a little full of themselves. Had they gone through the motions and beaten the same Lafayette team that played like Lafayette did on Friday night, it wouldn't have done them any good. They would have continued the same pattern as they have shown their last eight or nine games - and continued to get away with it. The only fire I've seen from this bunch of late was the game at Wayne. The loss, and by a double digit margin, presents the opportunity for a wake-up call. I cannot guarantee that it will work but it should. The Lincoln game tomorrow night will tell us a lot. I do know that beating Lafayette by five or six would not have helped the matter. And any team can be beaten, that is for sure. Mercer could step up their intensity and still lose, either again in the regular season or in the postseason. However, if they can regain that edge that they were playing with, I like their chances against anyone. As far as the film showing the secret to beating Mercer, I think what it shows will be more valuable for the Mercer coaching staff then for any future opponents. The same things that have given Mercer problems over the last several games were the very same things that were their strengths when they were playing hard. Btw, all this talk about athletic teams giving Mercer a problem is off base. Facing a team that controls the tempo is their challenge. Lafayette's Coaxh is no dummy.

Maybe Anchor1 is subjective to Mercer's schedule. That possibility had not crossed my mind.

Central is a team that could beat any of the top 10 teams, particularly if they're knocking down the outside shot.

IMO Madison Central is more athletic than Lafayette. Central's guards get the edge in that regard. Lafayette doesn't have a John Wiliams. Central also has a shooter like Lafayette has in Lane. Beyond that, Central's backcourt is also much more of a threat to score. Again, Ross Jenkins is Lafayette's toughest guy to handle and I wouldn't label him as highly athletic. So, when a team's 2 go-to guys are Lane and (Ross) Jenkins, I thinks it's a stretch to label that team as overly athletic. Danville, who (as stated) beat LCA, is easily the most athletic team that Mercer has faced. It's not even close. Their backcourt is about as quick as you will encounter.

Bengal 1, you've had an axe to grind with a couple of Mercer players for about 6 years now, and that shows in your above statement. One is a transfer and one is a guard other than Faulkner. Not that anyone could tell by your comments lol. Did you watch the same game? Effort, patience, rebounding, and great 3 point shooting is what Lafayette did well on offense. I don't think too many folks are talking about how the Lafayette backcourt's penetration was a factor. It wasn't. Come on now. It's gotta be tough living that way. Breathe in, breathe out. Let it go. Now just relax. No need to spew venom at a couple kids over a grudge you can't lay to rest.

I forgot that Danville beat LCA by 9, who in turn beat Lafayette by 29. Then, Mercer beat Danville by 22, so I guess that means Mercer is 60 points better than Lafayette. Must mean Lafayette would be in the 11 to 15 range in the 12th region. Oh, and Mercer and Lincoln beat Madison Central who in turn beat Dunbar. Mercer is clearly better than Dunbar and, since Lincoln is in the 6 - 7 range in the 12th, Dunbar would be mid-level in the 12th region. For the Dunbar fans out there, obviously I'm not being serious. That just shows how anything can happen on a given night. Also, the position that Mercer would be middle of the pack in the 11th, based on one night's result, is just as flawed.

Moving on, this type of post, and these comments, are exactly what Mercer needs to hear and read. I would rather them have suffered that type of loss against a team playing that well than beat the Friday night version of Lafayette by double digits. Something needs to rattle their cage before it's too late. They've been a shadow of their previous self the last 9 games. The best example of that was beating West Jess by 44 in December, then by only 4 a few games ago. In fact, they should have lost that game. The thing is, neither of those scores were flukes. The difference was Mercer's attitude and approach. They played hungry early on but, of late, have been playing like they're good enought to just show up and get the win. Talent isn't their issue and won't be against anyone they might face. Attitude and heart is their problem, at least at this point. Like I said, Lafayette played a great game last night. No question. They shot over 50% from beyond the arc and did an excellent job at controlling the tempo. #23 was the difference maker. For the year, that kid averages 5 PPG and shoots 21% from three. He had 20 last night and hit at least 4 from deep. Ross Jenkins played a solid game, and the attention he drew was greater than his point total. Then Lane's second half 3 point shooting was huge. Also, Lafayette's coach had a solid game plan. It's up to Mercer where they go from here. The Mercer of November and December will fare just fine. The Mercer of the last 3 weeks or so won't go anywhere.

Of all the things that Mercer struggled with and did wrong tonight, Lafayaette's athleticism doesn t make the top 10. Lafayette isn't even overly athletic. Their 2 leading scorers on the season, Ross Jenkins and Lane, wouldn't be labeled as athletic. The 3 point shooting was the biggest thing that killed them, along with the aforementioned lack of focus and intensity. Lafayette's top 3 scorers tonight were Lane, #23 and Jenkins - none of whose points came because of athleticism. Maybe your point could/will be proven but citing this Lafayette team as proof to support that argument doesn't work. They may be a Leximgton team, but not all Lexington teams are athletic.

THIS. Mercer has gone through the motion for several games now. They play like they think they can turn it on when they want to. They thought they were playing a Lafayette team that lost by 30 to LCA last night. Truth be told, they should've lost to West Jess. Maybe Anderson. If it were just tonight, I wouldn't be as concerned. They've lost the chip they'll need. Let's see if this gets it back.

Well, not exactly a tip....Central had the ball with 18 seconds. Shot a jumper way too early, with around 10 seconds left. Dunbar got the ball and shot a half court shot with around 4 seconds left. Dunbar's big got the rebound with a second left and threw it in backwards (over his head). CRAZY!

I kind of hope that you're incorrect about that.

Boyle by 10.

I have no doubt and completely agree. My comments aren't directed at the players. As usual, it's the adults screwing things up! Folks just need to let the kids campaign via their play.